Package Design - Advice

[smtlaissezfaire]

My product: I'm starting with a subscription product that I will mail to a customer, and that customer will mail back to me when done.

I'm just starting out so have nothing - besides some leads and some early customers.

Can you give any advice on package design? I'd like to keep costs minimal (under a few thousand dollars) but at this point, need some basic packaging and a logo.

I would like to create the feel of a premium brand, so the packaging has to be on point. It's also the customer's first real impression of the company / brand so I don't want it to come off as "cheap".

I've gone to fiverrr and tried a few different people for a logo, but all of the logos aren't great so far (I've also been cheap and only spent $10 or so per logo).

Any advice? Does it make sense to try and hire a package design firm at this stage? Or spend more for a logo?

What has worked for others? (I know YMMV based on the packaging + industry)

 

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[Caminsky]

My product: I'm starting with a subscription product that I will mail to a customer, and that customer will mail back to me when done.

I'm just starting out so have nothing - besides some leads and some early customers.

Can you give any advice on package design? I'd like to keep costs minimal (under a few thousand dollars) but at this point, need some basic packaging and a logo.

I would like to create the feel of a premium brand, so the packaging has to be on point. It's also the customer's first real impression of the company / brand so I don't want it to come off as "cheap".

I've gone to fiverrr and tried a few different people for a logo, but all of the logos aren't great so far (I've also been cheap and only spent $10 or so per logo).

Any advice? Does it make sense to try and hire a package design firm at this stage? Or spend more for a logo?

What has worked for others? (I know YMMV based on the packaging + industry)

I bought my wife the FabFitFun box in the past. It was nice, but still a cardboard box. What's more important is the quality of the things inside.

https://fabfitfun.com/get-the-box

 

[smtlaissezfaire]

I bought my wife the FabFitFun box in the past. It was nice, but still a cardboard box. What's more important is the quality of the things inside.

https://fabfitfun.com/get-the-box

I'm not aware of the product, but check out what it says on the home page:

"at prices you can afford."

aka, cost conscious.

 

[smtlaissezfaire]

I bought my wife the FabFitFun box in the past. It was nice, but still a cardboard box. What's more important is the quality of the things inside.

https://fabfitfun.com/get-the-box

Looking at their website, the packaging does look pretty nice though...

 

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[Caminsky]

Looking at their website, the packaging does look pretty nice though...

So I'll walk you through my process as a customer. I wanted to buy my wife something helpful, high quality, and fun. What drew me to FabFitFun was the quality of products and the variety (skincare, makeup, fashion accessories, and a book were in her box). Other products I looked at were either dedicated to just one item (such as only makeup, which she doesn't care much about), or the products seemed mediocre.

Packaging was fine, but at least for me, what it offered closed the sale.

 

[biophase]

Try a design contest like 99designs.

 

[MRiabov]

Don't outsource something you can do yourself. Go learn design in 4-5 days and do it. I promise you you will not find good designers for 10$, i was burned on it myself.

What makes you think that your brand is worthy of being "premium"?

 

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[Panos Daras]

I've been there, done that. I made a design on Canva. Then, I paid a designer on Fiverr 100EUR to improve it and fit everything where it should go and create the Adobe illustrator file. I looked up on Ghat GPT for the best paper that's good for the environment and prints well. I got a factory from Alibaba in China to make the boxes. They came out great.

 

[smtlaissezfaire]

Don't outsource something you can do yourself. Go learn design in 4-5 days and do it. I promise you you will not find good designers for 10$, i was burned on it myself.

Yeah I've started taking some package design courses and bought a specialty printer. I actually think it makes more sense to do it myself at least temporarily as it will require custom packaging which will at minimum cost several hundred dollars. And with this I can at least wow my first customers.

What makes you think that your brand is worthy of being "premium"?

Maybe I'm misunderstanding the question, but it seems like I'm the creator so it can be anything I want it to be (assuming the market wants a premium brand).

There is no premium brand in the market, so it's one of the ways I could differentiate myself.

 

[smtlaissezfaire]

I've been there, done that. I made a design on Canva. Then, I paid a designer on Fiverr 100EUR to improve it and fit everything where it should go and create the Adobe illustrator file. I looked up on Ghat GPT for the best paper that's good for the environment and prints well. I got a factory from Alibaba in China to make the boxes. They came out great.

Nice, that's a great story.

So impression I'm getting is try to get as far as you can on your own, then hire it out later on, because at that point you have some knowledge about the process so know what you are looking for. Also the "pros" can do it a lot better than you can, so you'll end up with a great result.

(Come to think of it, this is something the 37signals / rails guys recommend - Do every job yourself until it becomes too painful).

 

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[Walter Hay]

My product: I'm starting with a subscription product that I will mail to a customer, and that customer will mail back to me when done.

I'm just starting out so have nothing - besides some leads and some early customers.

Can you give any advice on package design? I'd like to keep costs minimal (under a few thousand dollars) but at this point, need some basic packaging and a logo.

I would like to create the feel of a premium brand, so the packaging has to be on point. It's also the customer's first real impression of the company / brand so I don't want it to come off as "cheap".

I've gone to fiverrr and tried a few different people for a logo, but all of the logos aren't great so far (I've also been cheap and only spent $10 or so per logo).

Any advice? Does it make sense to try and hire a package design firm at this stage? Or spend more for a logo?

What has worked for others? (I know YMMV based on the packaging + industry)

If you want to use your packaging to impress, you need to make it look impressive.
If you want it to survive multiple trips at the hands of couldn't care less freight deliverers make it rugged.

Retail giants in The UK, USA, Canada, and Australia changed their packaging over the years as follows:

• Very cheap, bland packages for very cheap, bland products.
• Those low prices were not as profitable as they wanted, so they went upmarket, with fancy names, fancy packaging, and fancy pricing.
• There were no changes in the product quality, BUT High profits resulted.
• There were substantial changes in packaging quality and appearance, and higher profits resulted.

So, let's get practical.... Make your packaging look expensive by using plenty of gold in decorating it. Alternatively use wax seals (but imitation wax seals will do just as well.)

As for your logo. Do you want it to generate desire? In other words, what emotional response do you want from your logo? Bear in mind that graphic artists are not trained to make a design that will evoke a "Must Have That" feeling.

Walter