Packaging design is sometimes the first contact buyers have with a brand or product. Sometimes, it's the last.

It's what they see staring back at them from the store shelf. It's what they leave with after the purchase. It's what arrives on their doorstep. Sometimes, it's what they take hold of every time they use your product.

More than just a label or a box, packaging design is a tangible opportunity to connect with your customers.

Most people make their decisions on whether to buy something in just 4- to- 7 seconds. That is all the time you have to capture someone's attention and drive home the key points.The most successful brands recognize that package design is an essential part of the retail process. The best packaging design is simple and clear, yet highly distinctive.

The Cleveland packaging design team at Go Media understands that packaging and package labeling have to be special as well as functional.

Good Package Design Features

As a graphic design discipline, product packaging is recognized as an industry in itself. It is demanding and it requires designers who understand what every package must offer:

• Protection. Objects or products inside may need to be protected from temperature, compression, shock or force. It may also be necessary to keep out water, dust, air or other pollutants.
• Information. The packages and labels should tell consumers how they are supposed to use, transport, recycle or dispose of the package and/or its contents. In some cases, such labels are required by law. In other cases, it's included as a benefit to the user, and it should be somehow incorporated in the overall package design.
• Marketing. Packaging design can reflect the brand's identity and message. A measure of strong packaging design is whether the product is instantly recognizable by its box or label. An eye-catching graphic design on a product label or package encourages buyers to make a purchase. The product needs to stand out, and good packaging designers have a strong grasp on the art of print design and how well various designs will translate onto different packaging formats.
• Practicality. This is a matter of the size, shape and function of the container - not just the wrap or label. We help you think about what might make the product easier to use, carry or store.

Who Needs Packaging Design?

Any company that sells products should consider the impact of packaging design.

As the old saying goes, "Marketing is not a battle of products, but a battle of perceptions."

Most people think a great product is all you need to be successful. But drawing customers in requires more than just having something good to sell. Of course, if you have an awful product, people will figure that out fairly quickly. Designers have to be careful to make sure package design avoids deception because we need to instill consumer trust in the brand. Still we recognize that package design often represents the last and best chance to make a sale.

A significant number of purchases are impulse buys and it's often based on one's emotional response to a package - especially if it's a choice between two similar products. Some of the most successful companies know that design is not only what defines them, it's what gives them a competitive edge.

So who needs packaging design?

• Start-ups.  Good package design can have a direct impact on a company's sales and overall appeal. It can tell customers right away what they can expect with that product.
• Growing and mid-sized firms. They need to continuously build their brand recognition while also ensuring customers connect their new products with the same quality as their original offerings. (This is also why it's important to always design product packaging with the future in mind. You want to be able to expand so that you can allow for an easy addition of other products.)
• Large firms. Consider companies like Apple, McDonald's or Tiffany's. Those packages are instantly recognizable - sometimes even more so than the individual product. Loyal customers know right away that they can trust the brand they are buying.

A package that is interesting, well-designed and functional is inevitably going to attract more potential buyers. We can help.