The Influence Packaging Has on Brand Recognition

Your Business and Brand

When developing and fine tuning the brand for your company, it's vital to account for any name, symbol, design, or other aesthetic elements as each of these come together to create your brand. These elements are what customers use to identify your business and products. The brand you establish works as a psychological trigger for customers, causing them to remember your specific company and product when walking through a store. The ability to remember and recognize your brand in different locations, with a jingle, or on television, is also called brand awareness.

Customers won't notice your brand or product without knowing it exists, so having a strong logo and other design elements included in your packaging is vital to your overall success. Once a brand has a substantial following and market traction, it acquires brand recognition. Brand recognition occurs when customers recognize your company's name through only visual signifiers such as the logo, slogan, or brand colors. Many brands with creative packaging and advertising gain traction in their industries more quickly because customers are drawn in, thus making them excited to give your product a try.

The Meaning Behind a Brand

By designing a strong brand for your company, you will make a lasting impression on both established and new customers' minds. The brand for your business and products conveys a message and sets precedence regardless of whether you recognize the impact right away. Past advertising, promotion, and products can also have a direct impact on this impression. There are six different target areas companies can focus on during the design stages of creating your brand.

• Attributes: A brand can contribute and showcase the noteworthy characteristics of a product, such as how expensive, durability, and prestige.
  
  
• Benefits: The consumer market looks for how a product will benefit them both functionally and emotionally. It's encouraged to incorporate the benefits into your brand and packaging.
  
  
• Values: Account for any values your brand represents, such as safety, high performance, or honor.
  
  
• Culture: Identify the culture behind your brand and include this in your design. If you would like to associate a specific country with your brand, include known qualities and values of that area.
  
  
• Personality: Every brand on the market today projects an individual personality to both established and potential customers. Speak for your company through your brand.
  
  
• User: Depending on your company's style, specific customers will be drawn to your brand and products. The brand you develop speaks to the kind of consumer that will likely purchase and utilize your product.
  
  

Accounting for these different target areas is extremely important in the design process. Each allows you to get to know potential buyers better and identify ways you can speak to them through your brand and packaging design. If you're having trouble pinpointing each of these areas, it may be beneficial to set up a brainstorming session with your designer and other coworkers to truly encapsulate your entire message.

What to Consider When Packaging Your Product

A packaging design can cater to the consumer market's different needs, and it's incredibly important to identify your product's needs to ensure the product is delivered in optimal condition to retailers and consumers.

• Physical Protection: It's incredibly important to consider the physical protection your product may require when designing your packaging. Account for temperature control, compression needs, and other potentially hazardous situations.
  
  
• Important Information: Incorporate any critical or necessary information that you would like to communicate to potential buyers. Make sure to include any content required by the government as well.
  
  
• Speaks to Customers: It's vital that you create a packaging design that speaks to potential buyers and encourages them to purchase your product. Fine tune your graphics and ensure you have a clean design as this will help you gain more traction.
  
  
• Accessibility: The consumer market today looks for packaging that's catered directly to their needs. Certain features allow for ease in handling, display, reusability, and more.
  
  
• Protects Quality: Depending on the type of product(s) your company sells, specific protective barriers may be required to guarantee the product stays fresh. It's vital to account for these needs during the package design process.
  
  
• Added Security: Companies can also incorporate added security functions to their packaging designs to deter tampering and damage during shipping. If your product(s) are fragile or are likely to be tampered with, tamper-evident features may be worthwhile to incorporate.
  
  

How Branding and Packaging Coexist

A company's branding and packaging design are closely intertwined and directly affect one another in most situations. From differentiating your product to building a strong relationship with the consumer market, identifying how your branding and packaging work together is the first step to being successful in today's consumer market.

Differentiates Your Product

There are many products available to consumers today, and companies continue releasing new items. With that, strong branding and packaging help differentiate your product(s) from your competition. Establishing strong branding and a functional yet eye-catching packaging design is incredibly essential in your product's overall success. It's encouraged to take a step back periodically in your design process so you can attempt to identify what your packaging says about your product and if it speaks to and represents your brand. While it may be tempting to rebrand your company, it's vital to note how recognizable brands rarely change. You may notice little changes, but rebranding can be risky as it may affect your customer base.

Builds Relationship With Buyers

Developing strong branding and packaging design for your company is beneficial for sales and helps build lasting relationships between your brand and the consumer. The average consumer looks for a positive user experience when purchasing products, and incorporating this idea into both your branding and packaging design encourages loyalty and consumer following. Be sure to include all necessary information and don't leave it up to the consumer to figure it out. Consumers look for a brand and product that makes their lives easier while minimizing frustration.

Fine Tune Your Brand and Packaging

Many are unaware of how closely a company's branding and packaging design correlate. Today's consumer market looks for attractive branding that tells a story and wants this message to be communicated through the packaging design. Businesses need to account for both elements when putting their product into commercial locations. Whether you're a new company or looking to enhance, the first step is fine tuning your branding and packaging to make sure they work together as a team.