From identifying robust casings to ship your products, to incorporating aesthetically pleasing and creative designs for display on store shelves, packaging is a hugely important part of your business operations.
It's essential not just for implementing your wider brand strategy, but for ensuring that your products reach your customers in one piece. Given its importance, then, what does good product packaging look like?
Examples of Good Product Packaging
To provide you with some inspiration for creating your own designs, we've listed six companies that have mastered the art of product packaging – as well as a brief explanation of what can be learnt from them.
Here are just some of the examples that you should be drawing inspiration from:
Apple
Brand value is a core part of Apple's business strategy, and the tech giant's product packaging is a crucial part of this.
- To ensure consistency and identity, all Apple products use a combination of the colours black, white, and grey on their packaging, as well as the company's iconic logo.
- Straight lines and consistent typography (the company's 'San Francisco' typeface is used on all product packaging and iOS programmes) make the design of Apple's products instantly recognisable to both consumers and non-users.
- Packaging for electronics is made of durable cardboard to protect the products which are then further encased in either foam or more cardboard.
- The sleek and minimalistic boxes in which customers purchase their products are a stark white, featuring black writing and a high-resolution photo of the product encased within the box. This helps to create a sense of familiarity and style.
Halo Top Creamery
leekris - stock.adobe.com
Ice cream brand Halo Top Creamery features an excellent example of innovative product packaging:
- Halo's brand is predominant on its packaging, taking the form of a golden "halo" on the lid's circumference.
- The company sell smaller containers that are deemed to be the perfect size for consumption, particularly among small groups of people.
- Well-designed packaging often incorporates colour, particularly when representing different flavours of a product. The colours here do just that, with each tub reflecting the character of the ice cream within it. As an example, Halo's chocolate peanut butter flavour incorporates a dark brown and golden-brown combination.
La Fiole du Pape
Chataeu
This luxury brand's Châteauneuf-du-Pape wine is a clear example of a sophisticated and effortlessly cool packaging design:
- The label adhered to the front of the wine bottle is effortlessly cool, in that its antiquated appearance and typeface aligns with the timeless and high-brow nature of the product.
- The bottle's deliberately misshapen appearance is a witty tribute to the Châteauneuf-du-Pape region, which is known for its gnarled grapevines.
- Thanks to the twisted shape of the glass, a fortunate consequence is that it makes the bottle more comfortable to hold and pour.
- Although not a vintage wine, the dirtied bottle gives the product a feel of being older than it truly is – a form of storytelling in itself. When on a shelf amidst other containers, it stands out due to this sandy exterior and unique shape.
Lush
Behance
Given their strong emphasis on corporate social responsibility (CSR), it's little surprise that cosmetics chain Lush implements a carefully planned packaging strategy:
- Regardless of the product that you are purchasing, each box contains Lush's logo prominently on the front of it. This is deliberate and aims to be as visually simple as possible.
- In line with its CSR concerns, all pots and bottles are made from BPA-free 100% post-consumer recycled plastic and can be reused within the home.
- All of Lush's innovative containers are recyclable via an in-store programme; for instance, five empty containers can be exchanged for a free face mask. This is a brilliant way to encourage responsible consumer behaviour in line with the company's own mission and principles.
- Whether you're purchasing one of the company's products in a paper bag or a box, the colourful packaging is always appealing. Even the reusable metal tins fit with this aesthetic.
Molocow
Behance
Another prime example of cool product packaging is the bottling design used by dairy company Molocow (a play on the Russian молоко, for milk):
- As well as paying clear homage towards the 1897 legend of a Kansas cow's alien abduction, the branding message here goes much deeper. The transparent packaging also allows consumers to see the quality and freshness of the product.
- The milk bottle features a UFO twist cap, with the conical glass itself appearing as a beam emitting from the spaceship.
- Molocow's design isn't just for the sake of whimsy; it is attractive to children, who are more likely to consume a product if the packaging appeals to them.
- There's no denying how cool this product packaging is. Its unique design is one that will stand out amongst all the other bog-standard milk brands on the supermarket shelf.
Nord Stream Seafood
branding.news
With the help of an external marketing agency, Nord Stream Seafood has created interactive casings to remember:
- Through a combination of plastic and paper, these cases feature a movable image of the seafood that is about to be consumed. Though not particularly useful beyond informing customers as to the contents of the package, this casing is more important for its aesthetic values than its practicality.
- In a particularly creative way, a moiré pattern is used to achieve a sense of movement while simultaneously involving and entertaining the consumer.
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As these product packaging examples show, your business can stand out just by how it looks on the shelf. This doesn't mean that you should compromise on quality or lose focus of what makes your product unique in the first place, but it doesn't mean that you should miss an opportunity to be creative, too. After all, it's a critical offline marketing strategy that you would be foolish to overlook.
Which one is your favourite? And what other memorable product packaging examples would you recommend for inspiration? Let us know your thoughts and ideas in the comment section below!