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How to Design Packaging for Your New Product

sites@tailorbrands.com — Wed, 13 Jul 2022 07:45:48 GMT

Has your company recently created a new product? Do you want to know how to design packaging for your new product? Read on to learn more.

Did you know that the job outlook for graphic designers is expected to rise by 3% over the next decade? When you consider the importance of visuals in selling products and brands, it’s not hard to see why.

If you have a new product, then good packaging can mean the difference between a success and a failure. So, how do you ensure that your package design is successful?

Simple: by reading this package design guide!

In it, we’ll walk you through how to design packaging for whatever type of product you’re working with. That way, consumers are sure to be interested in it. Let’s get started!

What Is Package Design for Products?

When most people think of product packaging their minds tend to go toward physical items. They imagine things like cardboard boxes, packets, bags, bottles, and wrappings that protect their new products.

These physical components certainly are important. After all, 72% of Americans agree that packaging influences their purchasing decision. But, the physical material isn’t what the product packaging is referring to.

In reality, product packaging is the way that you offer your products to your target customers. So, let’s say you offer a product like digital software. You likely don’t need to worry about physical items like cardboard boxes.

That’s because your product is available entirely online. That being said, you still need to think about product packaging. In the software example, this would include things like logos, covers, and any copy that describes the product.

Product packaging also encompasses the practice of grouping together certain products and services as a single item. For example, let’s say your sell skin care products online.

When someone orders your products you might include a free sample cleanser.

This can be a smart idea because you're anticipating the needs of your audience and creating more value for them. As such, they’ll be more likely to buy from you in the future.

What Should You Know Before Designing Packaging?

Often, once a company has a new product ready they’re eager to get started with package designing. But, the best package design advice we can give is to not jump the gun.

There are some things that you need to know before you dive into the brainstorming process. And, if you don’t consider them, then there’s a good chance that your packaging will be doomed from the get-go.

For starters, you need to know your target audience. You can think of your target audience as an imaginary person that’s most likely to buy your product.

For example, if you’re a sneaker company, then your target audience might be a young male that’s interested in basketball and fashion. Knowing your target audience is important because you will be writing directly to this market segment.

Avoid writing to too large of an audience as this can isolate the people most likely to buy your product. Next, you should know the budget you working with.

This will dictate what types of people you can work with. For example, if you’re on a shoestring budget, then it’s probably best to go with a DIY approach.

But, if you have some money you can put toward packaging, then it makes sense to go with a professional to ensure quality. So, do a quick number crunch to see how much you can put toward it.

Lastly, you want to consider how your product stands apart from the competition. This is important because when you identify this you can highlight it in the packaging.

For example, let’s say you sell Greek yogurt with added protein. You can highlight the fact that your product is keto-friendly in the packaging.

This will help you appeal more to your target audience, which is people that want more protein in their diet. Once you’ve considered all these things, then you’re ready to start designing.

How to Design Packaging

The packaging design phase is going to look different for every company. A massive company like Coca-Cola isn’t going to have the same type of design process as a small business.

That being said, there are some common elements that most businesses share when it comes to the package design process.

In this section, we’ll be breaking down this process into five distinct phases. Let’s take a closer look at them.

1. Brainstorming

The first part of the design phase is the most fun. You know the phrase, ‘there’s no such thing as bad ideas’? That was referring to the brainstorming phase.

So, start messing around with some concepts, no matter how absurd they might seem. This is the time for silly doodles, word/phrase lists, and freeform associations.

If the brainstorming session gets too outlandish, then reel it in with some goals. Ideally, your packaging should do one of the following:

Draws attention to itself
Displays the purpose of the brand
Elicits emotion out of the viewer
Lists some of the benefits of the product
Sets itself apart from the competition

However, the best type of packaging can do multiple things from this list at the same time. For example, think of unboxing videos .

This type of packaging not only draws attention to itself, but it also elicits an emotion out of the individual when they open it. Remember that the best brainstorming sessions come when you’re working in a group.

That’s because you can quickly bounce ideas off of one another and get feedback instantaneously. So ideally, either your team or whoever you hire will brainstorm in a group setting.

2. Honing In On a Concept

Hopefully, at this point, you have a list of two to three ideas for packaging that you feel good about. It’s important to consider all of these options fully before you decide on one.

You don’t want to close off a potential idea too early. So, give each one some proper consideration. Then, when you’re ready pick the one you and the team feels best with.

Once you have the idea you’re comfortable with, then it’s time to shift gears. Your goal now is to make a design brief.

