Create show-stopping product packaging for your food and beverage brand

Product packaging is a key factor that consumers consider (whether consciously or not) when they’re browsing the shelves. Good packaging design makes a huge difference to your brand perception and differentiates your products in a crowded market. Think of it as the silent salesperson on a shelf, grabbing the consumer’s attention and telling your brand’s story. 

As the director of Relish Food Marketing, I work with a wide variety of food and drink brands on their sales, marketing, branding and packaging. We help start-ups and challenger brands get ready for the retail environment, and support them in their next stage of growth and commercial success. 📈 In this article, I’ll be delving into the importance of good product packaging design, and what key packaging elements that food and beverage brands need to stand out on the shelves. 

What are the key elements for effective product packaging design?

First things first, what elements of product packaging is an absolute must for food and beverage brands? Here’s what makes a  great design: 

A solid brand identity 

Brand identity is vital to the whole process of product packaging design. Your brand needs to be recognisable on your packaging and it needs to easily translate across outer boxes, promotional materials, shelf wobblers and other point of sales (POS) materials. 

🎧 If you’re still building your brand identity, check out Dash’s podcast, Ecommerce Marketing 101, to learn how underwear brand, JustWears, created a unique challenger brand in a crowded industry. 

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Eye-catching designs

The average consumer only spends a few seconds scanning the shelf in store. So you need your packaging to really stand out on the shelf. This doesn’t necessarily mean bright and garish—sometimes less is more and a really minimal design may cut through some of the busier packaging in the fixture.

Clarity on what your product is

Consumers must understand straight away what your product is. They're not going to spend a lot of time trying to work out what your product is if it’s not obvious—so having a clear descriptor and flavour on the front of the pack is essential.

Take Bobby’s as an example. Their packaging is super clear and the flavours are displayed in big, bold font. 

Put health claims on the front

Consumers are becoming more health conscious. That means any health claims you're making need to be clear on the front of the packing. Of course, shoppers who are concerned about health, ingredients and where it's made will look at the back of the pack for more info. However, if the main claims aren’t on the front of the pack—e.g. vegan, low in calories, high in fibre—they might not bother. But you also don’t need to overmessage. Instead, think about the key hook for your target consumers.

A great example is Pukpip, which sells frozen banana pieces. 

Their hooks clearly align with the health benefits that they’re promoting. For example, the packaging shows the product is vegan-friendly, low in calories and has no artificial flavours. 

💡 My advice is to do your research by creating a full, visual gallery of all your competitors. Go into retail stores and browse the web; take pictures and get screengrabs of your competition. This way you can easily see what’s overused, what’s missing and where you can carve out something unique – be it through colour, type or style.

Designing product packaging online vs in-store

If you’re selling products online and looking to expand into retail stores, you might be wondering if you need to adjust your packaging to different locations. Here’s my advice:

In-store packaging design 

When designing packaging for in-store retailers, consider how and where your product will be merchandised. Many larger retailers use shelf-ready packaging, so it’s crucial that this packaging doesn’t obscure any key messages on your pack. Take time to understand your category—visit stores to see how similar products are displayed. This can help you decide where to place important information on your packaging.

Keep in mind: retailers value easy merchandising. They want to avoid breakages, spillages, or anything that could look untidy on the shelf. Make it simple and seamless for them!

Online packaging design 

You may choose to have a different front-of-pack visual for online, due to size restrictions.  Some of your key elements may need a slight redesign. For example, the flavour/type may need enlarging to ‘jump off’ the screen. 

Often, simpler is better online as it’s harder to read. And if you can’t enlarge the image you may not see any of the health claims and benefits I mentioned earlier. 

How should brands approach copy on their packaging design? 

With all the messages that consumers get bombarded with nowadays—particularly around health—your messages on pack need to jump out and engage with them straight away. Here are some tips: 

• Headlines: Think of your packaging like a newspaper: what’s the headline that’s going to stop them in their tracks and make them pick your product up and read more?
  
  These olive oil products by Graza use onomatopoeia and verbs to help you imagine how you’re going to use their products and tap into the scenes. Think about the ‘sizzle’ as you add it to the pan. Or the way you might ‘drizzle’ it over a bowl of salad. 

