This post turned out to be epically long🤓 ⁣
⁣
So if you don’t have time to read, here it is in a nutshell:⁣
⁣
Good packaging = GREAT⁣😁
Bad packaging = SUCKS⁣😡
⁣
THE END.⁣
⁣
However.. if you have time to read, here’s the full post:⁣
⁣
Like all makers I imagine, at the beginning we were a little naive as to the role that packaging plays in product design. ⁣
⁣
We’ve learnt, and are still learning, that the way we present a product (particularly on a retail shelf) is as important, if not more important in some cases than the product itself.⁣
⁣
Ouch! That can come as quite a surprise, if like us, you have your head down as a designer & maker & rarely come up to take a breather. Packaging can be an afterthought.⁣
⁣
We’re all busy I guess, but therein lies the problem. At the start we were so glued to our product(s) that we missed opportunities to zoom out and see the bigger picture. ⁣
⁣
What do I mean? ⁣
⁣
Well, every day consumers take for granted the role that great packaging design plays in their shopping experience, we’re all guilty of it! ⁣
⁣
Even if we don’t have a creative bone in our body, the fact is, we all instinctively know when something looks good & is presented well. We do it subconsciously when we go shopping, we scan products at lightning speed & decide weather something’s worth the outlay or not, and the more expensive an item the more demanding we become. ⁣
⁣
There’s a whole psychology behind product packaging and design, and the big players have it all figured out. They have talented graphic design firms on tap & a big budget to match. ⁣
⁣
We may have a beautiful product, but if we don’t accompany that product with the appropriate packaging, then we’ve really missed a trick. Take Dublin jewellery designer @chupi for example. Have you noticed her downright fabulous packaging? If you haven’t yet, go take a look, you’d be content just taking the gift packaging home for a cuddle! ⁣
⁣
I’m sure it didn’t start out for Chupi that way, businesses evolve over time. ⁣
One thing we’re learning ourselves though, is that generic packaging doesn’t cut it anymore.

At the start, we thought we were doing great by having our logo stamped on a gift box & using that same box for everything.

Cringe.

It works in some cases, but in the majority it’s just not enough. We’ve had to slowly (as finances permit) go through everything we make & re access how it works.

It’s been invaluable to have products stocked in a retail store & also to open our own store.

Why?

Because retail teaches you lessons, it helped us to see how we can differentiate our products, colours, copy, message and display from others. It doesn’t have to cost the earth either, but I would seriously consider hiring a good graphic designer, it will pay off in the end.

Our new Bow tie packaging for example is a generic black paper tube, but what makes the difference is getting creative with it. We have a graphically designed wrap around sticker for the front & we laser cut a circle of tweed for the top. They look amazing & are now very easy to display in a retail setting, they’re also a fab way to store your bow tie.

We’ve by no means figured everything out but we’re learning all the time and thought we’d share this part of the journey with you.

What’s up next, not sure, we keep saying that January 2020 is going to be this wonderfully relaxing time where we’ll have more time to relax, access things and catch up on all the jobs we need to do. The problem is, the list is growing:)