The Complete Packaging Design Process Guide: A Step-By-Step Guide

THE COMPLETE PACKAGING DESIGN PROCESS:
A Step-By-Step Guide

Packaging and products go hand in hand.
Let’s dive into a step-by-step guide to
the packaging design process that will
guarantee the best results every time!

The Consultation
The Creative Brief
The Design Phase
The Refinement Stage
The Production and Shipping Process
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Overview
The Complete Packaging Design Process: A Step-By-Step Guide

THE FIRST STEP IS TO ESTABLISH WHAT EXACTLY
YOU NEED FROM YOUR CUSTOM PACKAGING.
THE
CONSULTATION
1.

PRODUCT TYPE
AND FUNCTION
What is your product?
What does your product do?
What industry is your product designed for?
Where will your product be sold?
Your packaging designer will start by asking
you questions about your product.
Make sure you have a clear answer
for each of the following questions:

PRODUCT
SHAPE AND SIZE
The dimensions
The shape
The sales channels (e.g. shelf vs. shipping)
The shape and size will ultimately determine
the type of packaging your product will require
for an impactful sales strategy.
Your packaging designer will want to know:

SALES
STRATEGY
The Complete Packaging Design Process:
In-store
Online
Both
The sales strategy of your products will provide more
insight for the best way to display your products.
Ultimately, it comes down to whether you are
selling your products:

THE INDUSTRY
NICHE
Cosmetics
Electronics
Apparel
Providing more information about your
industry allows packaging designers to get a
better idea of what solutions will provide the
best experience within your specific niche.
Industries could include:

COMPETITIVE
ANALYSIS
Clearly laying out your biggest competitors will
provide a more clear direction for your designs.
It’s also worth looking into your competitor’s
customer feedback to learn more about what
demands are not being met by your
competitors packaging solutions.

THINK OF YOUR DESIGN BRIEF AS A SET OF
INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE PACKAGING DESIGNER.
YOUR CREATIVE BRIEF IS ESSENTIALLY A SINGLE
DOCUMENT THAT TELLS DESIGNERS EXACTLY
WHAT YOU ENVISION YOUR PACKAGING TO BE.
THE
CREATIVE BRIEF
2.

THE 3 P’S OF
PACKAGING DESIGN
Product Protection
Let the 3 P’s of packaging design act as your quick checklist when
putting together your own creative brief.
These 3 elements will help you determine the best strategy for your product packaging.
Let’s take a look at the creative brief in more detail...
Printing Perceived Value

THE BUDGET
Eliminate unnecessary expenses
Narrow down packaging options
As a business you should have a clear idea
of how much you will invest into your
product packaging.
Setting a clear budget with your packaging
designer will:

THE TIMELINE
Rushing the design process may result in costly mistakes that ultimately affect your budget.
Make sure you leave enough leeway in you timeline for:
Design iterations
Quality control
Shipping delays

THE TARGET
MARKET
The demographic
The location
The price range
The purchasing behavior
Product packaging is ultimately all
about your customers.
Your target market will determine
design elements and requirements.
Make sure to define:

PAIN POINTS
Ultimately, your product is meeting a demand
in your industry niche.
Outline the consumer pain points that your
product and packaging aim to address to
ensure these elements are reflected and
highlighted in your final design.

THE
COMPETITIVE EDGE
Brand narrative
Initiatives (eg. sustainability)
Pricing
Communicating your competitive advantage as a
brand will allow your packaging designer to bring
these elements to the forefront of your design.
Outline your:

SHELF
ANALYSIS
Where your product will be displayed
What products will be sharing shelf space with
yours
How your product will be displayed (eg, shelf,
display or rack)
If you are selling your product in-store, it’s important
to analyse how your product will be presented to
enhance brand differentiation on shelf.
Make sure to outline:

UNBOXING
EXPERIENCE
Brand appeal
Brand colors
Brand logo
The unboxing experience plays an integral role in
your products success, whether you are selling
products online or offline.
Make sure you clearly define your:
This will give designers a clear idea of how the
unboxing experience will appeal to customers.

THE MATERIALS
Corrugated fibreboard (e-commerce)
Folding carton paperboard (retail)
Rigid Chipboard (luxury)
Mailers (e-commerce)
However, having a good idea of the options at your
disposal will allow you to work closely with your
designer to bring your packaging vision to life.
Some popular materials include:
Typically packaging experts will advise you on
the most effective materials for your product in
the consultation stage.

FOLDING
CARTON
CORRUGATED
MATERIAL CAPABILITIES BENEFITS DRAWBACKS
RIGID
MAILERS
Ideal for packaging heavy weight
products for shipping.
Offers high quality printing and
finishing capabilities and is ideal
for packaging smaller, lightweight
products.
The highest quality packaging
material available. Ideal for
packaging luxury or gift-like
products.
Envelope style plastic or paper
packaging ideal for lightweight
products in transit.
Extremely durable, lightweight cost
effective and eco-friendly. Also
offers support to a wide range of
products.
High quality printing and finishing
capabilities allowing for impactful
branding design elements that are
cost effective.
Adds a higher perceived value to
products through high quality
printing and special finishing.
Provides high quality surface for
printing and provides resistance to
unpredictable weather conditions.
Tends to be thicker and bulkier
making them less ideal for retail
environments.
Thin material is not ideal for
shipping and usually requires
additional packaging materials to
ensure product safety.
Very costly and time consuming to
produce due to assembly being
done by hand.
Can’t provide support to larger and
heavier products and can’t hold as
much as a box.

