5 Packaging Themes That Might Elevate Your Brand

Don’t let your brand’s complexion get dull – rejuvenate it with the alpha hydroxy acid of fresh package design!

Is your product stagnant? Does it just lie there on the shelf, unresponsive and inert? Do you think that maybe your product has breathed its last and that it might be beyond saving? Well, don’t just ineffectually poke it with a stick! Give it a jolt with the defibrillator of a package refresh!

Yes, it might be your packaging that is causing your products to languish. But don’t worry, you have numerous packaging design trends, concepts, and options that will help to revive your product and your brand.

Digitally-themed packaging

Of course, the appropriateness of this strategy will depend upon your actual product, but then again – a classic Nintendo-inspired design might be just what your brand of nonfat yogurt needs.

The culture’s dependence upon electronic communications has inadvertently created a market for old-timey computer visuals. We are charmed by the fact that our computer platforms were once so primitive. Ha, ha! Remember cassette tapes? Remember how many floppy disks we used to have? No? Oh, mercy, and you’re an adult! We feel old.

Regardless of your age, there is a kind of intriguing allure to a Tron-like aesthetic. Most of us who were children when computers were just becoming ubiquitous for home use remember the old DOS look with a bit of nostalgic fondness. And speaking of nostalgia…

Nostalgic packaging

The vast majority of consumers secretly – or overtly – wish to recapture certain elements of their youth. This is why there has been a legitimate effort to disinter dead brands; not only do people feel comfortable with marketing that they grew up seeing, they are often excited by it.

This isn’t anywhere near as pathetic as it sounds – it can be very interesting. Packaging concepts that recall earlier eras are not only comfortably familiar to older consumers, they are incredibly unique to young consumers especially when executed with in unique ways, leveraging custom packaging solutions to improve perception while keeping the costs in line with your budget. For example, a mason jar look without the risk of glass breaking.

 Patriotic packaging

USA! USA! If your product is manufactured in this great country, why not use your packaging to broadcast it proudly? Consumers love locally produced items; items that support our economy; items that are unique to our culture. You don’t have to limit yourself to the typical stars/stripes, red/white/blue aesthetic; there are countless other features that seem particularly American without being boring.

Also, patriotism doesn’t necessarily mean a celebration of all things American; it can be a respectful recognition of other cultural phenomena, too. Just make sure you have a focus group that is familiar with the culture or nation to which you are paying loving tribute.

Hand-crafted packaging

When so many products and product package design trends seeming so aggressively computerized and prefabricated, hand-made products seem like a breath of fresh air. Just look at the popularity of Etsy!

Hand jarred, hand wrapped, or hand bottled packaging concepts have a charm that standard, obviously factory line packages do not. It also gives the consumer the impression that you truly care about your product; that it was conceived and made by a team of dedicated artisans.

Personalized Packaging

Everyone wants their products specifically tailored to their particular needs. Even though you might not be able to manufacture your product to every consumer’s exact taste, you can design packaging that is attractive to individual customers. “A styling gel with ‘Steve’ right on the package!” they’ll say, if their names are Steve. “This speaks to me in a way that no other styling gel does!”

This strategy is especially good for gift-giving. Also young consumers particularly enjoy seeing their names already written on shelved products, and they will whine unrelentingly until the poor mothers finally pull out their cards and buy.

These are only five of literally dozens of potentially life-giving packaging options. You don’t have to let your package – or your brand, for that matter – languish in its parents’ basement, not bringing in any revenue and wasting its natural potential. Wake it up, give it a haircut and send it out into the world!