Packaging is the first impression a customer gets of the product, whether it’s a small brand or a big one. That package shows how serious the brand is about its customers. Before reaching the product, the customer sees the packaging and the fit and finish of the package.
Most of you have thought packing is the easy part? But this also requires skills; packing the product is a whole different task. That’s where the designer comes in.
How can one become a packaging designer?
This is a creative job that requires creative thinking. If you love making designs, drawings, and logos, then you can try this field. Right after you finish school, you can enroll in a course or a diploma; there are plenty of diplomas available to pursue. For example, you can get a bachelor’s degree in graphic design. NIFT (National Institute of Fashion Technology) is a popular fashion and design institute. During the course, you will learn about packaging and design, where you can work on your own original designs, which can be added to your resume.
The ladder to a secure career
The company wants you to be the best in your field, but you will end up working in other departments too. Because they want you to have an understanding of other fields too. It’s not enough to make something pretty. You need to know how it will be built, how it will hold up, and how it will be made efficiently. A strong packaging designer sees the picture. The beauty and the build.
Passion
Some people are more creative than others, and there are many creative fields available for these people, and packaging design comes here too. It’s about making a product look good on the shelf while also surviving transport, meeting labeling rules, and being made without going over budget. That’s what the job really involves. Consider these things before progressing forward
Education
Education helps during the work because it teaches you the work. If you have decided from the start that you are going to pursue packaging design, that’s going to help you a lot. There are many physical and remote courses available. And there are also huge universities like NIFT, which can boost the growth of your career and place you in top companies and brands, which starts with internships for experience.
Skills for the job
There are two sides to this work. Most designers go towards one. On one side, graphic or surface designers focus on the looks. The colors, fonts, images, and how the brand looks in the eyes of customers that is the visuals.
On the other side, structural designers handle the physical form. The layout of the box, folding lines, materials used, closures, and how it stacks on pallets for shipping. You can decide the type of course, but in the end you might end up working on both sides.
Unique designing
This is a very important part for a packaging designer because the design makes the products stand out from the competition. If a product is sitting on the shelf and it looks the same or identical to its competition, that’s not going to increase sales. The design should be simple yet new to the eye of the customer, which includes the logo positioning and the text that’s written.
It gives the brand its identity:
- color,
- logo,
- design,
- structure.
- Material used
These are all equally important.
Protection from damage
The design doesn’t only mean making sure that the product looks good, but also making sure that it feels good and that the product it’s carrying remains safe during transportation or while just sitting on the shelf, because who wants to buy a soap when the packaging is damaged, right? It creates a bad impression on the user that the product could expire just by looking at the condition of the product from outside.
Impression and connection
The more customers use the product, the more the packaging impression builds the connection between the brand and the customer. Because just from the packaging design, one decides whether to buy the thing or skip. This connection leads to skipping other products when the desired product is not available.
Conclusion
To make it short: packaging design is a place where creativity meets work. Packaging design is not about making a box look nice. Here you have to think outside the box. Packaging design requires thinking about colours, the logo, the material, and how the box will hold the product safely. It should not be damaged when it reaches the customer. That’s going to create a bad impression of the product and the brand. What type of brand is it that doesn’t care about the packaging? You don’t want to go down that road in this height of competition. This goes together with the reputation of the brand.
Do you love to draw, edit, or design logos and designs? This is the field for you. Start with a course or a diploma after school. Institutes like NIFT can help you learn the basics and get an internship, which gives you experience.. Your own designs matter the most. Keep making them and keep them saved for your portfolio.
The work will feel slow at first. What if your favorite game comes with all levels unlocked from the start? Then what’s the fun in playing? That is normal. Learn both sides: the looks and the build. Over time, packaging design will be the thing a customer notices on the shelf.