Cracking the secrets of retail packaging

It seems as though many of the designers I work withâ€”and have worked withâ€”all have a universal dislike for retail package design.

For obvious reasons it gets a bad rap. It rarely graces the pages of of Communication Arts. It’s loud, it lacks white-space and is full of sales copy snippets (yuck!). In short, it rubs many designers the wrong way.

But retail packaging is designed that way for a reason. It’s unique in the world of design and, when designing it, it’s imperative to keep that in mind. It’s not a brochure. It’s not a website. It’s not a business card. And it can’t be treated as such.

An entire book could be written on the subject, but for the lack of time and space I present to you six critical elements of retail package design. These, generally speaking, appear in virtually all retail packaging. There areÂ always, of course, exceptions to the rules, but for the most part retail packaging utilizes the following six elements on every package:

Product name. This is a no-brainer. If you’re designing a Monopoly box you ought to put the word “Monopoly” somewhere front and center.
Show the product. This can either be done with transparent packaging (think clear bottle of salsa), a hero shot of the product (as in the case of electronic equipment), or done shown conceptually (an illustration for the board game Settlers of Catan). Whatever you’re selling, the person who is buying needs to get a sense of it and showing the product is the best way of doing that.
Key benefits. If it cures a headache, tell them. If it’s new or different, highlight that. If your selling your original recipe, let them know. This is where you sell like crazy and show the buyer that the problem that they have will be solved with your product. You may have 4-6 statements about how your product benefits the buyer.
Contents. Tell them exactly what they’re buying. There is some salesmanship with this element (e.g. “25% more!”) but often it’s simply stating how many pills are in a bottle, what the contents of a board game are or how many fluid ounces of Pepsi they’re buying. Give them the factsâ€”play it up if you can. Don’t shy away from selling hereâ€”or anywhere for that matter.
Tell them who it’s for. If your product is age, gender or demographically specific, let the buyer know. Often times this will be apparent and may overlap some of the key benefits, but still spell it out. A sweaty man knows he’s buying the right deodorant when it specifies it’s for men and has “all day dry protection.” Whether done with graphics or copy, communicate who or what your product is for.
Parent company logo. In almost every case a packaging design will communicate the parent company. Instant Breakfast by Carnation. Bionicle by Lego. Whitestrips Premium by Crest. Etc. Every once in a while a brand will remain independent. Proctor and Gamble’s Tide, for example. But as a general rule, include the parent company’s logo.

Below you will find a few samples of various product designs found on the web. While I make no claim as to their efficacyÂ in selling, they employ virtually every element mentioned above in one form or another. Go ahead, take a gander.

If you find the retail packaging scene repulsive yet find yourself in a position where you’re required design for it, here’s my advice: Take a deep breath, embrace garish colors, gradients and fonts. Forget about whitespace. And smile when the request for a aqua-style starburst with a drop shadow comes in.