10 Best Creative Food Packaging Design Tips

Looking for the Tips to Acheive the Best Creative Food Packaging Design?  

It’s simply not enough to have a delicious, palatable food or beverage product for your customers. You also have to package it and market it in a way that appeals to them. No matter how delectable your creations are, they won’t sell unless you spend time and money on the best creative food packaging design.

But what are the best creative food packaging design tips that can help you succeed?

Why Invest in Food Packaging?

CPG packaging is valuable for several reasons. Obviously, you’ll need to consider the practical effects of packaging; this is how you prevent your food product from being contaminated and ensure that your customers have the freshest possible food or beverage product.

However, you’ll also need to think about the superficial look and feel of your packaging – and innovate however you can. This can help you with the following and more:

• Standing out from the competition. Novel packaging enables you to stand out from the competition. There may be dozens of products on store shelves like yours, so how do you distinguish your branded products? Customers won’t have the chance to taste the differences between your products and your competitors, so packaging is all you have.
• Creating impressions. People will form impressions of your brand from the moment they see your packaging for the first time. If it’s playful, bright, and colorful, people are going to think of your brand as fun. If it’s distinguished, precise, and high quality, people are going to think of your brand as debonair or prestigious. This can help you develop your brand positioning strategy or persuade people to make a purchase when they’re on the fence.
• Forming memories. Creative packaging can also form memories in the consumers who purchase these products, encouraging them to discuss your product with others. For example, Companhia das Lezírias’ Tyto Alba wine is distributed in a box that can be turned into a birdhouse – leading to interesting future conversations and an unforgettable brand experience.
• Inspiring discussion. People like to talk about their novel experiences and surprising products they’ve found. If your food packaging twist is creative enough, you could inspire conversation for years to come, helping more people discover your brand.
• Solving a problem. Some packaging choices are meant to solve a problem, like the 2017 winner of the Silver A’Design Award, which created a French fry container with a small pocket for storing ketchup for dipping. Finding a container for ketchup was never a truly debilitating problem, but most consumers wouldn’t say no to a bit of extra convenience.

Establishing brand standards. Finally, packaging could come to define your brand if it’s unique enough. Consider the classic Pringles potato chips, which are stored in a tennis ball sleeve-like tube; they’re instantly recognizable, and it’s hard to imagine the brand without this element.

The Best Creative Food Packaging Design Tips

So what steps can you take to improve your creative food packaging design?

1. Know your consumer. The most important thing to understand from a strategic perspective is that you have to understand your consumer. There’s no such thing as a creative food package that is equally appealing to all demographics; different people have different tastes and preferences. Therefore, it’s essential to understand who your target audience is, who your target audience isn’t, and how your customers are likely to view your packaging. What, specifically, are you trying to evoke in this group? Why is your packaging going to appeal to them?
2. Know your competition. Next, you need to know your competition. One of your goals is distinguishing your product from your competitors, so you need to know what your competitors are doing to differentiate effectively. For example, who are the most innovative food brands in your niche? What clever tricks have already been done?
3. Focus on what makes your brand unique. Before you start brainstorming about creative food packaging, think about what makes your brand truly unique. What are the traits of your brand that distinguish it from those of your competitors? Why do people choose your brand over the others? If you had to reduce your brand to a handful of core, defining traits, what would those traits be? Then, try incorporating these ideas into your novel packaging creations.
4. Consider functionality. Practical and functional packaging choices can significantly impact. No matter what, you must consider how your packaging keeps your food products consumable and easy to distribute. You’ll also need to think about how your customers are using your food in and outside of the package; for example, it wasn’t that long ago that ketchup bottles started to be manufactured upside-down with easy-squeeze shaping to make it easier for people to dispense ketchup without making a watery mess.
5. Always be honest and authentic. No matter what decisions you make, try to be honest and authentic to your brand. Of course, you have to do things your customers want, but avoiding seeming ingratiating or manipulative is also important. Today’s consumers are notoriously cynical and distrustful, so authenticity is a big plus.
6. Include some (preferably shareable) interaction. Creative packaging choices are more effective when they include some degree of interaction. When customers have to interact with the package uniquely, they’re more likely to remember that interaction and talk about it with other people. This is even more effective if the interaction is conducive to social sharing. For example, your packaging could include a pull tab that allows people to enter a contest on social media; most customers will want to pull the tab to see if they’ve won anything, and any engagement with your brand on social media can be valuable.
7. Prioritize sustainability. Most consumers are willing to spend more on products they believe to be sustainable. Accordingly, if it aligns with your brand’s core values, it’s a good idea to design creative packages made from sustainable materials and with sustainable practices. Advertise this on the packaging so customers know why you’ve made your choices.
8. Plan for the future. Try to design your creative packaging with the future in mind. For example, will you make more varieties of this product in the future? Design something that easily accommodates small differences in future product designs.
9. Keep it simple. In the course of exercising creativity, it’s easy to get overzealous. That’s why embracing minimalism and simplifying your designs is a good idea. Take a moment to make sure your packaging isn’t overdesigned or obnoxious.
10. Run tests. You may imagine that your target audience will love this new, creative packaging – but will your instincts hold true in the real world? Before committing to any packaging decisions, running some focus groups and experiments is important. Which packaging variations do your customers prefer? Is there anything new or different they’d like to see added?

Are you looking for a partner who can help you design better creative food packaging for your best products? Or do you need help brainstorming your next food and beverage marketing campaign? Then, you’re in the right place. Contact us for a free consultation today!