Tips for Designing Food Packaging Graphics
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Tips for Designing Food Packaging Graphics

A few tips for designing custom food packaging.

Creating high-quality custom food packaging can often mean the difference between increased sales and dwindling returns. No matter what type of food items your company offers, you need to make sure that the package looks great and appeals to the widest array of consumers. To help you out, we’ve put together some simple design tips that you can implement for your particular product.

Create a Brand Identity

Custom-printed packaging designs give you the perfect opportunity to build your company’s brand identity. You’ll want to present your food in a lively and vibrant way through the use of colors, shapes, and other identifying factors. If you can create packaging that immediately identifies your brand to the average consumer, then half the battle is already won.

Avoid Too Much Clutter

While you want your custom food packaging to be vibrant, you don’t want it to appear too “busy.” Companies often make the mistake of cluttering up their packaging, which can distract consumers and potentially drive them away. There’s no precise guideline, so you’ll have to use your own instincts and get opinions from designers and printers.

Choose the Right Material

Choosing the proper material for your food item is an integral part of the process. This can determine its appeal when sitting on the shelf or being viewed online. Depending on your specific product, the package could be made of glass, plastic, cardboard, or even metal. These packaging options will often determine how colors, text, and other aspects of the design will appear.

Maintain Product Integrity

Today’s consumers often have difficulty trusting a brand, especially when a company has launched a new product. To maintain the integrity of your product, make sure the design on the package is as close to the actual product as possible. As you can see with the recent Burger King lawsuit, breaking the public’s trust can lead to all sorts of hassles, including legal issues.

Lean Toward Simplicity

In a turn of events that chaotician Ian Malcolm can appreciate, many companies are so preoccupied with creating crazy custom food boxes that they don’t stop to think if they should. Many of today’s consumers appreciate simplicity and minimalism, so try to stay on the lighter side of things. The truth is that, in many situations, the old adage that less is more can be applied to your food packaging design.

Compare to Your Competition

Not only is it fair to compare your packaging with your competition, it’s recommended that you do so. You never want to design custom product packaging that’s too close to what a competitor is doing, but you may find inspiration that will help improve your own product’s packaging. In many instances, you’re also likely to figure out what doesn’t work so well, which will allow you to avoid design pitfalls.

Eco-Friendly Packaging

Although this isn’t related to your food packaging graphics, per se, eco-friendly material can alter the look of your packaging and how it’s viewed by the public. Today’s consumers are often hyper-aware of environmental concerns. They pay attention to the companies that care about the planet. Production options include using recycled material, recyclable material, and packaging that can be reused or repurposed.

Include All Pertinent Information

When designing your custom food packaging, you must ensure it includes all the pertinent info about your product. Since you’re dealing with food, there are certain FDA guidelines you must follow. These include nutritional content, ingredients, and allergen information. You may also want to include information about your company such as your mailing address and customer service number.

Focus on Company Logo

Your company’s logo is one of the most important parts of your brand. When designing custom food packaging, you need to make sure that the logo is clear and unencumbered. It’s always a good idea to have a healthy amount of space around the logo so that other parts of the packaging design aren’t taking away from the logo itself.

Consider a Using a Focus Group

Many companies have used focus groups to assist them with all sorts of design decisions. In a very short period of time, you can get tons of feedback from average consumers that can be highly beneficial in creating the perfect packaging. You’ll learn what works and what doesn’t, allowing you to make necessary tweaks early in the process, as needed.

Contact Color Pages for Custom Food Packaging

The above tips will help you create custom food packaging that will stand out on the shelf and appeal to a wide array of consumers. Color Pages provides professional printing services that will take your products packaging design to the next level. If you have any questions about our services, reach out by calling (727) 530-3370 today for a free consultation. You can also receive a free quote here!
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