By now, it’s probably safe to assume that you’ve heard all about how good things comes to those who wait and that good things can — and do — come small packages, but you may have never put much thought into how package design itself, unless of course when it comes to giving or receiving a gift. After all, a product or a gift is only as good as the package it was delivered in!
Everyone can relate to vibe-kill feeling of purchasing a product that’s difficult to use or open because of its poor packaging design or being on the receiving end of gift that came in hot mess of a package. Aside from taking the wind out of your sails, poor package design can come off as downright careless, insensitive, and disrespectful in some cases, especially when it comes to giving and receiving gifts. So don’t let this happen to you!
Whether it’s carded packaging designs, re-purposed or recycled clinical packaging, blister packaging designs or bottle packaging designs, it pays to take a cue from the exciting world of professional product and packing design. As with the any kind of design, whether it’s carded packaging designs or designing an interior space, the crux of any successful design is the balance of both form and function. Sitting pretty ain’t good enough — the package has to functional and easy to use as well in order for it to really be a success!
Everyone knows the frustration of having to spend what seems like a long amount of time to open what should be a pretty straightforward package. A good example of this is some of he carded packaging designs used for valuable products such as razor blades, celebrity fragrances, certain electronics, and children’s toys. The frustration of having to perform surgery on a plastic package just to get to the product inside can be a real vibe killer for some, so much so that they may choose another manufacturer or product with easier to remove packaging altogether!
Learn a lesson from this when creating a unique package for a gift by testing it for functionality. How easy is it to remove? Does the gift recipient need any special tools or anything sharp to open it? Is the package meant to be discarded or can be it be used for storage? Does the package fit nicely into the recipient’s grip or is it awkward and cumbersome to hold, let alone open? Last but not least, ask yourself how you would personally feel if you were on the receiving end of this package and gift — and be honest with yourself! These are just a few examples of important questions to ask yourself when determining how functional a package design for gift really is.
Now that you understand how important function is in terms of creating a successful package design, it’s just as important to understand how important its aesthetics are in terms of its success. Now this is where you can get really superficial. In fact, it’s encouraged! Take a look at some of your favorite products and the way they’re packaged. Take note of some of your favorite packages. They don’t even have to be related to or similar to the gift you’ve giving. The point is to get a feel for how the professionals do it and use this information as inspiration for creating your own gift packaging.
Carded packaging designs can be especially visually stimulating, using the color of product as well as its shape, to draw consumers in some cases. The shapes of the package itself or the cardboard card can be fun and unique to keep customers engaged. Then of course, color themes on packaging designs can be used to separate themselves from similar products as way of identifying themselves as the clear choice. You want to do the same for your gift packaging!
For a truly stunning gift packaging idea, try to incorporate sentimental aspects that are important to the gift’s recipient. An example of this could be the shape of their favorite animal.