The Food Marketing Institute estimates that grocery stores across the United States showcases around forty items. The supermarket industry is huge. Annually around six hundred billion dollars are spent on this industry. Little do many people know that many elements go into the look of a product. The design of a product has a lot to do with a consumer selecting that product from a shelf and placing it in their shopping cart.
Within the design world is a discipline by the name of graphic design. This is an industry all to itself that creates the looks of different products. There are many companies and designers that work in graphic design for product development. These companies and designers work to deliver a company branding, packaging design and packaging supplies for their product. This industry is always awaiting for new talent to emerge to create quality packaging design for companies everywhere.
Packaging design is not all fun and games. There are some things to keep in mind when creating the look of a product. Following certain rules will guarantee the customer enjoys the look of the product design. First thing to keep in mind when creating packaging design is to keep the design simple and clear. It is fair to say less is more goes along when designing the look of a product. A designer must keep in mind the design of the product has to capture the attention of the shopper, as well as explain about the particular product.
Second, designers need to keep in mind that the product design has to be honest. It is easy to depict on the packaging an exaggerated image to draw in customers. But a lack of honesty can cause a consumer to frown upon a brand if the item does not appear like what the packaging detailed. Honesty leads to another important part to packaging design. Third, being authentic is key to creating the look of a product. The only way a product will stand out from the forty thousand others in the supermarket is due to being authentic. A designer can use illustration, photography or type based design. There are several ways a designer can create a design.
The fourth thing that needs to be kept in mind is shelf impact. These products will be placed on a shelf with competitors. Therefore, graphic designers need to be mindful of how a design will allow for a product to stand out and catch she shoppers’ eye. Shelf impact is a factor that contributes to sales. Sells increase when packaging design is unique.
Designers need to be mindful of how a company have just a single product today but may expand their lineup in the months or years to come. The branding of a product needs to be able to extend to future products. Most importantly, designers need to be aware of practicality of a design, The most important thing to customers is how practical an item is. The design should reveal this practicality.
