Top 10 Mistakes to Avoid in Custom Packaging Design

As a packaging industry professional, I will discuss the top 10 mistakes in custom packaging design that companies often make.

My years of experience and knowledge of the field enable me to present the milestones that are prevailing status quo.

1. Consistent branding of the products

According to me, the first thing that a company needs to be careful about in the matter of packaging boxes design is the consistent branding of the products.

The packaging of your product must be considered as a platform to exhibit your brand and manifest the beliefs and the outlook of your company.

Diverted branding is likely to confuse customers and drain the brand's power.

You should implement some strategies to avoid this situation like for example:

• Make sure you use your brand's colour palette consistently

• Proportion your logo along with the rest of the brand elements

• Check if the packaging design sticks to your character

2. Overlooking Functionality

While the aesthetics are very essential, I have to reiterate the fact that the functionality of the printed boxes in packaging is the most important element in the design. A good-looking package that is not breakeven in terms of protecting the product or is hard to handle, might upset customers at the end of the day.

You have to consider the following factors:

• Shipment and handling of the goods should be protected from damage by the packaging

• It should be easy to open and close

• Your target customers should be able to store it in the way they find most comfortable

3. Ignoring Environmental Concerns

In a time when it is trendy to assure the market of our environmental respect, packaging products in non-sustainable ways can be a very costly mistake.

I have had so many companies getting a backlash for the wrong materials which are either among the most wasteful or non-recyclable ones.

To overcome the environmental challenges, it is advised:

• As much as possible use materials that can be recycled

• Lessen the amount of the packaging material

• Be conscious of the entire system of your packaging

4. Overcrowding the Design

One of the most common errors that I found people make is to take every single piece of available space in packaging and fill it with either information or design elements.

This would result in a chaotic and hard to understand view for the buyer.

To attain a neat, appealing design:

• Place importance on the primary information

• Use white spaces for the purpose you want them for

• Create such a product which is just easy to look at quickly and understand

5. Disregarding Target Audience Preferences

Failing to consider the preferences and needs of your target audience in the packaging design process is a critical error.

Sometimes products suffer in the market because their packaging did not interest the group of people to whom they were targeted.

What you can do to avoid this mistake:

• Do market research to understand who the consumer is

• Consider things like age, gender, culture, and lifestyle that your potential clients are engaged in

• Think of packaging that works with your target customer

6. Neglecting Legal Requirements

Not knowing the legal requirements about the packaging may bring you in serious trouble. I usually come across this mistake when the entrepreneurs do not have the proper information or miss taking care of details.

Prevent risks by:

• Include the details of the product that are required

• Compliance with the sector standards

• Do not mention anything that is not accurate and does not have a legal base on the packaging

7. Poor Typography Choices

Typography is as essential a part of the packaging design as it is played out in it. However, there have been many times when the wrong use of the font or its placement will badly affect the readability and the overall look of the design of packaging.

Solutions on this topic may be as follows:

• Prefer to use legible font types which express both the brand as well as the given product

• Make sure there is enough contrast between text and background

• Apply hierarchy that shows which part is the most crucial for the reader

8. Ignoring Shelf Impact

Repeatedly, I have seen mistakes such as how to create a design that will actually exist on the shelves of the store. A commodity must be identifiable among the other rival products for the sake of attracting buyers.

To make the product look better on the shelf:

• Find different colours or shapes to make your product unique

• Think about the fact that your packaging will be visible from different viewpoints

• Examine the appearance of your design in a simulated retail environment

9. Failing to Test Packaging

Not giving thorough testing of the packaging before the mass production will be one factor that will be assigned to the drawbacks arising from it.

The test process is so significant that it gives proof that your packaging does exactly what it is supposed to do.

Strong to implement a multifaceted testing protocol that would encompass:

• Durability tests that will cover shipment and handling processes

• Customer usability experiment

• Print quality checks

10. Underestimating the Importance of Packaging

One of the main factors of the wrong committing in packaging is unawareness of how packaging design affects the overall success of the product.

From my experience, I can say that packaging is not only a shell; it is, in fact, a tool of marketing and a complementary part of the product experience.

To totally cash in on the significant impact of the packaging, it is suggested that you:

• Devote sufficient time and attempt to accomplish the best design result

• See the packaging as a part of your marketing strategy

• Continuous testing of your products based on customer feedbacks and current market trends should be your routine for the purpose of effective packaging

Conclusion

To sum it up, the avoidance of these top 10 mistakes in custom packaging design will lead to a remarkable increase in product sales.

As the expert on the subject, I have seen firsthand the effect that the artful and well-executed packaging has on product profitability and brand recognition.

Mind that designing a package that will be at the same time attractive, efficient and will be made with a strategic mind is genius and not a gush of creativity.

You should be careful with wrapping that is technical in nature, but also with the one that is attractive.

Setup of packing and your product preferences with the environment will contribute to the development of the consumer appeal.

It is important that cardboard packaging boxes serve as a platform that enables product to stand out against competitors and capture consumers' attention.

In the current packaging sector, it is essential for my cardboard packaging boxes to stay up-to-date with the latest trends and advances.

By learning from the typical mistakes like these and keeping up-grade on your effort to packaging design, you can be sure of getting a unique selling position in the market.

Finally, no-brainer, the time you spent and the effort you put into producing killer bespoke packaging will be repaid in the form of increased brand recognition, satisfied customers, and more revenue.

When you start preparing for your next packaging design project, make sure you remember to use these learnings to develop packaging that truly connects with your audience and aligns with your overall business objectives.