Sure, you’ve got a great new widget you’re making, but your bottom line will suffer greatly if your packaging pricing is out of whack.

Come watch our Packaging Design Webinar on July 25th and learn about solutions to this and much more.  Just click on PackagingFoRetailMadeEasy.com Noon Pacific time Wednesday July 25th 10:00am central time.

Here are some quick initial steps to consider if you need to make packaging that fits your budget.

First, consider the size and weight of your product. What are the minimal operations to consider that will allow your product to arrive safely in stores.

Second, consider the appearance in the plan-o-gram. For reference, the plan-o-gram is the layout of packaging in a retail display that stores set out. Understand that your packaging typically is a small offer on a larger tableau of their overall sales effort. You want to make them look good, while standing out in the sea of packaging. Reference the existing competitors for how they accomplish the same task (packaging materials, design, cost, product security, and product positioning).

Third, is there a standout packaging style that could be applied to your product that would further enhance your product that isn’t currently available in this category? If not, consider if it’s not being used because of packaging materials, design, cost, product security, or product positioning. If the new style of packaging you are proposing improves and or equals all these other areas, it may be a better candidate that existing offerings.

Fourth, now that you have evaluated a number of offering directions, sketch out your likely packaging type (at least 3 concepts) and engage a manufacturer for some ball park pricing. This will both build a dialog with some manufacturers (find someone who you can communicate with!) and inform you on moving forward with your design.

Fred Schechter has been developing packaging for the last 8 years professionally and has been a Professional Industrial Designer for 12.  This webinar is in partnership with Karen Waksman and Product For Profit.  Look to Karen for other great ways to increase your sales and to get your products in stores. Don’t forget to sign up for the webinar!  Just click on PackagingFoRetailMadeEasy.com and sign up!

Sure, you’ve got a great new widget you’re making, but how will you sell it if it’s hidden in a drab box. Come watch our Packaging Design Webinar on July 25th and learn about solutions to this and much more.  Just click on PackagingFoRetailMadeEasy.com Noon Pacific time Wednesday July 25th 10:00am central time.

You need to be properly inspired and see what real possiblities are out there.  To begin, start with the competition, go look at what the competitors in your industry are doing. Are they making big cardboard boxes with a picture on them (by the way, we call cardboard “Corrugated”). Do they have a vacuum formed case that needs a huge pair of scissors to liberate their product? Does the store they’re selling it in require that? Obviously some critical thinking skills are needed to break down the motivations of competitor’s thought processes so we can take what they’ve done and improve on it, while dealing with the rational next step issues with your packaging.

After looking at your competitors critically, you need some great ideas, or at least to glimpse some and see just how far you can push a medium you’re thinking of using.  The first place to look is going to be TheDieline.com they are the top of the heap in Packaging Design blogs.

Next up is always LovelyPackage.com they’re another great spot to see what’s cool, new and exciting.

Some other great spots I hit for inspiration are Designboom.com

and Designmuse.com

One caveat to looking at these high end inspiration designs, anything that says “Concept” on it. Concept means it is not in production, it could be a student design, or a design that was tossed away by professionals. It could look AMAZING, however, it may not be very manufactureable. If someone says, “That cannot be done that way.” Take a look at why they are saying that. Sometimes there’s another option to create the look you’re going for, other times, you will simply not be able to make that style of design. Often student and concept designs include parts that either don’t ship well, don’t mass produce well, have materials that will not protect your product or other deficiencies that will crush your bottom line with returns, or breakage. These are the real issues that your packaging will have to pass through to get to production.

Fred Schechter has been developing packaging for the last 8 years professionally and has been a Professional Industrial Designer for 12.  This webinar is in partnership with Karen Waksman and Product For Profit.  Look to Karen for other great ways to increase your sales and to get your products in stores. Don’t forget to sign up for the webinar!   Just click on PackagingFoRetailMadeEasy.com and sign up!