What is packaging?

Packaging is the wrapping, the box, the decoration of the product's container.

Even though the saying goes "don't judge a book by its cover," sometimes it is precisely the cover that makes a customer fall in love with a certain product.

But behind the packaging there is a study, a design and an implementation of all the activities carried out for the product to be sold and it serves to identify the brand, the product itself, and to provide information about its main production and usage characteristics.

It is a very important element for the presentation, aesthetics of the product and to attract the customer's attention and sell the product. Although there isn't a 100% chance that the packaging will be liked by all consumers who look at it, it must absolutely guarantee ease of transportation, keeping the product intact inside, and display.

For these reasons, its study and realization is entrusted to packaging specialists, who are tasked with considering the functionality of the packaging.

There are three types of packaging:

• Primary: intended for the sale of individual products, ready for consumption. In addition to the practical function of containment and protection, primary packaging also plays a commercial role, which is why they are considered true units of sale. To fulfill this purpose, primary packages are carefully designed to inform customers, persuade them, and encourage purchase.
• Secondary: groups together a certain number of sales units. If the product is removed from its secondary container, therefore, its characteristics and commercial value remain unchanged.
• Tertiary: boxes designed for the safe transport of goods, created to protect and preserve the integrity of their contents. Packaging that facilitates handling and shipping of multiple packages or individual sales units.

 How to make packaging?

Creating packaging can be very simple, even simpler than you might think. Let's see how…

First of all, an appointment is scheduled for a briefing with the client to gather all the requirements needed for the perfect packaging.

The client will need to provide specific characteristics for the desired packaging:

• Material characteristics of the product: dimensions, weight, volume, shape, types of materials used;
• Immaterial characteristics of the product: price, market positioning;
• Distribution methods: modes of transport and distribution of the product;
• Characteristics of the end consumer: ways and moments of consumption/use;
• Regulations: any legal requirements that the packaging must comply with;
• Competitors: who are the competitors, what are the material and immaterial characteristics of their products;

After gathering all the necessary information for the creation of the packaging, you can develop the concept, which will represent the foundation as well as a draft of the project to establish the appearance of the boxes: dimensions, graphics, texts, die-cut shape, material.

Once the draft is accepted, you can create a mockup of your package before arranging the final order.

A tool that allows you to show your client the packaging you have designed with applied graphics: a preview of the box that will correspond to what they will later be able to purchase and receive.

You can choose between:

• Printed Mockup: meaning already printed with the same materials used for final production to test the structural aspects of the packaging;
• Virtual 3D Mockup: to show a 360° preview of the product to the customer and see it from every angle.

After the presentation, a market test of the packaging can be conducted by printing several copies to evaluate different factors.

Thanks to market tests, it is easier to understand which packaging has the highest purchase preference among customers in a physical store. This helps to determine which packaging is most suitable for that type of product and market.

Once all these elements have been defined, the final printing of the packaging can proceed.