Food Packaging Design Benefits & Ideas 2021

Shelves are getting filled up, customers are gathering, and brands face off against each other. New foods are introduced every day, with monthly spending growing at an incredible rate- over 20% higher than usual in October 2020.

Today, the new age of food packaging design has made consumers buy food while thinking, hey, this is alright.

Global surveys report that approximately 50-70% of consumers buy food based on attractive packaging. For us Kiwis, studies show that design processes contribute to an impressive total of 4.2% of the national GDP.

Packaging design agencies in New Zealand are therefore thrown into the foray of carving out niches for their clients. At the same time, they are tasked to advertise for themselves- their design benefits thus become integral to the growth of both sectors.

Now we get to the meat of the blog- the benefits of this process.

Benefits of Unique Food Packaging Design 

1. Creates brand identity

A brand is a feeling, an indication of a company that provides specific services. It has its personality- it is a person, who speaks, wears clothes, and says what it is about.

A brand needs to be unique like all of us are. Likewise, a brand can stand out from the crowd if its design is colorful and eye-catching. Think of a person wearing pajamas to a business meeting- although different, it can lead to a negative perception by the audience it is supposed to interact with. On the other hand, if he/she wears it to a party, they immediately stand out as someone casual and approachable.

The process of designing becomes a team effort between the packaging design agency and the company. In some way, they even work on psychological lines to think like the customer.

Kiwis further use their nationality to identify with brands. So, if you are aiming at a strictly NZ market, the FernMark embraces New Zealand. If you’re going for an even more specific approach, Maori tribal art can be considered as well.

2. Provides Information

The performance of the created brand can’t only be attributed to identity. Today, customers have gained more and more knowledge about the products they consume- from consumers, they become prosumers. It is evident that your brand needs to adapt to this by following some of these points:

• Make the information on the product readable.
• Show the presence of warnings, like allergy cautions, on the packaging as well as necessary legal labels.
• Use suitable colors with appropriate contrast for easy information access.
• Show the use of the product through suggestions on the labels.
• Show the various advantages that the product has, through proper highlighting and design.
• Don’t forget to show off logos, fonts, images, or symbols on the packaging.
• Important things to keep in mind while packaging includes barcodes, manufacturing date, expiration date, storage, license, maximum retail price, usage instructions, ingredients, and nutritional values.

These are some of the basic rules that the design agency and the company need to work on together to communicate with the customer.

3. Adds Value

The value of a product is directly proportional to the outer packaging that the product advertises. Because design packaging provides information to the customer, it automatically creates an image of the product in the mind of the customer.

It sends a message about the product, and by extension, the brand. It shows the focal point of the brand: the USP. Consumers take a very little amount of time to notice a brand, usually, they focus on attractive packaging and the information on it. For example, if a food product design has a label on it that says vegan friendly, then ethically conscious consumers will gravitate towards it. Brands like Ola Pacifica exist to satisfy our kiwi values of environmental consciousness

4. Functional and practical

Accessible packaging leads to a positive user experience; a package that takes hours to open will automatically be rejected for a product that maintains a semblance of quality packaging but uses innovative methods to unbox it. In practical terms, it protects the product from harm, makes it have a higher shelf life, and innovates smart practices to make the items easier to access to the consumer.

It is important to have various safety parameters for packaging, with export and import labels containing the appropriate information. Common ideas, for example, are making packaging flexible through the usage of a mixture of organic materials; or Reclosures that work on the applied pressure and resealable adhesives.

Also, Read NZ Honey Brand Design: Complete Guide

Major Food Industries

1. Beverages

The food and beverage industry contributed to 11% of New Zealand’s economy in 2020. Well, beverages play a substantial position in that statistic (duh!). Packaging attracts, and attractive packaging, well, attracts more. A brand like Phoenix has enjoyed its success because of its vibrant colors and organic ingredients.

However, this Greenpeace report shows other effective ways of packaging that beverage packaging designs in NZ can follow. It lists how companies can use reusable packaging such that people can take the container home, consume it, and get it refilled at the retail store.

Four out of five adults consume alcohol every year in Kiwiland, with companies like Stolen Rum crafting a niche for themselves which displays their message on the bottle itself. Inspirations for packaging are available from different competitors, and awareness about them can be a source for innovation.

Whatever happens, we need to take the Kiwi aesthetic into account. It is vibrant, energetic, and colorful, with our grassy plains, highlands, and beaches. Our beverage packaging design derives heavily from the Kiwi topography.

Source: packagingoftheworld.com/2021/04/blue-point-blueberry-ale.html

Source: packagingoftheworld.com/2021/04/blue-point-blueberry-ale.html

Source: packagingoftheworld.com/2020/06/boundary-road-brewery.html

Source: packagingoftheworld.com/2020/06/boundary-road-brewery.html

Source: packagingoftheworld.com/2021/04/affinado.html

Source: packagingoftheworld.com/2019/10/gagauz-wine-label-design-oguz-terra.html

Source: packagingoftheworld.com/2021/04/prosecco-limited-edition.html

Source: packagingoftheworld.com/2017/10/feel-good.html

2. Snacks

A kiwi is not a kiwi if he/she doesn’t know about huhu grubs. But imagine what a nightmare it must be to package such a snack. So you must select snacks that are, well, actually packageable but at the same time appeal to kiwis as well.

