Want your brand to be remembered – for all the right reasons? Here are the three errors you need to avoid.

1. (Don’t) Super Size Me

Poor packaging choices are a sure-fire way to get your eco-conscious customers offside. As consumer demand for environmentally-friendly, sustainable solutions continues to grow, so too do the expectations for products that don’t harm the planet. 

In addition to prioritising recyclable, reusable and compostable boxes, bags, cups and containers, whenever possible, opt for packaging that suits the size of your product. Choosing a package sized to the product it holds will minimise excess material and avoid space wastage – to save both the environment and your bank balance from unnecessary damage. 

2. Spell Check 

Proofread all your packaging (and then do it again. And again!) before you send it off for print and production. Hire the services of a professional copy editor if required to ensure there are no stray apostrophes, misplaced commas or auto-corrected typos on your labels. At best, your mistake becomes a memorable meme, while at worst you may be forced into an (expensive!) item recall if the issue concerns things like incorrect ingredient listings. 

Ultimately, no matter how amazing your merchandise is, there is nothing more unprofessional-looking than undoing all your hard work by selling a health product with “betroot” (not beetroot) powder, or cinnamon flavoured “doghnut” (it’s doughnut). 

3. Social media v Shelf Space 

In the age of Instagram (and the preference for pretty, pastel-pink palettes), well-designed packaging serves a dual purpose. As well as its traditional aim of achieving shelf stand-out in a cluttered real-world environment, it also needs to cut through the saturated social media space. 

With 1,649,383 #unboxing posts currently live on IG, and an endless number of coffee cups being held in front of graffitied walls/ napkins featuring in brunch flay lays / greaseproof paper wrapped around juicy burgers, the best brands understand the potential for their packaging to be used as a prop in posts, and take advantage of this opportunity to increase their online presence – beyond the supermarket shelf.