Top food packaging design rules that will shine on the shelf!

The number of products on the shelves of a supermarket is increasing at a very fast pace but the length of the shelves remains the same. In such a crowded market, companies are finding it difficult to make their product stand apart from the rest of the products on the shelves, and by not being able to do so, they are living with the fear of getting lost in the crowd.

If you go by the data given by the Food Marketing Institute then currently, even an average supermarket in the USA holds more than 40,000 products on its shelves and this number is only increasing with time.

So does it mean that small and medium-sized businesses without gigantic marketing ideas don’t stand a chance? No, such businesses can make their product shine on the shelf by making changes to their packaging.

With the market becoming saturated in terms of innovation and uniqueness, food packaging design is the only option left for the companies. So, for allowing you to make the most of your packaging, we have come up with some food packaging designs rules that you must follow.

Simplicity and clarity

The next time you visit a supermarket, just pick any random food product, go through thefood packaging labels and ask yourself two basic questions;

  • What is the purpose of this product?
  • Which brand is behind the product?

If you get answers to these simple questions just at first glance of the packaging then that can be considered as an ideal food packaging. Good packaging can be understood by the customer in less than 4 seconds and this is why it is necessary to always focus on the two main and basic aspects of the packaging; clarity and simplicity.

Honesty

Another aspect that you should never miss while designing food product packaging is honesty. The newbies in the market always try to show their product as the most ideal product in the market but that’s not the right approach. If you will not be honest about your product through its packaging and labeling then there is no way even a single customer is going to trust you.

By showing the product ten times better than what it actually is, you are only misleading the customer and this results in customers slowly losing their trust in the brand. So, it doesn’t matter what is the quality of your product or how helpful it is, always try to be honest with the customer through thefood packaging labels.

Authenticity

The three main core components of any brand are memorability, character, and originality and the same components can be prioritized for packaging and labeling as well. There is no rocket science behind why all the products on the shelf are trying to grab the attention of the customers. And the only way to make your product shine on the shelf is to stay unique and innovative.

Since this aspect talks about your power of innovation and creativity, there is no way one can tell you how you can stay authentic. This becomes challenging in the current era since people face a gigantic number of brands, images, and products on a daily basis.

Shelf impact

By looking from the customer’s point of view, you realize that they never see an individual product or the details of a single product. Since there is always a distance between the shelves and the customer, all they see is the different patterns made by different products on the shelf. And no customer goes near to the shelf until a specific product draws their attention.

So, in addition to working on authenticity, simplicity, and honesty, you also need to work on the unique appeal of the product when kept on a shelf and this is what is known as shelf impact. So always include this in your list of considerations while working on food packaging labels. 

Extensibility

While working on the product packaging design concept, you should always focus on a seamless introduction of a new line of extension which can be a product variation. For example, let’s imagine that you are working on a product label for a new apple juice. But just after a few months, the company decides to introduce a cherry-flavored juice as well.

This is where you can come up with a product design by focusing on the future. While doing so, you have to create a system design that will have the proper room for any type of changes in the future.

The type offood packaging labels you are going to choose will have a direct impact on the overall sales figure of your company because the first thing shoppers see is the packaging no the product. So, come up with your own unique packaging but keep all the above-mentioned packaging rules in mind while doing so.

Frederick