An example would be Griffin’s Cookie Bear Hundreds and Thousands, who maintain distinct packaging through to the product: hundreds and thousands of rainbow sprinkles.

What works here? Again, we see the same celebratory Kiwi aesthetic, which we will find running through all NZ foods. With snacking in between meals on the rise, it is important to keep your snack packaging design game up to par.

Source: packagingoftheworld.com/2018/02/popitas.html

Source: packagingoftheworld.com/2017/12/artinsmart.html

Source: packagingoftheworld.com/2019/11/olive-snack-for-bonduelle.html

Source: packagingoftheworld.com/2017/10/island-jacks.html

Source: packagingoftheworld.com/2015/05/kale-os-and-coconut-pecks.html

Source: packagingoftheworld.com/2017/12/artinsmart.html

Source: packagingoftheworld.com/2020/06/decades-project.html

Source: packagingoftheworld.com/2017/03/caza-de-tortillas.html

3. Bakery Foods

As an adventurer to New Zealand pointed out, several bakery products are endemic to the country. Bakeries usually put them up on displays, but this opens up possibilities for packaging these goods.

We suggest several possibilities for bakery packaging design- Bold fonts with packaging that reveals what is inside, or informal, colorful packaging with pops of digital art on the outside would be good ideas.

Source: packagingoftheworld.com/2019/09/borough-22.html

Source: packagingoftheworld.com/2019/09/borough-22.html

Source: packagingoftheworld.com/2018/02/mantas-bakery-biscuits.html

Source: packagingoftheworld.com/2018/02/mantas-bakery-biscuits.html

Source: packagingoftheworld.com/2021/03/limak.html

Source: packagingoftheworld.com/2021/03/limak.html

Source: packagingoftheworld.com/2021/03/keto-cookies.html

Source: packagingoftheworld.com/2020/03/borowskis-bakery-cookies.html

4. Candy and Gum

If it’s something we are known for, it’s our lollies. Be it chocolate fish, Pineapple Lump, or Jaffa, confectionery and gum are in a consistent line of demand. While there are some ups and downs, and the market is oversaturated, a proper candy and gum packaging design can bring your product into prominence.

Looking around at other brands like Cadbury NZ shows how a multi-national company like Cadbury can maintain brand identity while at the same time adapting themselves to be present in the market through their design.

Source: packagingoftheworld.com/2016/04/swedish-fish.html

Source: packagingoftheworld.com/2020/05/kids-fun.html

Source: amazon.in/Griffins-Cookie-Bear-Hundreds-Thousands/dp/B00Q62G4PG

Source: packagingoftheworld.com/2020/08/got-em-likkt.html

Source: packagingoftheworld.com/2020/02/klast-gum.html

Source: packagingoftheworld.com/2016/05/cheque-gum.html

Source: packagingoftheworld.com/2020/02/klast-gum.html

Source: packagingoftheworld.com/2021/04/nuud.html

Source: newstalkzb.co.nz/lifestyle/is-cadbury-releasing-a-pineapple-lumps-chocolate-block-in-new-zealand/

Source: in.pinterest.com/pin/450641506455032407/

5. Sauces and Seasonings

Barbecue is extremely popular amongst us kiwis, and it is just one of the areas in which condiments are inseparable from the cooked item.

Brands like Davis not only maintain the kiwi aesthetic in their sauce packaging design but also back it up with their brand identity and value.

Some suggestions would be to create packaging shapes that cater to the product or show off the spice and heat on the cover.

Source: worldbranddesign.com/dabiz-munoz-xo-sauces/

Source: packagingoftheworld.com/2019/03/gordon-bonnet-original-saucy-devil.html

Source: packagingoftheworld.com/2020/03/salsa-gourmet-maria-eugenia.html

Source: amazon.co.uk/Colmans-Garlic-Chilli-Sauce-250ml/dp/B00FX6YQRY

Source: packagingoftheworld.com/2020/12/mrsaucey.html

Source: packagingoftheworld.com/2020/12/mrsaucey.html

Source: packagingoftheworld.com/2021/04/five-star-sauce.html

Source: in.pinterest.com/pin/401172279277368942/

Source: in.pinterest.com/pin/716846465672091224/

Source: packagingoftheworld.com

Conclusion

Kiwiland is fun, easy-going, and cheerful. Packaging design agencies in NZ are well aware of that and excitedly participate in making New Zealand stand out. We at LDNZ are equally excited to participate in your packaging undertakings, and our experience in the design sector would make sure to make the customer feel the kiwi pride, its organic roots, and its closeness to nature. Connect with us today on Facebook, Instagram, and Linkedin.