Here’s the role of packaging in creating a consistent brand identity, at a glance:
Packaging is likely the most frequent way consumers interact with your brand, in store aisles, online, and even at home. Just consider how often people repurpose old packaging in their households or leave a branded folding carton on a countertop or shelf for days or months after they’ve consumed your product.
Folding cartons and cardboard boxes quickly become receptacles for storing other household items and personal products.
Packaging is, arguably, the most persistent representative of your brand. This is why all the visual and structural elements must be undeviating. Consistent packaging strengthens your brand identity.
When consumers recognize your brand through consistent packaging, it becomes easier to stand out. Coca-Cola's distinct red and Apple’s striking logo and visuals come to mind.
Packaging is not just about aesthetics; it’s about enhancing customer experience.
A consistent branding identity accomplishes a few things for your brand.
Consumers are increasingly value-conscious about the products they purchase. They want to buy items from brands consistent with their deepest personal values, be it sustainability, localism, organic materials and processes, gender equality, or other social issues, to name a few.
The people who buy your products feel their consumer choices are outward reflections or extensions of who they are. Your packaging should mirror your shared values.
For instance, sustainably minded brands will often employ earthy tones and natural-looking substrates in their overall packaging design, the organic look and feel evoking a common commitment to environmental stewardship.
Alternatively, brands wed to more futuristic visions often adopt modern color schemes with innovative visual elements such as foil stamping with metallic hues or embossing logos to contrast with uncluttered backgrounds.
In line with its dedication to sustainability, for instance, clean beauty and health brand Botanical Rush employs floral embellishments on its folding cartons.
At its core, brand identity is about relationship building.
Before a customer even experiences your product, their first impression of you is shaped by your packaging. While waiting to make a judgment about your product, they forge one based on the emotions and connections they make with your packaging.
If it strikes the proper chord, consumers will gladly sing your brand’s praises to their friends and family.
Again, consistent packaging creates a sense of familiarity. When customers see your brand’s distinctive colors, logo, or design, they feel like they’re reuniting with an old friend.
This repetition builds further trust. Just as you trust your favorite coffee shop to make your latte just right, customers trust brands that consistently deliver quality products protected by evocative packaging.
Packaging is tangible. It’s something customers can touch, unwrap, and experience. When your packaging consistently reflects your brand’s personality, it conjures up emotions. Whether excitement, nostalgia, or joy, these feelings tie customers to your brand.
It reflects your quality. Imagine receiving a package with mismatched labels, torn boxes, or faded logos. Not a great impression, right? Consistent, well-designed packaging signals professionalism and reliability, declaring: “We care about every detail, including how we present our product to you.”
For example, health and wellness company The Healthy Elephants conveys its premium quality as a brand through packaging featuring a minimalist design with few distracting visuals to keep consumers focused on what matters—their health.
Your packaging should convey a powerful story. In other words, it’s a canvas for your brand’s narrative.
Whether eco-friendly materials, minimalist designs, or lighthearted illustrations—every element contributes to your brand’s identity. Customers love being part of a brand’s story—they want to know who you are and what you stand for.
So how do you share your story through packaging?
Your brand logo should be prominently displayed. It’s like your brand’s signature, so it should be the first thing that catches someone’s eye.
People have specific responses to particular colors. Without even seeing your logo, consumers may have the same emotional response when encountering your brand’s color palette. These colors encapsulate much of your personality.
Your brand’s identity should also be reflected in the fonts you use. Whether it’s playful, elegant, or modern, select fonts that reinforce who you are.
For example, chilled oat bar maker Mooski Snacks uses lively visual imagery to hearken back to the brand’s spirited nature.
Even your substrates say something about you. For instance, if your brand values sustainability, use recyclable or biodegradable materials.
If your brand champions sustainability, be certain your timber-based products and folding cartons derive from responsibly managed forests as verified by the nonprofits the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Explaining why you’ve chosen certain materials is another valuable way to communicate your story.
If you look closely at Evolved Chocolate’s packaging, for example, you can see how prominently it displays the brand’s sustainability credentials, blending its cutting-edge visuals with green sensibilities.
Include taglines and quotes that encapsulate your brand’s essence. These icons can be the most efficient way to tell consumers who you are and what your brand values. For instance, a leaf may reflect your eco-friendly commitment.
Product descriptions can also be an opportunity to explain what’s inside the packaging in a way that further builds upon your brand narrative.
For instance, acupuncture mat producer Shakti Mat flourishes its instructions with nods to how products are “ethically and mindfully made,” mentioning the ways the company invests in its people by ensuring “purposeful employment. . . a living wage, free medical care, and support for families.”
Leading brands have adopted the practice of employing bar codes, hashtags, and URLs to bridge the gap between the physical and digital worlds, enhancing brand engagement. Also known as connected packaging, this approach opens up more channels for you to communicate your brand to consumers.
So, whether they encounter you in the retail aisle or on a digital platform, they should hear the same story. Be sure your colors and messaging are unerring, otherwise, you risk diluting your brand.
For instance, if your packaging materials mention your dedication to localism, including shortened supply chains, then your website better further demonstrate that value commitment with additional details about where you source materials or manufacture your products.
At the end of the day, thoughtfully designed packaging goes beyond protection—it expresses your brand, creates an emotional connection, and leaves a lasting impression. From the texture of your folding cartons to the scent when they’re opened, packaging design is an outgrowth of your brand. Craft it thoughtfully and it will whisper your brand’s tale to every consumer.