packaging design
Product packaging design for labels, packs and boxes
Product packaging design covers the visual layout of labels, boxes or packs and the information they need to carry. We agree artwork files and print specifications before delivery.
Product packaging design: what the service covers
Packaging is the first thing a customer sees on a shelf or in a store photo, and it is what they carry home, photograph and talk about. A very good product in a featureless pack gets lost among others. And a lovely pack printed without review may arrive with cropped text, dull colours or an unreadable barcode, and you bear the loss of the whole run.
Our job is to combine a look that sets you apart with sound print specifications.
What we design
- Labels for bottles, boxes, jars and bags.
- Cartons, single and multi-part, gift boxes and boxes with a window.
- Bags and sleeves in paper and plastic, and pouches.
- Wraps for food, personal care, cleaning products and small electronics.
- Shipping boxes carrying the store’s identity, tape and gift bags.
- Inserts: thank-you cards, instructions, usage and warranty.
- Product ranges under one design system that tells each flavour, colour or size apart.
How we work on a pack
1. Understanding the product and the customer
What is the product, who buys it and where is it sold: supermarket shelf, online store or gifts? Who are your competitors on the shelf? We collect their packs and see what they share, to decide where to resemble them so the customer understands the category, and where to differ so you get noticed.
2. Form and material
We discuss the type of pack: carton, jar or pouch? The board or paper stock, the finish, and whether you need a window to show the product. We recommend options available at printers in your region, and you confirm availability and cost with your printer.
3. Required information
Product name, weight or volume, ingredients, usage, country of origin, batch number, production and expiry dates, barcode and company details. Some products, such as food, medicine and cosmetics, face official rules in each country about what to write and how. We lay the information out in a readable design, and you or the approving authority in your country confirm its legal accuracy. We leave measured space for it.
4. Design
We use your identity or build a pack system with you: colours that mark the range, fonts readable from a distance, images and icons, and an order of information that leads the eye from name to benefit to detail. In Arabic and English together when needed.
5. The mockup
We show the pack in 3D on screen from several angles and in a shelf setting, so you can judge before printing. A digital mockup gives a good impression, but real colour changes with paper and press, so we recommend a printed sample before a large run.
6. Print files
Files with the printer’s dieline, bleed, CMYK colours or special colours (Pantone) when needed, images at 300 dpi, fonts converted to outlines, and a barcode at a readable size. We hand over an open file too.
Coordinating with the printer
We talk to your printer if you wish, to take the dieline and specifications and avoid common errors: text too near the cut edge, a dark colour that prints darker, a fold that cuts through the logo. If you have no printer we tell you which specifications to ask for. You agree printing and its cost directly with the printer.
Then product photography
After printing you need photos of the product in its pack for your store and ads. See product photography. If your store is not ready yet, read about online stores.
Identity before packaging
Packaging extends the brand. If you have no identity we suggest building it first so the pack becomes part of it. See brand identity design and the identity files you receive. That is how we worked with QEM Holding, starting with the logo and building the rest on it: the story.
Project steps
- A call. The product, customer, competitors and where it is sold.
- A written quote that sets the scope and timeline.
- Design direction. A mood board and different routes to choose from.
- Design and mockup, which you review and adjust.
- Print files and coordination with the printer.
- Review a printed sample before the full run.
What we need from you
The product or photos of it, its name and the approved information to print, the barcode, your identity, packs from competitors you like or dislike, and your printer’s details if you have chosen one.
Packages and the written quote
We review what you need, then send a written quote that sets the scope, timeline and deliverables. The written quote fixes the scope and the timeline, and we start after you approve it.
Frequently asked questions
We design, prepare the files and coordinate with the printer. A printing house does the printing, and you agree it with them directly.
That is set in the quote by the number of products and sizes. A range under one system goes faster than scattered packs.
We lay the information out in the design. Its legal accuracy under your country's rules is the responsibility of the product owner and the approving authority.
A screen shows light and print shows ink on paper. We prepare the file in print colours and recommend a printed sample to confirm.
Yes, to approximate sizes, then we adjust once the final sample arrives.
Design a pack that stands out on the shelf and prints with no surprises
Send your product and where you will sell it, and we reply with a written quote that sets the scope and timeline.