This is a document that contains all the information from the ideas that you formulated during the brainstorming phase. That way, you can distribute them to your team and get feedback.

Your brief should also include important information for artists, like the specific brand colors and fonts you want. You also want the source file for any logos that need to be included.

Once everyone is on the same page in terms of concept and what needs to be done, then you can get into the nitty-gritty work.

3. Copy and Artwork Approval

Now, it’s time to decide exactly what will be on the packaging. Let’s start with the copy. This category encompasses any words that will be on the packaging, whether it’s the logo or a description of the product.

It can also include legal information, like nutritional facts (if it’s a food or supplement), expiration dates, and copyright/terms and conditions.

Make sure that you get the copy approved by any higher-ups before proceeding. The last thing you want to do is make a prototype only to need to re-do it because your boss doesn’t like the phrasing.

Next, the artists will create whatever art is found on the packaging. In addition to the art itself they will need to include information on the:

Cut lines
Die template
Printing requirements
Any other design elements worth including

Most of the time, artists will be working in Adobe Illustrator during this phase. Once they’re done, they’ll send along the file to be included in the mockup.

4. Mockups and Prototypes

Once everything has been approved, it’s time to create a mockup. This is a 3D design that lets you see exactly what the packaging will look once it’s printed out.

If you’re happy with everything, then it’s time to make a prototype. A prototype is a model of what all the packaging will look like.

It’s essential because the last thing you want is to print out a bunch of packaging only to find a spelling mistake or similar tiny error. You can waste a lot of money re-doing the packing.

So, it’s important to check the prototype carefully to catch any potential errors. Once you’re certain that you love it, then it’s time to move on to the printing process.

5. Printing and Press

Once you’re ready you can ship your packaging off to the printer for them to handle. Printers will require a STEP file for it to be compatible with their printing machines.

Once they receive this, then they’ll make press plates and begin to print out your packaging. All that’s left to do is assemble.

Need Help? Contact the Affluent Advisor Group

We hope this article helped you learn more about how to design packaging. As you can see, unless you have a degree in graphic design and marketing, you’ll probably need some help.

So, why not choose the experts here at Affluent Advisor Group? We’re passionate about translating new product ideas into accessible packaging.

So, make sure to contact us today so we can get started making your dream design a reality.

What Does a Product Designer Do?

sites@tailorbrands.com — Wed, 13 Jul 2022 07:43:20 GMT

Are you planning to hire someone to design a product for your business? What does a product designer do? Read on to learn more.

Did you know that there are more than 17,000 product designers in the United States alone? This number is only expected to increase in the coming years since, after all, there always needs to be someone to professionally design products. But what does a product designer do exactly?

Does this job only focus on designing products, or is there more to the role? How can you know whether or not you should hire a product designer for your product or whether you should do the designing yourself? Keep reading and learn more about the details with this product designer guide.

What Does a Product Designer Do Exactly?

The first thing you should know about product designers is that they are in charge of producing a good user experience for a certain product. User experience, also known as UX, is all about how a user can interact with a certain product. The UX may be good or bad depending on the quality of the product, the expectations of the user, what the product claims to do, and so on.

The user experience, of course, is of utmost importance when it comes to the success of your product. You might put a lot of effort into the creation of your product, but if your users don't like the result of the product, that effort isn't going to matter. The thing about user experience is that it can be hard to predict.

You might think that your product is very good and well put together, but your users might not think so. They might prefer a product that is slightly different or has a few different features. It can be stressful and overwhelming to try and think ahead like this which is why having a professional product designer on hand is so important.

Optimizing Customer Experience With Professional Product Design

A product designer is skilled at going over a product to make sure that it is the best it can be before it is released to the public. You might wonder why you can't do the product designing all on your own. After all, you could save yourself money if you don't bother to hire a product designer.

However, you will find that you simply don't have the skills that a professional product designer has. A product designer is educated in all the ways a product could succeed or fail. For that reason, hiring a professional product designer will give your product a much better chance of success.

But a product designer's job goes far beyond user experience. A product designer will also be responsible for making sure that your product reaches all the goals you set for it. In some cases, some of your goals for a product may be more realistic than others.

A product designer will try to make sure that these goals are as realistic as possible so that it won't be too much of a challenge to reach them. But the responsibilities of a product designer don't stop there.

The Responsibilities of a Product Designer

A product designer, of course, will need to design a product at some point. This is more complicated than it sounds because most products require many facets and many stages of development before they are complete. For example, suppose that you need to create a particular type of software.