THE STRUCTURES
Roll end tuck boxes
Tuck top boxes
Auto bottom boxes
Regular slotted boxes
Collapsible boxes
The shape and size of your product will ultimately
determine the optimal structure for your packaging.
Structures include:

THIS IS WHERE THINGS GET CREATIVE AND FUN!
THE DESIGN PHASE ENTAILS BRINGING YOUR
CREATIVE BRIEF TO LIFE.
THIS INCLUDES YOUR ARTWORK DESIGNS, TEXT
AND SPECIAL ELEMENTS.
THE DESIGN PHASE
3.

THE
DIELINE
Artwork designs
Text
Logos
A dieline acts as a blueprint for your final design.
It is a flat laying version of your product packaging
that is likely provided by a manufacturer.
Your dieline will feature any:

LOOKING AT
THE DIELINE The first step before placing
any design elements on your
dieline is determining the
orientation of your packaging.
Make sure you have a clear
idea of where the interior,
exterior, front and back of
your packaging is before
placing your artwork designs.

PLACING
ARTWORK DESIGNS
Cut lines (black)
Fold lines (red)
Bleed lines (green)
Safety zone (green dotted)
Your dieline will be the main communicator with
printers to ensure your designs are printed accurately.
Make sure you take note of the:
If you’re looking to avoid white borders around your
artwork, make sure your design remains flush with the
bleed line.

MATERIAL
CONSIDERATIONS
Remember that material thickness can alter
the fit of the packaging for your products.
For instance, corrugated boxes tend to
be thicker, so make sure you double
check your dieline dimensions to ensure
your packaging has enough room for your
product to fit snuggly.

THE COLOR
MATCHING
PROCESS
The colors seen on your computer screen may not
match the final output.
Ensure you are using a color matching system like
CMYK or Pantone when placing your artwork
designs in adobe illustrator to ensure the final print
reflects what you see on screen.
CMYK or Pantone systems communicate the color
output with printers for accuracy.

THE FINISHING
TOUCHES
Gloss/matte coatings
Varnishes
Foil stamping
Spot UV printing
Embossing/debossing
Now it’s time to take a closer look at your artwork
design and determine what special finishes your
design may require.
Special finishes could include:

YOU’RE ALMOST THERE!
THE PROOFING STAGE IS THE FINAL STEP BEFORE
THE MASS PRODUCTION OF YOUR PRODUCT
PACKAGING.
IT IS YOUR LAST CHANCE TO TWEAK AND MAKE
CHANGES TO YOUR DESIGN.
THE
PROOFING STAGE
4.

REGULATIONS Some industries may require certain certifications
and information to be printed on your packaging.
For example, the food industry requires a
nutrition label and allergens.
Make sure you have included all industry
specific information to ensure your sales
strategy runs smoothly.

MOCKUPS
Artwork positioning
Spelling and grammar mistakes
Once you have finalized your dieline, you
can proof your design using 3D mock ups.
3D mock ups provide a digitized version
of your final packaging.
Use 3D mockups to check:

PROTOTYPING
Color output
Material quality
Spelling and grammar
While mockups showcase a pretty good idea
of what your final packaging will look like,
physical samples of your final design will allow
you to interact with your packaging in person.
This allows you to catch errors in:

QUALITY
CONTROL
The edge crush test (ECT)
The flat crush text
Cobb test
Quality control is a crucial step in the design
process that ensures your packaging performs
accurately in your industry niche.
Some quality control tests include:

YOU WILL HAVE MINIMAL INVOLVEMENT IN THIS
STAGE OF YOUR CUSTOM PACKAGING.
ULTIMATELY, YOUR FINAL DIELINE IS SENT TO
MANUFACTURERS TO BE DIE-CUT, PRINTED,
FINISHED AND PACKED ON PALLETS FOR
SHIPPING.
THE PRODUCTION
PROCESS
5.

THE DIE-CUTTING
PROCESS
Your dieline is printed on huge sheets of your chosen
packaging material for printing and cutting.
The die-cutting machine prints, scores and stamps out
your final packaging design for assembly.

ASSEMBLY
Most boxes will be shipped flat and
easily assembled upon arrival at your
chosen destination.
However, some boxes such as rigid
boxes, will be assembled by hand
and shipped as a complete box.

DELIVERY
TIME
COST
SHIPPING
METHOD
SEA FREIGHT AIR FREIGHT GROUND FREIGHT
BENEFITS
DRAWBACKS
Least Costly
45-60 business days
Best for flexible timelines
and large order quantities
Unpredictable freight
cost changes
Most Costly
7-10 business days
Best for rush orders
Expensive for all
order quantities
Medium cost depending
on manufacturer location
7-30 business days
(subject to delivery address
and pick up location)
Most eco-friendly
shipping solution
Only available when
manufacturer is local

REVISITING
THE BUDGET
Depending on your timeline, the design process may
take months.
Therefore, it’s important to revisit your budget before
shipping.
Shipping costs are fairly unstable and tend to change
on the daily.
Make sure you have enough leeway in your budget
to account for any cost increases after production.

And there you have it!

After production, your packaging supply will be shipped to your
warehouse/fulfillment centre.

There you will package and prepare your products for launch!
ET VOILÁ!

The design process can be quite overwhelming.
Solution providers, like PakFactory, can help you with
full or partial project cycle management to ensure your
packaging design process runs as smoothly as possible!
Contact us today!

The Complete Packaging Design Process Guide: A Step-By-Step Guide

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