Nobody sets out to intentionally create poor or low-quality product packaging; it can be a result of time constraints, budgetary issues, or designer oversight. Whatever the reason may be, low-quality design can greatly affect the performance of your product when it’s on the market.
Consumers regularly base their purchase on the design of packaging, which is why you need to know the most common product packaging design mistakes to avoid.
Consumer-Unfriendly Packaging
If a product’s package is too hard to get open, then next time, a consumer may just pick something else. Convenience is typically the number one thing that consumers are looking for, and the more inconvenient it is for them to get something—whether it be finding it in a store or opening a package— they want to smoothest experience possible.
Compromise
It can be a difficult balancing act. On the one hand, you don’t want the product to be so easily opened that it can be tampered with in transit or in the store. On the other hand, you don’t want to irritate potential consumers.
Aesthetically Unpleasing
The job of the graphic designer cannot be overstated in package design. The design will be the first impression on potential consumers, and if they find the package unappealing or uninteresting, then they will simply move on. A package can be over-designed as well as under-designed so finding a graphic designer that knows how to strike a balance is key.
Science of Design
Multiple aspects go into design from the size and style of the font, the clarity and relevance of graphics, to how it represents your brand. The importance of color in packaging design cannot be ignored, as it’s one of the greatest factors that catches the eye of the buyer.
Package Testing
Packages can look beautiful and be immediately appealing to consumers, but that won’t count for much if it doesn’t survive the trip to store shelves. Before sending packaging into production, you need to test and retest the durability and convenience of your packaging. Can it handle the oftentimes stressful process of transport? How easily will the packaging degrade over time?
Durability
If your package is smashed and looks disheveled by the time it gets into the consumers’ hands, then that will reflect poorly on your brand. Ruined packaging looks unprofessional and will not generate trust with the consumer. If you cannot guarantee adequate packaging to survive transit, then how good can the product itself be?
What’s Realistically Possible?
Many aspects go into design, and sometimes the most common product package design mistakes are difficult to solve. You need to know what it’s realistically possible to achieve with your product packaging and so you don’t spend an unnecessary amount of money refining it. It can easily get stuck in production and never see the light of day.
