When it comes to e-commerce, companies have become more inventive in recent years about the packaging they use. It’s no longer enough to send a product in a plain cardboard box. Instead, you need to think about your brand and the message you want to send when a box from your company arrives with your customer., creating bespoke ecommerce packaging is one way to do that.
Inspirational packaging design
Once you have your branding down, you can start designing your packaging. Here are six inspirational packaging design ideas to get you started:
- Colour
Colour is a powerful tool when it comes to sending a message about who your company is and what it stands for. It allows you to catch your customer’s eye when the package arrives and helps ensure it stands out from the crowd. Right now, blended colours are especially popular as are black and white designs, which can allow you to create intricate and intriguing designs that make people look twice.
An example of the use of black and white can be seen in the Allsorts packaging, which came out a couple of years ago and allowed the sweets to stand out against all the others on the shelf.
- Minimalism
If you do go for black and white, one of the things to remember is to keep things simple. Black and white packaging makes a statement, and you don’t want to confuse this by making it too busy. Minimalistic packaging works well in lots of ways. It sends a message that your company is open and honest, for example, and that you don’t focus on style over substance, something more and more customers want to see right now.
With minimalism, because there isn’t anything to distract the eye, you need to think about the colour(s) you use, and the typography but function is important too. There is no point in keeping the packaging design simple if the packaging itself isn’t fit for purpose. Beauty brands are experts at minimalist design and worth looking at for inspiration.
- Typeface
Beauty products are good at typeface too. They tend to keep it simple (space is often a premium) but use creative placement to add a twist to the design. An example is Thomas Kosmala, who wrapped the typeface around their packaging rather than have it placed on just one side. It’s an approach that can be used on any type of box, regardless of whether it is packing the product itself or being used for shipping.
- Images
Images can also be used on product packaging or packaging used for shipping. They can be as simple as your company logo or more involved. If you have the budget, speak to an illustrator to come up with something unique for your company. Vintage imagery is particularly popular right now, and it’s definitely worth seeing if this will fit with your brand. Remember, it doesn’t have to be too literal, but it does need to be eye-catching.
- Themes
Whether your use images or not, it’s essential to try and stick to a theme with your packaging. This links back to your brand and the need for consistency. Use the same colour, or range of colours, in your packaging and the same typography.
If you do use images, remember, you don’t need them all to be the same, but they do need to have something in common in order to tie your look together.
- Inclusivity
Recently, Lego began a pilot for braille bricks. A similar approach can work in packaging and designers have been working on this. You could, for example, include braille text on your boxes or consider using fonts that are better for those with dyslexia to read.
- Quality and consistency
Once you decide on your design, you need to make sure it runs through all of your packaging from boxes to bags. The quality of your packaging matters too. This doesn’t mean you need to blow the bank, but it does mean buying the best packaging you can within your budget.
To make sure you get the best quality, look at ways you could save money on packaging. With Right Size, for example, you get good quality cardboard boxes at an affordable price because you only produce the boxes you need when you need them. You can also print directly to these boxes, meaning you can add a design without the added costs that other companies might charge.
