Why Package Design is More Than A Logo
My first package design project was at DeLoach Vineyards in 1998. I partnered with their agency at the time and we won an award. I've been hooked ever since.There's something about package design that really gets me going. I think it's because there's so much more to it than just the graphic design. It's the whole thing...the first impression on the shelf, how it feels in your hand, what it's like to open once you get it home. It's the physical embodiment of your brand. It's an experience, and we get to design it.We are lucky enough to work on package design in many capacities. Whether it's the extension of an existing brand and package design to a new product, or a brand new concept, there are some differences, but there are also some truths that hold through no matter what.
More than a logo
I've always recommended developing initial concepts of the whole package at once. People are concerned about their brand logo and how that's going to work out in the world when it's separate from the package. And in all honesty, I don't really care. I've never had a logo not work well when pulled from the logo and used in an ad, social, or other marketing channels. But really when it comes down to it, the logo really needs to work on the packaging above all. The rest is gravy.I think the key is to make sure all of the design elements in the package design work together to tell the brand story. Packaging is the physical manifestation of your brand, so each element of the packaging should tell the brand story, whether working with the other elements or on its own. People today are so aware of the concept of branding, that a well thought out and honest representation of your brand in packaging is essential.Our current package design project is a great example of how each element of the brand must work in unison in order to have really great packaging and how honest and transparent is essential in branding and packaging. We've spent more hours than I can count talking with the owners of the brand about whether a design element is really their brand. And is it their brand now, or their brand in five years? Like all of our projects, it always comes back to that strategy. As long as that initial DISCOVER phase provides us with a solid roadmap, the answers are clear.In the end, the consumer won't pay attention to the logo. They won't pick apart the design elements and think about whether they work in unison. They'll just pick up the product or walk on by. Our job is to tell the brand's story well enough to encourage them to pull it off the shelf. And once they pick it up, the experience begins.