We recently put together an article that talks you through how to get your printed mailing boxes to stand out.
Packed full of top tips to transform your boxes and bags into powerful marketing tools, this piece very much focused on what you should be doing to impress and engage your customers – but sometimes, it can be just as useful to know what you shouldn’t be doing when it comes to packaging design.
Here are 5 easy mistakes that are easy to make when it comes to designing custom printed boxes.
1. Using all the available design space, just because you can…
You don’t need to cover every inch of your printed packaging and custom gift boxes in branding and messaging. In fact, some of the most successful designs are those with minimal graphics and nominal fuss.
Busy designs can in fact cheapen your brand proposition and make your packaging look a little amateur, which is certainly not the road you want to go down!
2. …Or, going too minimal
On the flip side, you want to get as much value from your design as possible and make sure that you’re not wasting space unnecessarily.
There are a few key elements that need to be present – like your company name, logo and website address, for example. But you could also add in your strapline; information about your various social media channels; unique QR codes that point your customers towards your app or another business resource; and all kinds of other fun features that will enhance your customer’s experience of your brand and encourage maximum cross-platform engagement.
What we’re trying to say is, balance is key. Our in-house artwork designers can help you come up with a packaging concept that’s both beautiful and practical; something that makes good use of all the best practices and, perhaps more importantly, suits your brand proposition down to a T.
3. Thinking that bigger means better
With the industry focus now being on creating merchandise that’s more eco-friendly and much less wasteful, it’s important to consider just how big your custom packaging boxes or bags need to be in order to transport your items safely and securely.
Customers are becoming increasingly frustrated when they sign for a large, lightweight box, and realise that they need to sift through reams of bubble wrap, tissue paper or shredded cardboard to get to their order. Keep annoyance to a minimum – and do your bit for the environment! – by creating the smallest and most sensible size box you can. Our team can advise on the ideal box size for your product(s).
4. Opting for an illegible font
Sweeping, calligraphic font styles can suit some brands, particularly those in the luxury or artisan spaces. However, you need to make sure that the typography you choose is clearly visible to the reader. Lettering that’s too over-detailed or abstract will be unclear, unsightly, and really unhelpful!
5. Forgetting to proofread your work
Spelling errors and other typos can ruin what is otherwise a flawless custom packaging design. Sure, mistakes happen – but you don’t want them to happen at the expense of your brand image!
Make sure you check all your copy before you send your design to print. Better still, ask our artworkers to case their expert eyes over your latest creation to make sure everything is 100% accurate and ready for reproduction.