A product designer will need to go into all the tiny aspects of this software to make sure that it is not only functional but also visually appealing . This means that the designer needs to think of what colors to use, what fonts to utilize, where the fonts should appear, how the user should interact with the product, and so on. Of course, you may already have a particular idea of how your product should look.

If so, you can advise your product designer on certain things such as what color scheme to use, what patterns or designs to use, and so on. This will make the product designer's job much easier and it will likely produce faster results as well. The more information you can give your product designer about your product, the more efficient the product design process will be.

Many product designers also need to tackle the issue of the user interface and interaction. This involves the way the user interacts with your product as a whole. Most users, regardless of the product, prefer that the interaction with the product be as simple as possible.

Simplicity and Efficiency for Your Product

For example, if you are creating software that is very efficient but confusing to use, your users won't want to use that product no matter how helpful it might be. It would take too much time and effort to learn how to use such a convoluted product. As a result, users would rather use a product that is less helpful but easier to use.

To prevent this problem from happening, it will be the product designer's job to ensure that your product is easy to use. That way, when your users interact with your product, there should be no worry of them getting confused or irritated with your product. Keep in mind that it may take some streamlining and some tweaks in the product's design before the product is finally ready to be available for purchase.

This is not out of the ordinary since many products need a lot of redesigns and streamlining before they are rendered simple enough yet helpful enough for your target audience. Again, all of these responsibilities would be difficult to tackle all on your own which is why it's so important to have a professional product designer on your side at every stage of your product's lifecycle.

That way, a product designer can help shape the product from the beginning of its lifecycle to the end. This will not only take a large weight off your shoulders but it will also help your product be more of a success when it's time to release it.

How a Product Designer Can Make Your Product a Success

Another thing that a product designer can do is make sure that your goals coincide with the success of your product. For example, suppose that you want to sell a certain number of products within a certain period of time. It will be hard to predict how many products you will end up selling in reality, but a product designer can optimize your product as much as possible so that it will be much more likely for your product to achieve your product goals.

It is important to tell your product designer the goals you have in store for your product. That way, the product designer will have a better idea of how to design and refine that product. Without defined goals, it will be much more difficult to steer your product in the right direction.

A good product designer might even be able to help you better define some of your goals if you are having trouble compiling them. After all, product designers know what makes a good design and what doesn't. Your designer might even give you some advice on how to adjust your product so that it will be more successful upon release.

The Time It Takes to Release a Product

Keep in mind that a product designer can't work miracles overnight. The process of product design is a long one and it is important to be patient throughout its duration. The last thing you want is to rush a product only for that product to be low quality.

If you end up releasing a low-quality product, your customers will be disappointed and they won't be interested in purchasing any more products from your brand. Usually, it will take several weeks and even months to produce a good product.

If your product is going to be particularly large, it might take even longer. On the other hand, if your product is small, it might only take a few weeks to complete. Whatever the case, your product designer will take all the time necessary to craft an impressive and successful product.

Everything You Need to Know About Product Designers

What does a product designer do, you might ask? A product designer is essential when it comes to optimizing user experience, meeting your product goals, and streamlining your product. Without a professional product designer, you will find that designing a product on your own would be a very stressful and overwhelming task.

Even though it will cost you a bit of extra money to hire a product designer, the results will be worth it. To learn more about product design and development, contact us here.

What Is Product Planning and Development?

sites@tailorbrands.com — Mon, 01 Jul 2019 11:38:31 GMT

Are you trying to launch a new product? Have you ever wondered: what is product planning and development? Read on to learn more.

Did you know that 20% of all businesses fail within one year? As time progresses, the rate of business failure increases as well. Businesses fail for a variety of reasons and one of those reasons has to do with poor product planning.

If you're aiming to market a product, you need to make sure plenty of development is behind it. Otherwise, no one will be interested in your product once it launches. But what is product planning and development anyway?

What kind of product planning tips should you follow to make sure that your new product is a success? Keep reading and learn all about the details with this product planning guide.

What You Need to Know About Product Planning

Product planning is not as complicated and daunting as it might sound. In reality, it is all about creating a plan to market your product. You can do this in a variety of ways, but before you jump into the marketing aspect of it, you'll need to start thinking about your goals and plans.

For example, what kind of market do you plan on targeting? It is important to have a target market for a variety of reasons. First, you will be better able to design your product to satisfy that particular market.

