Introduction
Supermarket has variety of food products most of them have their packaging done. While going through the market we find food products with attractive food packaging. What makes them much attractive? Well it’s the designing food packet that makes customers to buy that product.
Designing of food packet is of much importance to increase the sales of any company. Some food packets are so attractive that just by looking at it people tend to buy that product. While visiting any hypermarket there are so many new products of different brands. Many of them are totally new to the customer. But it’s the packaging that plays an important role in the decision making of buying any product.
Say for example we are visiting a chocolate shop. There are many brands such as Hershey and Chase, Scharffen Berger, Lindt , Ferrero Rocher etc. All of them are of premium quality. A customer who wants to gift a chocolate, regardless of the taste he likes will definitely choose the product with very good packaging.
Designing here plays a very important role in the decision making of buying a product in the market. Here are 10 important things to consider while designing food package.
-
Attractive food package design
Food package need to have attractive design by which customer gets attracted to the products.
This is the most important aspect to consider while designing the food packet. Designers use various modes to attract customers. There are different sections of age group in which designers make their selection of items to display. Like for kids they use cartoons, barbies etc. at the center. This attracts them the most. Along with this they display inside food items. All are mostly in contrast with the background.
Take an example of chocos. They have bright yellow color in background picture. A bear is displayed with milk and chocolate bowl in the center. Looking at these children easily get attracted. Yellow color is the most attractive color for human eye. By going through the item in the supermarket one can easily get attracted to yellow packaging items. Looking at the picture of milk and chocos its feels yummy this will lure children to buy items. Sales of such attractive packaging items increase.
Similarly if you look at chili Powder by Adani, one easily gets attracted to the dark red chilles. This is displayed in 3D along with red chilli powder. It’s really attracting and eye catching which is in contrast with the green color. The packet kept in supermarket will get highlighted from the other items available.
Waghbakri tea packet is one such. The tea in white cup and soccer in 3D with more bright color. The leaf of tea near the cup with over all golden rays getting spread. Tea lover will defiantly get attracted to this. Just by looking at this they have a feeling of getting refreshed by having a cup of tea.
-
Name of the company in design food package.
The company name is always displayed in food packet. Let’s say India Gate Basmati rice. The owner of India gate basmati rice is KRBL. KRBL is the most trusted company and brand. So if the consumer goes to market it will definitely ask for KRBL name. Because of this the KRBL name is displayed on the top most portion of the food packet.
If you look at the Nestle, Kitkat packet the company name is also visualized in such a way that its eye catching. This creates faith to the customers in buying the product. Without company name the product is considered to be duplicate or fake.
There are such products available to fool the customers. They have similar design and packet but spelling difference.
Thus in designing food packet the company name should have clear visibility. This is usually on the top portion of the packet.
-
Product name in food package design
The product name is always clearly visible in the food package. They are mostly in the center or the top most part. In Big fonts, bold text they attract consumers mind. As the product becomes famous so is the name.
Ideally name of the product is Second thing customer look into for buying a particular item. First is the product picture. Thus in designing food package, Product name is given foremost importance.
For example product Maggi. Much popular food, tasty, and easily made. Its name is aligned in the center with red color to highlight it. In couple of seconds they put the packet with them just by looking at its name.
-
Taglines
Many of the food packets have taglines displayed in them. These taglines help the company to make a bond with customers. They instantly catch and place an idea of what kind of food it would be. Taglines for taste convey an idea of what kind of taste or product can be found inside the packet. One form of marketing taglines helps in making good sales figure. Not necessary all products have taglines but if included it provides a way to differentiate themselves to others.
If we look at Dabur Chawanprash Packet, its tagline is double immunity. Dabur chawanprash is mainly to increase immunity. With the tagline of double immunity, customer’s confidence in buying the product increases many folds. More profits through sales can be generated by introducing Taglines in food packaging.
Tagline of Maggi is also very nice- 2 minute noodles. This gives customers satisfaction of preparation time of 2 minutes. Tasty and liked by many with this tagline people feel more readiness to buy this product.
-
Color combination
One of the most important features of food packaging design is the use of appropriate colors.
