Five Ways Product Packaging Supports Your Company Brand
Branding is perhaps the most important element of any successful company. It is the first thing any marketing or advertising team will evaluate because the brand is what defines your business. A company’s brand gives customers an idea of what services and/or products the company offers, and by doing so, it helps increase name recognition. Although traditional advertising campaigns are the method most people visualize when thinking about branding, product packaging can be incredibly useful as well. Business owners can take product packaging and turn it from a necessary additional cost to a powerful advertisement tool that is well worth the investment. Let’s look at how your product packaging directly supports the company brand.
1. Product packaging can be used to promote the company name and logo
To successfully use packaging to support a brand, the design must include certain information. This includes the company name and logo as well as any necessary trademarks. Ideally, the logo you select should stand out from competitors’ logos while giving some indication of the type of product enclosed within the package.
2. Use product packaging to share the intricate details of your brand
When working to support your brand via packaging, consistency is the most important factor to keep in mind. It is essential that every single element of the brand, from the logo to the slogan, be consistent between the packaging materials, your website, print ads, and anywhere else they appear. Even something small, such as a change in color from blue to red, may interfere with brand recognition. Keep in mind that many people notice not only images and company names, but also colors. Pay attention to small details as well, including the grammar and font for your slogan and where it appears compared to your company name and logo on the packaging. For your customers to remember your brand, they need to have the elements of your brand burned into their brains. The brand must be using the same colors, tone, and logo presentation to achieve a familiar brand identity.
3. Focus on simplicity – Include important information on your packaging
The best brands are usually relatively simple, and those are the ones that will stand out from the crowd. Simplicity is considered the most powerful branding principle. The packaging should include your brand without being overwhelming. If your label includes briefs or a list, resist the urge to include too many items. Many brand teams often create lists that have almost 10 points of communication, when in reality most customers only notice and absorb the first three. If there is information that is truly necessary for the consumer and it cannot be included on a piece of paper within the package, place it on the sides or back of the box. Let the logo and company name be the primary focus on the front of the packaging, as this will allow them to be the most recognizable elements for the customer. Branding, like anything else, becomes easy to forget when it gets too complicated. You want your brand to the memorable, and simple is easy to remember.
4. Find inspiration in other brands and use packaging to make yours stand out
Branding always requires a great deal of creativity, and using packaging to help create your brand is no exception. Why is creativity such a big deal? If you want to capture someone’s attention, you must find newer ways to do it. If you are using the same branding methods everyone else has been using for the last 10 years, you are likely missing out on some of the more effective methods. Creativity in your branding will result in increased visibility, credibility, and profitability.
Start by looking at your industry competitors and focus on their branding styles, designs, colors, and all-around feel of their branding. What elements do your more successful competitors have in common? After studying several of them, you should have a general idea of what is and isn’t working for them. Also, be sure to examine not only the competitors within your industry but also those in other complementary industries. For example, the fashion industry may give inspiration for fun textures or color palettes, while architecture businesses can provide ideas for the physical structure of the package.
To find inspiration from some of the latest branding ideas, try social media platforms such as Pinterest, Behance, and Dribble. These platforms allow you to find the newest design trends that are inspiring the latest and most successful branding methods.
5. Add a personal connection to your product packaging
Not everyone realizes it, but branding is about more than simple name recognition; it is also about making a connection with the consumer. Using the packaging to accomplish this goal is incredibly simple. Adding a small ‘thank you‘ or similar etiquette to the actual packaging — in a location that is visible but not distracting — can be enough to help connect with your customers and inspire their interest.
This simple, considerate gesture creates a personal connection that tells the customer, “We appreciate you and your business”.
It shows that your company is not just all-business, but it also humanizes your brand and shows you are grateful. That human connection will build a brand loyalty and keep your customers coming back for repeat business. And since your business really does appreciate customers’ patronage, you absolutely should show your appreciation.
As the English writer, Gladys Bronwyn Stern, pointed out, “Silent gratitude isn’t much use to anyone.”
Do you have questions about product packaging design? Talk to one of our packaging design experts today.