• What’s the product?: It may sound obvious, but details about what the product is is really important. Many brand owners often want to make their logo the hero, but consumers are more interested in what it is they are buying and what it might taste like!
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• Messaging: Make sure you have established a clear hierarchy for your messaging. This way, know the most important ones to communicate to your target consumers on the front of the pack.
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• Legal copy: Finally, don’t forget there is a lot of copy that legally needs to go on packaging such as nutritionals, size/weight, place of manufacture etc. Make sure you have room for everything you need to go on the pack without it looking too cluttered.  

💡If you need tips on what should (and shouldn’t) be included on your packaging, you can get in touch with us to chat things through. 

Picking materials for your product packaging

When designing packaging, it’s not just about how it looks; you also need to consider what it’s made of. Beyond production costs, there are several key factors to keep in mind:

• Sustainability: Consumers are increasingly prioritising eco-friendly products, and sustainable packaging has become a baseline expectation. Consider using materials that are recyclable, compostable, or made from renewable resources to reduce environmental impact. Not only will this resonate with your consumers, but it also aligns with the growing trend of environmental responsibility in retail.

The brand Bio & Me, for example, uses 100% recycled cardboard to package their cereal. ♻️

• Transportation efficiency and carbon footprint: Packaging choices can significantly affect transportation costs and emissions. Lighter materials can lower shipping costs and reduce the carbon footprint, which is crucial if you’re aiming to minimise your brand’s environmental impact. Compact packaging that optimises space is also ideal for efficient stacking and storage, making transport more cost-effective.
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• Durability: Packaging needs to withstand the journey from production to retail shelves, protecting the product during handling, transit, and storage. Make sure your packaging can handle bumps, moisture, and temperature changes so that it reaches consumers in perfect condition. Durability is also critical in maintaining the product’s quality and shelf life, assuring customers they’re receiving a fresh, safe product.
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• Ease of opening and resealing: Convenience matters to consumers, especially if your product is meant to be used multiple times. Think about how easy it is for customers to open, close, and reseal the packaging without damaging it. Poorly designed closures can lead to customers being frustrated and might make the product appear low-quality or impractical.
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• Shelf presence and fit with shelf-ready packaging: How your product looks on the shelf plays a huge role in catching the customer’s eye. It should stand out but also fit seamlessly within the retailer’s shelf-ready packaging setup, making it easy to merchandise. As I mentioned, your packaging design should ensure that any key messaging is visible even when displayed with other products.
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• Manufacturing feasibility: Not every packaging design can be easily manufactured. Check with your supplier to make sure your chosen packaging can be produced efficiently at their facility. If the design is too complex or requires special materials, it could cause delays or increase production costs.
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• Visibility of the product: Decide whether you want your product to be partially visible or fully concealed within the packaging. Transparent or partially see-through packaging can be beneficial if your product has a unique appearance or colour that attracts attention. However, fully enclosed packaging can create a sense of mystery or add a premium feel to the product. This choice can impact a customer’s initial impression and their confidence in the product's quality.

Candy Kittens is a great example of a brand that offers a small transparent window on their packaging so you can see what the sweets look like inside. 👀

3 examples of great product packaging 

Finally, here are some product packaging designs that I love. Hopefully they’ll give you some inspiration for your own! ✨

RXBar

First up is RXBar. This brand produces protein bars using clean ingredients and, as they say, contain ‘no B.S’.    

They’re packaging is bold and clever because they’ve put the ingredients very clearly on the front. Essentially, the ingredients are the packaging. In an era when consumers are wanting clean label ingredients, this really gets that message across! 💪

Little Moons 

Little Moons are an example of a brand who use the product image as the hero of the packaging. 

You can instantly tell what it is, which is particularly important for this product as not everyone knows what mochi bites are.

Obom’s Kitchen 

I love this newcomer —there’s no mistaking what this product is!  

This jollof rice by Obom’s Kitchen really stands out in the crowded pouch rice category. The design also conveys the party vibes of West Africa, and the culture of sharing a big bowl of jollof rice at parties, celebrations and family get-togethers. 

Sell more products with killer product packaging 

Are you looking for some advice or help in creating your product packaging? We can help you at Relish Marketing. ✨

As specialists in marketing for food and beverage brands, we can help you from initial product testing and production, all the way through to your marketing campaigns and pitching to retailers. 

Check us out on Instagram, or connect with me on LinkedIn. 

Plus, if you need a tool to help you manage, organise and share all the product visuals for your brand, make sure to check out Dash—the digital asset management tool for ecommerce brands. 

Start a 14-day free trial today.