This aims to create the packet design which is similar to the color of the food inside it. Contrast colors are used to highlight product picture and name of product. So if there is light background color then product picture may contain dark color. Premium quality products may have golden color in its food packet design.
Let’s say Lindt excellence with cocoa flavor. There is white background of light color and dark black color of product picture. Company and product name of Lindt excellence of golden color is displayed. The chocolate piece of cocoa color is display’s the viewers about the product quality with a sense of taste.
Chocolate lovers with extra dark chocolate would be fascinated by just looking at the package of the product.
Color combination is highly responsible to make people’s mind go deep in to the sense of taste. Taste lovers would get good and clear idea of what kind of taste they may get by buying that product.
Look at the picture of Tropicana mix fruit delight, with white background. They have orange color of fruit juice along with finely colored fruit pictures. Such as Apples, guava, Oranges, Pineapple, peach all tempting people to have a delicious fresh juice drink. Color combination of choosing correct color makes people buy the product just by visualizing it as real.
-
Content Printing
Content printing is the information of various types displayed on food packages. These are of great importance. Today people are diet conscious. They specifically see if the food product is having any nutritional value. High calorie intake without nutritional value is avoided by group of diet conscious people. There is other information available on the backside of the package (if it has two sides) which are as follows:
- Ingredients
- Produced by (company name)
- Phone number
- Email address
- Manufacturing date
- Expiry date
- Barcode
- Website address
- License number
- Price
- Weight
And other items as required by the norms. All the mentioned information needs to be clearly displayed in the package. Normally Weight, price, manufacturing date and expiry date are of much use to the customers. These items are highlighted. Some food products also mentions recipe of how to make that particular food. Steps involved with time taken are mentioned.
This makes user feel friendly towards the product. This portion is planned to display in either the middle or side portion of the package.
Company can display other products of the same company as a marketing strategy. They are mostly displayed on the bottom part of the backside of package.
All the above are important points for marketing their product by making it more friendly to user.
-
Trademark Identification
All over the world they have many kinds of trademark for food products. One of the basic symbol people look for is if it’s vegetarian or not. Specifically in India where population of vegetarian is more, they will definitely look at this before buying the product.
The logo of Vegetarian should be designed and planned in a space of easy visualization. It could be on the top right corner of the front side of packet of on the middle part of the backside of packet. This is nearly of 1cm by which easy visualization can be obtained. Vegetarian symbol is the most important for vegetarian people. FSSAI trademark for food safety standard.
All the above are important information which need to be placed in a proper manner in backside of package design.
-
Price display
Most of the most important point is where to display price in the package. Different companies display it in different ways. Mostly it is in on the backside of package in center or little lower and highlighted along with weight comparison of price is obviously done by consumers.
So its display at appropriate part is very important. Customers need not to search for and waste time on where the price would be. Instead it should be arranged such as user get easy visualization. Many a time’s in front right or left corner price is displayed. By this consumer can compare it with other similarity products.
-
Length and width
Length and width of the product is an important aspect where company makes its product look big. If you look at the packet of Lays chips here they have more than 50% of portion filled with air remaining with food product. The length would be more than width. This makes people feel more amount available than real. So the whole designing would then be done on length and weight.
In a box we also have height. So based on available area for design we need to have a good strategy to show information on available space.
-
Material used
An abstract feature for designing is, which material is used for package. It’s a feeling, when touched. When we do not use good quality material for designing our whole concept of branding, designing, and marketing fails. Lower quality of plastic if used will lower the standard of product in the mindset of consumer. It will have a kind of sound or touch which should lower the values attached to it.
Britannia rusk is name of food product for toast. They have a very smooth plastic cover. When a consumer buys the product they feel good and smooth. With just by material they touch can feel inside product is hygienic and of good quality.
Cerelac also has very good packing material to enhance confidence faith of customer to buy product.
Conclusion
Various factors play an important role in food packing design. They basically target the mindset of people. Even try to reach at the level where consumer can have confidence of buying a reliable product. Every factor has its own importance. Change in any of them will directly affect the perception of consumer on the particular product small color change or size can highly affect the brand value. This results in difference of sales and revenue. We need to think logically based on our product what things need to be highlighted to set the best image in mind of people.
