From Product to Package: Where to Start?

You have a product. You know what it is, who it's for and hopefully you've already figured out how you're going to sell it.

Then comes the packaging.

And suddenly you're staring at a wall wondering, where the heck do I begin?

What kind? What size? What goes on it? Is there a name for this type of package? Who designs it? Where do I print it? How much is this going to cost? Why are there approximately 47 different kinds of labels?

Packaging can feel overwhelming because there are a lot of decisions. But you don't have to figure them all out at once.

Start here.

1. Start With the Product

Before you choose a label, box or bag, start with the thing you're actually packaging.

What is your thing?

Not just what you call it, but what it is, how it works and what someone needs from it.

Is it a candle? A bottle of sauce? A handmade soap? A piece of jewelry? A bag of coffee? A product that comes in several sizes?

How is it used? How is it stored? How is it shipped? How will someone hold it? And where will they encounter it?

These details may seem obvious, but they can have a big impact on the packaging you choose. A product that needs to survive being shipped has different needs than one that lives on a boutique shelf. A tiny product has different design challenges than a large one. Something people open and use every day has different considerations than something they display or gift.

Before you design the package, understand the product.

Then start asking:

What is it?

How big is it?

How will someone use it?

Does it need protection?

Will it be shipped?

Will it sit on a retail shelf?

Does it need to stand upright, hang, stack or display in a particular way?

These questions might not feel particularly exciting, but they're important. Your packaging needs to work for the product first.

Packaging isn't just decoration. It has a job to do.

2. Decide What Kind of Packaging You Need

This is where things can get overwhelming quickly.

Labels. Boxes. Pouches. Bottles. Jars. Sleeves. Tins. Bags. Wraps. Inserts. Bands.

The good news? You don't necessarily need to reinvent the wheel.

Sometimes the smartest solution is choosing an existing container and creating a great label for it. Other products may need custom packaging designed specifically around the product.

The right choice depends on your product, how it's sold, how it's used and, yes, your budget.

Start with what makes sense for the product and the customer. The prettiest option isn't always the best option.

3. Figure Out What Needs to Go on It

Before worrying about fonts and colors, figure out the information.

What's required?

What's helpful?

What's part of your brand story?

What's unnecessary?

Depending on what you're selling, there may also be specific labeling requirements you need to follow. Your designer can help organize that information and make it look good, but they aren't the person determining your legal requirements.

Once you know what needs to be there, you can start thinking about hierarchy.

What should someone see first?

What do they need to know next?

What's secondary?

Because if everything is important, nothing is.

4. Think About Where Your Product Will Be Seen

This is where packaging becomes branding.

A product sitting alone on your website isn't the same as a product sitting on a crowded retail shelf.

On a shelf, your packaging has to compete for attention.

Can someone quickly tell what it is?

Does the name stand out?

Can they read it from a few feet away?

Does it look appropriate for the price point?

Does it feel like something your ideal customer would pick up?

Your packaging doesn't have to scream for attention. It just needs to make the right person stop and take a closer look.

That's shelf presence.

5. Make It Look Like Your Brand

Now we get to the fun part.

Logo. Color. Typography. Illustration. Photography. Patterns. Materials. Finishes.

Your packaging should feel like a natural extension of the brand you've already built.

That doesn't mean your logo needs to be enormous or every product needs to look exactly the same.

It means someone should be able to see the packaging and recognize that it belongs to you.

Don't just put your logo on a package and call it branded.

Your brand is the combination of all those visual decisions working together.

6. See It in the Real World

Here's the part I really want you to remember:

Don't approve your final packaging based solely on what you see on your monitor.

Get a sample.

Hold it.

Open it.

Put the label on the actual container.

Stand it on a shelf.

Look at it next to your other products.

Take a photo of it.

Things change when they're physical.

A color that looked perfect on screen may feel different in print. A type size that seemed perfectly readable at 100% might be tiny on a bottle. A label that looked great flat might not work once it's wrapped around a curved surface.

Prototype before you commit.

It's much easier to make a change to one sample than 5,000 packages.

7. Step Back and Look at the Whole Brand

Once you have your packaging figured out, don't just ask:

“Does this look good?”

Ask:

“Does this look like us?”

Does it feel consistent with your website?

Your social media?

Your space?

Your other products?

If you have multiple products, do they feel like a family without all looking exactly the same?

That's the sweet spot: recognizable, consistent and flexible.

Packaging doesn't have to be complicated.

It just needs to do its job and feel like your brand.

Your packaging is often one of the first physical interactions someone has with your business. It can tell them what your product is, who it's for, what kind of quality to expect and whether it's worth picking up.

Good packaging isn't just something you put around your product. It's part of the product experience.

Ready to figure out what your product actually needs?
Download the Before You Package It worksheet and work through the questions before you start designing.