There are a few basic principles of packaging design that should always be adhered to if you wish to enjoy success. The following examples should be included as a standard as part of any packaging design strategy.

1 - Ease Of Package Opening

A product should not be difficult to open. This causes frustration to the end user and could dissuade them from re-purchasing your product. It is important to carefully consider the uses of your product and who will be the primary user. Obviously childrens products need to adhere to particular standards, as do any medications and other dangerous products. However standard products such as food should be easy enough for an adult to open without difficulty. Other considerations: is your product likely to be used in an emergency ? If so - quick opening solutions are a must. Does your package contain anything sharp?  If so - does it have to have any protective elements to ensure anyone opening the packet does not injure themselves  ?

2 - Package Size Reduction

The size of packaging is becoming more and more important to consumers today. With landfill growing at a rapid rate, many consumers are making conscious decisions to purchase products that come in smaller, more environmentally friendly packaging.  Apple are one such company that has really taken this concept on board.  The new Macbooks come in much smaller boxes with less foam, less packaging and paper.

Taken from the Apple website:

Small volume speaks volumes.

Made from recycled material, the new MacBook packaging is 41 percent smaller than the previous generation. And that’s huge. It means less paper used for smaller boxes. It also means Apple can use fewer planes to transport the same number of products.

3 - Presentation

Obviously the packaging of your product should capture the eye of a potential consumer. But it must do more than just catch their eye - it must capture their imagination and inspire them to purchase your product! Your design team will carefully consider colour combinations, functional design and brand qualities. They will then combine all these elements to create packaging that will inspire a purchase. If they do an exceptional job, they may even create brand loyalty from the packaging alone.

Above all your packaging must stand out from its competitors. It can still retain traditional colours, but there must be an element to the packaging that creates distance between your product and its competitors. Brand innovation will always work to make your product stand out in a crowd.

In order to answer these questions effectively and solidify your place in the business market, then you’ll need to strategically design your brand. An effective brand strategy just doesn’t happen and shouldn’t be left to chance. Branding takes time, research, and some expertise. Your company’s brand serves as the center point for your company’s marketing and advertising initiatives and communicates how and why your services or products are able to uniquely meet the needs of your target audience/consumer.

Your brand begins with your product or service
Creating your brand begins with your product or service. You must offer a quality product or service to have a successful brand design. Your product or service is the focal point of your business and will serve as the foundation for your brand design. Your product or service must:
• Be well-researched- Your product or service needs to have been researched. Is it effective? Is there a demand for it? How have similar businesses fared? Your brand can’t be properly defined if your product or service isn’t properly researched.

• Offer equity or a benefit-What will consumers gain from using your product or service? What differentiates you from everyone else?

• Readily able to adapt to change-Your business and brand identity design should be focused on not only the short-term but the long-term as well. If your product or service is not able to adapt to change or stand the proverbial “test of time”, chances are your business won’t either.

Use marketing and advertising to communicate your brand design

If you want to stake your place in the market, you’ll have to make your presence known. Marketing and advertising are the vehicles that will communicate your brand design to the world. Once you’ve perfected your product or service and identified your target audience, then you can begin an effective marketing campaign. Your marketing campaign should be based on research and include strategies and initiatives that will:

• Target your niche audience-Focus on conveying your message to your target audience and evoking an emotional response.

• Firmly establish your market position-Define your market position and dominant it.

• Separate you from your competition-You must establish your superiority and demonstrate why your service or product is the solution needed by your consumer.

Are you advertising online?
Is online advertising a part of your business’s branding strategy? Does your company understand exactly how integral the internet is in the lives of consumers around the world and what this means to your business? Does your brand have an online presence?

If your business is not advertising online at all, or is not doing it effectively, you can guarantee that it’s already being left behind when it comes to competing in the market place.

Just a few facts on online spending:
• Estimated online spending totals for 2009 are anticipated to top $33.4 billion dollars
• More than 80% of consumers make some purchases online
• Internet traffic is expected to increase every year

What are the benefits to my business?
Millions of companies have added online advertising to their media mix and have reaped the benefits of:
• Immediacy- Internet advertising equals real time results. No other form of marketing allows you the ability to reach so many potential customers and so quickly.
• Targeted marketing- Why spend thousands of dollars on blanket advertising when you can go online and directly reach out to your targeted audience? Internet tools will take the guessing game out of whom your audience is or should be.
• Promoting brand loyalty- Consumers like ease of usage and knowing that they can have access to their favorite products and services at all times. Provide them with what they want and they’ll be sure to always come back to your company.
• Increased sales-The bottom line is always sales. Every business must remain profitable in order to stay in business. Introduce a creative and solid product and include online advertising as part of your brand management strategy, and the sky is the limit for your revenue.
Promotion doesn’t always have to cost
Not only has the internet changed the way we do business, but it has changed the way we advertise as well. Before, if you wanted to develop a serious ad campaign you would have probably allocated a substantial amount of your annual budget and enlisted the help of an ad agency, but that’s no longer the case for many businessesses. Millions of companies have learned that there are many ways to advertise online for little to no cost. Some of these ways are via:
• Website
• Videos
• Blogs
• Social media

Don’t get left behind,  stake your claim in the online marketplace.