6 Common Packaging Design Errors and How to Avoid Them

The global packaging market is continually growing and is expected to hit $1.5 trillion by 2031.

This simply means that the packaging industry is showing off its importance in every product out there.

In fact, the packaging is what sells your product in the end. If people don’t buy your product, it will harm your business. With that in mind, you have to make sure your packaging is A+ quality.

But many companies make many common packaging design errors that harm them in the end. So today, we’re going to talk about what those errors are and how you can avoid making them.

Read on to learn more.

1. Poor Legibility

Poor legibility refers to a package that is difficult to read due to the text, graphics, and images used in the design. Poorly legible packages can be difficult to identify. Thus, may negatively affect sales.

To avoid this issue, designers should focus on these:

• bold and clear typefaces
• clean text
• simple graphics

Avoid using small or dense fonts, cluttered graphics, or a combination of these that may make comprehending the package difficult.

2. Lack of Brand Consistency

Having a unified appearance across product packaging and other marketing materials is key to developing recognition and recall in consumers’ minds. Lack of consistency can make a brand appear:

• inconsistent
• careless
• amateurish

These can lead to poor sales. To ensure strong brand consistency, it is important to have a good brand guide in place that spells out which uses specific:

• fonts
• logos
• colors

Also, make sure that all staff involved in packaging design from the brand design agency have access to this guide and that it is referenced and applied correctly during the design process.

3. Overcrowding

Overcrowding occurs when too many design elements are placed close together on the packaging, making it difficult to read or distinguish important information. To avoid overcrowding, designers must be mindful of the number of elements placed on the packaging. So it is best to use elements of visual hierarchy.

4. Ignoring Target Audience

All the details for a product should keep the customer in mind. Different colors and artistic elements communicate different messages. 

It is important to match these elements with the intended demographic. Furthermore, it is important to remember that different packaging colors, images, and text should be in consideration when designing packaging.

5. Neglecting Environmental Impact

It is important to remember that packaging materials that are used today have existed for a long time. These threaten the future of the planet.

Designers should focus on sustainability when creating packaging. This could include:

• material selection
• pallet design
• filling
• shipping methods
• product compost times

Additionally, designers should assess the environmental impact of their designs before implementation. This includes considering both direct and indirect environmental effects of the product packaging, such as:

• carbon footprint
• materials used
• resource utilization

6. Ignoring Packaging Regulations

Poorly done packaging can lead to products being recalled, not shipped, or even failing to make it to the consumer in the first place. Businesses need to thoroughly check their local and national regulations when designing packaging. This means ensuring labels comply with safety warnings, copyrights, chemical restrictions, and other guidelines. 

Learn What Packaging Design Errors to Avoid

When designing packaging, it is important to learn what packaging design errors to avoid to make your packaging successful. To ensure success, avoid common mistakes such as having inadequate design elements, making the design too complex, and not properly displaying instructions. Take action now to ensure better results for your business!

Should you wish to read more informative articles aside from these packaging design ideas, check out the rest of our blog.