Good things come in small packages

Good things come in small packages - or tall packages or brightly coloured ones. Either way there is no denying that visual appeal is essential if you want your product to stand out among the thousands of others vying for attention in the market place.

Studies suggest that 70% of buying decisions are made in-store, so attractive, eye catching packaging plays a big part in influencing this behaviour. However, I know that this is only half the story and businesses who focus solely on the ‘look’ of their product will find themselves disappointed when it doesn’t produce the increase in sales they had hoped for.

70% of buying decisions are made in-store – attractive, eye-catching packaging plays a big part in influencing this behaviour

I think most people intuitively understand that to get the best results from packaging it should be consistent with the rest of your branding, attractive to the demographic you are hoping to target and also address the myriad of more practical issues such as protecting the product and preserving freshness.

The Design Council’s Leadership Team have worked at a deeper level with a number of businesses, not just to help them create appealing packaging but to ensure it works in tandem with their brand to convey exactly what their company does and the values they want to express. For example, did you know that when black is used in packaging it denotes power, authority and control?

My favourite case, which demonstrates the importance of packaging perfectly, is that of Challs International, manufacturer of the extremely effective Buster cleaning products. Challs International wanted to become more competitive to increase their market share and improve their in store visibility. So they commissioned the Design Leadership Programme and Design Associate Evan Kitsell to assist.

After consulting with Kitsell they invested £40k in a design project to clarify the Buster brands personality, positioning and design. The new re-packaged and re-designed Buster range enjoyed a 35% leap in sales and is now stocked throughout the UK in most leading supermarkets including Tesco, Asda, Aldi and Lidl.

So, If you want to perfect the packaging of your products then come and have a chat with us, we may be at an exhibition near you, if not you can reach us on 020 7420 5200, we would love to hear from you.