Tips for fabulous label and packaging design
Product packaging design may seem daunting at first, but it doesn’t have to be. Some of the most effective designs are based on surprisingly simple templates.
If you are looking for tips on how to make an origami-inspired product label and cosmetic packaging, food carton, bottle label, or box, you will surely find something to inspire you here.
Packaging takes 2D designs and transforms them into tactile 3D printed creations, it’s an incredibly effective way to bring a strong brand look to a product or help drive the consumer to purchase. In this article, we’ll look at ten pro tips for giving your packaging a sleek, eye-catching look, as well as technical tips for choosing templates, software, and print finishes.
Looking for the perfect packaging template? We’ll show you some of the best packaging templates and some creative packaging templates from Envato Market along with tips. If you’re a graphic designer with a lot of projects, you’ll get the best value for your money with a subscription to Envato Elements. You will be able to download as many product packaging templates as you want.
Simplify Packaging Design With Labels That Are Easy
At one end of the packaging spectrum are origami-style beauties and at the other end is the refreshing simplicity of an easy-to-produce label.
Labels can be attached to bottles or loosely wrapped on paper-covered items. They are extremely easy to design (no complicated folds to accommodate) and cheap to print, which is great if your budget is tight.
This is not to say that labels lack impact, a well-designed one can lend a charming handcrafted look to the packaging, just like these rustic soap labels.
Templates that help you figure out how to make a product label are the perfect choice for independent shops and other small businesses looking to produce branded packaging quickly and cheaply and can really add to the charm of a product. Simple label and sticker templates are also really handy, they are easy to edit and can be easily resized to fit various products.
Origami Styles In Packaging Design Are Not Just For The Brave
Sometimes you find packages that are so beautiful that they take your breath away. The origami-inspired folded designs look amazing and transform the packaging into a work of art.
Many origami-inspired boxes are surprisingly simple at their core, based on very elaborate templates. With so many creative product label templates at your disposal, these complex-looking packaging formats are no longer unattainable.
The quirky packaging template for these bath salts is tactile, portable, and looks fantastic embellished with citrus slices.
If you are brave enough to try creating your own origami-style packaging designs from scratch, try experimenting with rough mockups on low-grade paper before moving on to the computer, it will help you visualize how the 2D design will translate to your 3D product.
Origami styles are not always the most practical or stackable of box packaging designs, so they tend to be a better fit for display packaging.
Let Your Typography Sell The Product When Designing Labels
Typography is a transformative element in graphic design, go for a classic serif font and create an aspirational product, or better go for a sans serif and you’ll present a product that’s instantly cool and on-trend.
Packaging for wine or beer bottles provides some great examples of the power of typography to sell a product to a particular market.
You’ll notice that most champagne label templates use traditional serif typefaces or very prominent headlines that communicate luxury and cutting-edge quality.
Many beer bottles feature casual sans-serif or grunge-style typefaces to emphasize the laid-back nature of their products. Wine bottles can vary, an expensive wine might feature a classic serif font to help justify the price tag, or a new wine might use a modern block typeface, like in these product label templates, seeking to appeal to consumers. younger, fashion-conscious consumers.
At the packaging design stage, try to experiment with various typography styles in your initial drafts. Show the different designs to a sample market or to friends or family and answer which typeface styles appealed to a particular audience. Were age, income, or lifestyle factors in particular groups choosing one typeface over another?
Once you conclude your experiment in the process of how to make a product label, you will feel better prepared to use the typography style that most appeals to your target market.
Use A Natural Color Palette In Your Product Label Design
The days of bold and brash label design are over. To be relevant in the modern market, you need to tone it down.
Colors with shades inspired by nature have a calming effect and are incorporated into the general trend for commercial products that are more ecologically and ethnically conscious.
Try using shades of brighter colors to give your label design a worn effect or combine color elements with brown paper or cardboard like in this packaging design for natural soaps.
If your product isn’t 100% organic or straight from the farmer’s market, you can still give your label design a touch of wholesomeness with a reduced color palette.
Combine Photography With Minimalist Styles In Product Packaging
Trends in product packaging design are intermittent and one thing that is always present is the kind of graphics that feel appropriate. At the moment, illustrated graphics or simple typographic designs seem to be the most popular graphic medium.
Photography might not have a place on packaging right now, but that’s not to say it can’t look stylish and relevant if designed correctly.
To keep the photography bright and modern on the packaging, stick to punchy images and consider using black and white photography. Incorporating colorful typography could make it look really punchy and on-trend.
Or take inspiration from these minimalist cosmetic templates and mix color photography with simple sans serif typography in a coordinating color.
Bring Out Your Artistic Side In Packaging Design!
Of course, a label might be small, but that doesn’t mean it can’t make an impact. Labels are the perfect place to get really creative and are the usual dream of many graphic designers.
Many brands are exploring ways to make their products look unique and some are making special edition products to increase the desire to have them among their loyal customers.
As a result, collaborations with artists are becoming more common in the world of product packaging design. Particularly for product, cosmetic, and apparel label templates, labels with an artistic flair help define products as unique, aspirational, and special.
If you don’t have Damien Hirst among your frequent contacts, you’ll have to put him in your artistic hat. Painterly finishes, unusual text styles, and hand-drawn illustrations look amazing on the packaging and will help your design stand out from the crowd.
If you’re not very handy with a brush, don’t worry, digital art is just as desirable right now in modern product label templates.
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