Packaging Design. Toronto based designer breaks it down.

Beverage packaging design - an example

Say you’re a small brewery selling craft beer. How do I know if your beer will be worth the dollars in my pocket - before I even try it?

The answer is I cannot. What I can guess how it tastes. It can be premium, fruity, bitter, hoppy. Packaging design can educate my guess by communicating these qualities. And depending on what beer I’m in the mood for, influence my purchase.

Who you’re competing with, with your package design: Toronto

There are about 10,000 Canadian consumer packaged goods companies. Toronto hosts 700 of them. With competition this stark, it’s essential to understand what’s right in the package design game.

Cater to your target with your product packaging. Canada is a diverse market.

For small businesses in Toronto, there are many different packaging design practices to consider. One of the most important things to remember is the target audience. Different packaging designs will appeal to different demographics, so choosing a design that will resonate with the customer base is important. Reserve the rainbows for the cotton candy flavoured booze that college kids love. Put a red and gold color scheme on the double IPA that your accountant buys.

As a packaging designer, know your customer.

Another important factor to consider is the overall aesthetic of the packaging. The packaging should reflect the brand identity and values of the company. The colours, fonts, and imagery used should all be carefully chosen to create a cohesive and eye-catching design. A chewing gum packaging design can communicate freshness or fun. If I’m a hoity-toity wall street suit-and-booter, I’ll probably pick the chewing gum with the least amount of glitter.

Who should be making these decisions in a production chain?

If you’re a new business, chances are you don’t have a senior packaging designer on retainer. Maybe you’re a scrappy up-start and you’re doing it all yourself, on Illustrator or Canva. Packaging design, unfortunately, is something you’d want to leave to the professionals. There are a million variables that can make or break your production chain - and the difference a seasoned professional can make is enormous. It allows you to invest your time, capital and energy into doing what you’re good at. Producing more products.