Seven Foolproof Packaging Design Trends for 2021

The meteoric rise of social networking has a lot of marketers and business owners questioning the efficacy of their advertising and branding efforts. That said, not everything that defines your business or product will fit neatly into the social platform package. Consider, for example, the necessity of actual physical packaging for your product.

Product packaging or product packaging design is what we call the exterior of a product. It’s the container in which the product is stored and shipped to customers. It’s an important part of the advertising mix as it’s the first thing a customer sees before they buy a product.

For as popular as social media has proven to be, people still rely on the product packaging for an important piece of that purchasing puzzle: how you design your packaging communicates something about your company and entices people; fostering their desire to purchase your product. What’s more custom packaging helps your business communicate the product’s benefits for consumers.

So what are the best packaging designs? Here are seven foolproof packaging design trends for 2021

To pull off this branding challenge expertly well, you will need more information on packaging design trends in 2021. Luckily, we’ve collected the cream of the trending crop to help you narrow down your next great design idea.

Trend #1: Go green and gain a following

Customers are on the outs with bulky packaging options. Instead, they prefer to buy from companies that use biodegradable and/or recycled materials. This inclination not only reduces environmental impact, but it also alleviates any buyer’s guilt associated with purchasing excess packaging.

Trend #2: Offer bonuses through multi-use packaging

Reusable packaging intrigues buyers to purchase your product over a competitor’s. Offer the right incentive and it will show in the follow-through to purchase. Businesses are becoming more environmentally friendly and are focusing more on how they market and package their products. Think of toy packaging and cereal packaging that can be converted to games. Or, makeup containers that can be cleaned and used to store other personal items once the makeup is gone. 

Expert Tip: Be careful with the multi-use packaging design trend. Make sure the multi-use feature is clearly communicated to the customer, or your efforts will backfire.

Trend #3: Form and function packaging

Customers are attracted to products that solve problems. Packaging that interlocks, is easy to stack. That it increases storage capacity appeals to analytical and organizational tendencies. Meaning; your buyers will be more likely to stock up and become repeat buyers.

Trend #4: Go from boring to soaring

Cause must-have clamor by turning boring box shapes into fun, playful, and immediately usable cutout designs; something that has gotten easier and cheaper to do thanks to advances in 3D printing.

Trend #5: Look to the not-too-distant future

Some packaging design trends haven’t even hit the shelves yet, like product variation mock-ups. The goal: to reduce the sale of expired products by making the packaging visibly change if the product inside of it is past the sell-by date. Keep an eye out for up-and-coming ideas like these and you’ll stay ahead of the branding curve.

Trend #6: Question the “finished” product

Finishing touches like matte printing on bright colors or foil embossing are growing in popularity. These are effective ways to differentiate your brand from everyone else without being too over the top with your use of design elements or budget.

Trend #7: When in doubt, be a minimalist

If the influence of social media can be seen anywhere in packaging design trends, it’s in using minimalism to sell your product. From a social and mobile standpoint minimal is in. A lot of businesses are looking to cost-effectively integrate their web designs into their product lines and minimalist design kills two birds with one stone. The simplicity and clean lines appeal to customers, not to mention, the packaging is cheaper to print and make. That’s what we in the industry call a win-win.

Through design, collaboration, and information everyone is able to experience and benefit from the total solution in packaging design.  

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