POP! Goes the Brand: Is Your Packaging Working Hard Enough?

Everyone loves to weigh in on brand packaging and design because it’s the fun part—and it seems easy. You don’t need a PhD in graphic design to decide whether you like a certain color or font.

Brands also frequently undergo redesigns to boost sales or solve business problems, often because packaging feels like a tangible, simple lever to pull. But effective packaging is more than just aesthetics—it’s a strategic tool that directly impacts consumer decision-making. And as one of the biggest upfront investments a brand makes in marketing, it's important to get it right. Here are some key principles and best practices to ensure your packaging works as hard as possible for your brand.

Why Packaging Matters

Packaging is your billboard. Once your product is on the shelf, it’s one of the most powerful ways to introduce your brand to consumers—both new and returning.

For smaller brands without massive marketing budgets, packaging is often the first and only touchpoint with potential customers. But remember: shoppers are on autopilot in stores, spending just seconds scanning a shelf before making a decision. If they can’t see you, can’t quickly understand what you are, and don’t grasp why you’re better than the alternatives, you’ve already lost them.

While packaging is a crucial marketing tool, it’s not always the right lever to change when a product isn’t performing. This post won’t cover how to determine whether you need a redesign, but rather, how to evaluate packaging design effectively.

Key Principles for Evaluating Packaging Design

1. Does It Follow the Brief?

A strong design brief should include, at minimum:

• Brand positioning (see our previous blog post)

• Communications hierarchy (what’s most important and in what order)

• Key benefits and claims

• Mood board (to capture desired look, feel, and tone)

When reviewing design options, measure them against the brief. While it’s okay to explore creative deviations, the brief should serve as an anchor for evaluating options.

2. Does the Communications Hierarchy Make Sense?

Consumers spend seconds making purchasing decisions, so your packaging must communicate key information quickly and clearly. What do you want consumers to see first? Brand name? Product type? Flavor? Font sizes, imagery, and messaging should reflect priority levels aligned with how consumers shop. For example, in the milk category, consumers typically choose type (cow’s milk vs. almond milk) before selecting a flavor. Packaging should reflect that hierarchy, ensuring the most critical decision-making cues are front and center.

3. Does It Pop?

Will your product stand out in a crowded marketplace? Consider not just how your design looks on a pristine computer screen, but how it appears under harsh store lighting, surrounded by competitors. Ensure your brand is easy to spot and that consumers can instantly recognize what it is. Can you read it from 5ft away? 10ft? Balance category norms with distinctiveness. Packaging should align with retailer expectations (shelf-size, stand up vs. lay-down packs, ability to be merchandised in multiple ways) while still offering a unique visual edge that catches attention. Sometimes the same product with a new form factor (like Graza) can help a brand take off, but introducing a new packaging type can be risky and create a barrier to trial.

4. Is the Front of Pack (FOP) Clear and Simple?

Your brand manifesto doesn’t belong on the front of the pack—and often not even on the back. Consumers rarely turn a product over unless they’re checking ingredients or nutrition facts. Keep FOP messaging minimal and impactful. Romance copy on other panels can absolutely be used to tell the brand story and communicate the brand personality and POV.  The focus of FOP should be:

• What the product is

• Why it’s better (key differentiators)

• Taste appeal (for food and beverage brands)

5. Are You Using an Own-able Brand Color?

Many emerging brands mistake a multi-color approach (e.g., different colors for different flavors) as a “brand block.” But true brand blocking relies on a single, own-able brand color that makes products instantly recognizable on the shelf. Consider Activia: you can spot their green yogurt cups from across the store. Consumers shop on autopilot, and strong brand color consistency helps them find your product without thinking. You can still use secondary colors for flavor differentiation—but your core brand color should remain dominant.

6. Does Your Product Look Appealing?

For food and beverage brands, taste appeal is critical. Consumers eat with their eyes first, so high-quality product imagery not only conveys what the item is but also entices purchase. Product appeal can also be achieved through high quality graphics, packaging materials, and design aesthetics – for example, Kosterina does a great job of using a clean, attractive design with a glass bottle, which makes for a product consumers want to display on their counter.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

• Overloading Front of Pack with Claims
  Being organic, non-GMO, vegan, cruelty-free, allergen-free, and woman-owned is great—but cluttering your packaging with every claim dilutes impact. Identify the few claims that matter most to your target consumer. Also, brands should never claim “great tasting”, which is a waste of space – show this instead with a mouth-watering product shot. 

• Making the Brand Name Too Prominent
  Emerging brands often overemphasize their logo. But if consumers don’t know your brand yet, shouting your name won’t drive trial. Instead, prioritize clear product definition and key benefits.

• Unclear Product Definition
  Avoid vague or overly creative descriptors. “Effervescent Social Elixir” sounds intriguing, but consumers need to immediately understand what they’re buying. Is it a sparkling water? A non-alcoholic cocktail? An energy drink? Use clear, simple language to define your product.

• Confusing Flavor Naming
  Playful branding is great, but don’t sacrifice clarity. A flavor called “June Sunshine” might fit your brand voice, but consumers need to know whether it tastes like citrus, berries, or something else.

• Non-Compliant Packaging or Claims
  Post-launch is not when you want to find out that your outer packaging is too big, the pack is too hard to open, it's hard to merchandise, or you aren’t compliant with regulators due to misleading claims. 

• Unreadable Text
  Color choices, font style, font size, direction & placement of text – make sure these all work together so that consumers can read your package easily, even in poorly lit locations. 

• Lack of Personality
  Let your brand shine through – use relevant UPC shapes, and consider including brand messaging inside the box to surprise and delight your consumers.

Packaging design is both an art and a science. While best practices help create effective packaging, great design also requires creativity and intuition. Some brands break the rules and build cult followings, while others meticulously optimize every design element for maximum impact.

Since I’m not a designer myself, I rely on a structured framework to evaluate packaging options logically—while also considering gut reactions. By following these principles, you can make sure your packaging is working as hard as possible to drive trial and repeat purchases. Good luck!