Retail Package Designs: 6 Tips to be your consumer’s first pick:

+How do you stand out on a crowded store shelf? With consumer sophistication growing along with the number of packages on the shelf, it is important that your consumer brand grab the attention of consumers walking by – and quickly! Consumers are becoming more and more weary of false claims and it’s important to create believable brand positioning that can quickly resonate with consumers. Six tips to help your brand differentiate in the minds of consumers:

1. Simplify
a. The point is to let consumers know why they should buy your product and why it’s superior to the competition, keep this simple to reduce the amount of confusion. Also, overly complex designs may be perceived as too expensive.
2. Differentiate
a. Be sure that your retail package design stands out on the shelf. If your package doesn’t differ from the competitors, you’ll be lost in a sea of similar designs and messaging. Build a brand that differentiates your retail package design in the mind of the consumers. Also, if your design and messaging is too close to that of the competition, you’ll cause confusion in the market.
3. Clearly communicate
a. It is important to communicate clearly and quickly to consumers. Pay attention to the appropriate hierarchy and allow the most important information to be displayed on the front of the package clearly. The messaging should be understood easily and it should be clear to the consumer why your brand is different and superior to the competitors.
4. Communicate to your target market
a. Are you targeting the right person? Understand your target market and communicate the appropriate messaging and graphics. Make sure your communication to your target market makes sense visually, differentiates from the competitor’s offerings, is linguistically correct and appropriate for the culture it’s being sold in.
5. Grab attention
a. Color, type, iconography, imagery and the physical structure of your packaging, used effectively, will help you stand out on the shelf. It is important to use these attention grabbers, along with clear, targeted messaging to stand out on the shelf and quickly grab the attention of consumers to make the sale.
6. Own your retail package design
a. Your package design needs to meet both government and regulatory standards, understanding these regulations early in the process will save a lot of time and money. It is imperative to make sure you’ve trademarked everything you’re using on your package (logo, name, color, symbol, shapes, etc) to ensure that your competition can not use your intellectual property and to make sure you’re not infringing on someone else’s trademark. See more about trademarks at: http://www.uspto.gov/main/trademarks.htm