1. Consider packaging as early as possible

When developing a product, the earlier that you think about the packaging, the better. Sketch out some ideas, think about all potential options. Look around your local store for ‘competitor products’ and interesting packs that could be transferred from other categories. A previous good example of this was the take-up of tube packaging in the food sector, after success in toiletries. If possible generate physical mock-ups long before any commercial production takes place and possibly undertake some basic market research with the target consumer/market – what do they think of your packaging ideas & formats? You may be surprised & they may even help find the solution!

2. Keep it simple & cost-effective

The packaging should be capable of delivering the final desired performance, whilst remembering that it will have to perform many important roles & functions such as: product containment/protection/preservation, be transportable , carry information including warnings and perform a selling role. Initially, consider ‘off the shelf’ components wherever possible, especially if you are on a ‘tight budget’. Custom packaging is very expensive and normally requires commitment to huge production orders – something that you may not be able to agree to or afford as a fledgling ‘start-up’ business. At the end of the day the packaging simply needs to be ‘fit for purpose’ in all of the above functions.

3. Think about market position & branding

Who are your target market? What are their expectations in terms of product & packaging? Investigate the market and end users to understand their needs & try to find out where existing products fail to meet the needs and desires. Will they want something trendy or funky? If an older consumer will they want something more traditional? What are the norms of your particular sector? Do you want to follow them? Or break the rules and be seen as a ‘maverick’? Your packaging needs to reflect brand credentials, so develop these early on.

4. Market supply channels

What route to market will you take? If selling over the internet and despatching product via post the branding may not be as important as a pack that needs to ‘sell itself’ on the shelf in a the local store. However, in the former, transit packaging & protection may be much higher ‘up the agenda’ – you don’t want your product to arrive in lots of little pieces, do you? – Unless it’s a jigsaw puzzle that is! If selling in stores you may need to also consider shelf height restrictions, extra ‘point-of-sale’ (POS) display packaging and other trade requirements, before Store Buyers will talk to you.

5. Manufacturing & production constraints

How is the pack going to be filled? What about packing and assembly? If you are thinking of using a ‘contract packer/filler’ to undertake this operation, try and identify them early-on. If you haven’t yet decided, generate a short-list and start a dialogue. They may have specific constraints that may help you choose a pack format. Alternatively, you may decide to hand-pack first orders and even if you are running a fairly labour-intensive, small-scale, hand packing operation initially, think of the longer term possibilities of auto assembly. By designing for this up-front, you will save yourself headaches & cost later on!

6. Environment

There are specific legislative ‘producer requirements’ laid down by Trading Standards which prohibit a pack from being over-packaged and you must provide evidence that you have designed it in an optimal style, using the minimum amount of packaging possible and in a manner that is not classed as ‘deceptive’ for consumers. The law is continually evolving in terms of the environment and some material usage, although not illegal (e.g. use of PVC) is frowned upon by many consumers and pressure groups. New materials are continually being developed – but amid much hype! So seek advice before you ‘jump in’.

7. Physical protection?

We’ve covered damage to the pack from exterior elements/pressures but what about protection from the product within? How aggressive is the product you are packing? Will it ‘attack’ the pack itself? How long will your product be on the shelf or in the supply chain before being opened? Some slow-moving consumable products can be around for upto 3 years before use. You need to make sure that the packaging materials you use provide a sufficient barrier to the elements (oxygen and moisture mainly). Some products have stringent legislative requirements on what shelf-life you can claim and proof through stability testing may be required.

8. Information & Communication

What are the wording legal requirements for your sector? What claims can you make for your products and how will you validate those claims if challenged? What other messages will you want to impart to your customers? Check minimum legal font sizes for any text and consider readability – size and coloured text on coloured backgrounds – can be very frustrating, illegible and potentially illegal due to poor choice of font & colour. What about bar coding requirements during transit and at POS? Ensure that you get final printed components verified with a standard bar-code-verifier/reader before accepting them from the printers to ensure that they decode satisfactorily

9. Cost minimisation

Using the development services of component suppliers can be the cheapest way to get your pack designed and mocked-up prior to production. However, the downside of this is that they will subsequently expect ‘an order’ and their part-price may not be the cheapest. So you could then be tied in to a single supplier and pay ‘through-the-nose’ every time you purchase your components thereafter. There is no such thing as a ‘free lunch’! So although supplier development can have its place, in many instances using specialist & independent packaging designers can be beneficial. It can provide choice and ownership (Intellectual Property -IP) and the ability to take your design around a number of suppliers to get the best deal - that will save you money in the long run.

10. IP protection

If you have gone to the trouble to design a pack that is distinctive & novel in terms of pack style, shape, use of colours, branding, logos or layout – consider talking to a patent attorney about getting some sort of protection for it. Although IP or Trademark (TM) protection can be expensive, attorneys will normally offer some free initial advice. Again, the earlier you do this the better, because once your ideas are out in the ‘public domain’ (as soon as you show them to anyone who hasn’t signed a secrecy agreement) your chance of protection is much reduced.