Guide to Designing Your Own Packaging

The perfect presentation can boost sales

By Diane Benson Harrington

1. Think outside the box.
2. Integrate realistic considerations.
3. Choose a manufacturer.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Seek inspiration

Come up with creative ideas by looking at everything from store shelves to nature in a new way.

I recommend: View portfolios of professional package designers, such as Cornerstone Branding. A handful of books, such as This End Up and Packaging Makeovers, can show you truly clever examples. If you'll be designing packaging for several products, consider a subscription to Package Design magazine or the digital ShelfImpact.

Use effective tools

It's often hard to visualize a sketch on a napkin. Computer software can give you a better perspective.

I recommend: Work with top-rated design software like QuarkXPress, Adobe's InDesign or Q2ID, which lets you use the best of both programs.

Wrap it creatively

Figure out how best to catch your buyer's eye. Black, for instance, can be sexy, authoritative or luxurious. Certain shapes play to specific emotions. Environmentally conscious consumers will want packaging to match that sensibility.

I recommend: Let Will-Harris's free typeface selector help you choose typefaces that match emotions you want to evoke. Get color/psychology basics for free at PrecisionIntermedia.com. Purchase specific consumer color preference data at ColorMatters.com. Bone up on NeuroDesign, which examines the emotional impact of design.

Keep it simple

Few things will sabotage sales more than a package that prevents you from knowing what's inside, a type size or typeface you can't read easily, or packaging that's too hard to open.

I recommend: Match packaging to the audience: If it's teens, go crazy; if it's boomers, consider failing eyesight, burgeoning arthritis and a lack of patience for complicated coverings. Meet the needs of multiple audiences like Walgreens does with prescription medicine caps.

Get it produced

Find the right company to turn your design into reality.

I recommend: IDS offers a free list of packaging design and consultancy firms. GlobalSpec offers an engineering search for package design fabricators with free registration.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Don't reinvent the wheel if you don't have to. A basic container can look drastically different with an inventive label.
• •  Don't go overboard. If the container is too complicated or the artwork too busy, it'll distract from the product itself.
• •  Be smart enough to hire a designer if you're not pleased with your own efforts.
• •  Remember the basics: barcode, company contact information, price.
• •  Envision the retail shelf: Will your packaging display easily and compactly, or will it be a stockman's nightmare?