Second, you can analyze that market to see what kind of products the people would like to see in the future. That way, you can plan ahead to ensure that your newest product will be a big hit among your target audience. If you simply release a product and don't have a specific group of people in mind, you'll find that there won't be a lot of people flocking to buy your new product.

More than that, having a target market will help you better focus your product creation efforts. So, you won't have to worry about draining your energy into a product that no one cares about. You will also want to think about the goals for the product itself.

Important Product Planning Questions to Ask Yourself

For example, how many products do you want to sell within a given period of time? How much do you want the product to sell for? How long do you plan to keep the product on the market?

Is the product going to be available only for a limited time? All of these questions are valid and you should come up with answers so that you can better plan the future of your product. The net gain of a particular product, of course, is very important.

You don't want to pour a bunch of money into the development of a product only for it to make very little money in return. Instead, you will want to pay a certain amount of money to develop the product and then make a large net gain. That way, you can use the excess money to continue fueling your future product endeavors.

But what should you do once you have everything planned out for your newest product?

What You Need to Know About Product Development

Product development is very similar to product planning, but it goes far beyond the planning stage. It mainly focuses on bringing a product from an idea to reality. This can be difficult depending on how complex your product is.

You may start with a simple design that you might like your product to resemble. You may also have an idea of how you want your product to work and what it should do. Such a product may also require certain materials or products for it to work.

Whatever the case, the product development stage is the stage in which you will discover whether or not some of your product ideas are realistic or not. For example, you might want your product to work in a particular way, but something might prevent this from coming to fruition. As a result, you may need to redesign some aspects of your product before it can be made a reality.

Don't be afraid of having to tweak your product in one way or another. Most products require plenty of redesigning and tweaking before they are ready to enter the market. Usually, simple designs are best.

That way, the amount of redesigning is kept to a minimum and you can focus on the overall function of the product. This can be a lot for one person to handle which is why there are services that exist that can help you develop product prototypes. When you consult with these services, you can get a second opinion on your product and advice on what might make the product better.

Getting Different Perspectives on Your Product

This is important because if you are mainly working on a product by yourself, you will only be to see your product from one angle. But by adding other perspectives into the mix, you can see your product from many different angles. You can also ask others what might make the product better and what should be removed to improve the design.

Many people don't like the idea of listening to others when it comes to the design of their products. Many prefer to keep the product's design exactly how they imagined it. However, compromising and occasionally changing your perspective on things is important when it comes to product planning and development.

Once you streamline your product, you will find that it will be much easier to put it into the development phase. Once your product is finally developed, you will be able to examine the product in the flesh. This is important because you can see hands-on what makes the product good or bad.

You can also see what might need to be improved, removed, or refined. Of course, the process of product planning and development is not quite so straightforward. There are a few more things you will need to consider before you create a product and make it available for purchase.

How to Keep Your Customers Satisfied With Your Product

The point of creating a product is to satisfy a certain group of people, as mentioned before. If you are unable to satisfy your target audience, your target audience isn't going to be interested in buying your products or any future products you might have. This, of course, is a recipe for disaster for the future of your business.

If you don't have any customers buying your products, you will soon be out of money and you won't have any funds to continue producing new products. But how should you go about keeping your customers happy with your products? Customer retention is a very important aspect to consider.

Customer retention involves not only getting customers but getting them to come back and buy more products at a later time. This can be difficult. This is because many customers are one-time customers.

They might see a product of yours that they like, buy it, and then never buy from you again. Even though having new customers is always good, having only one-time customers is not ideal. Fortunately, transforming one-time customers into long-term customers isn't as difficult as you might think.

Retaining Your Customers With High-Quality Products

All you need to do is keep them entertained with your products in one way or another. For example, offering discounts for your upcoming products can make customers buy from you again. Sending out notifications for new products can also intrigue customers.

You will also want to make sure that your products are high quality to begin with. You're not going to get a lot of permanent customers if your products are cheaply made or unreliable. Your products should do exactly what they claim to do.

If they do anything less, your customers aren't going to be happy and they won't want to buy from your brand again. Fortunately, you can sort out all of these problems while your product is still in the planning and development stages. Even if it means raising the price of your product, you should make sure that your product is the best it can be.

That way, people will be thrilled with how well your product works. If they like your product enough, they should come back as repeat customers and you should gain new customers in the process as well.

What Is Product Planning and Development?

What is product planning and development, you might ask? It all has to do with turning the ideas for a product into reality. You can do this by creating goals for your product, targeting a certain audience, streamlining your product, and so on.

If you're interested in developing a product, contact us here and learn how we can help.