The 5 Biggest Mistakes in Product Packaging

March 2nd, 2011

Product packaging is increasingly becoming one of the strongest selling points for a product. You can have a great product but if it isn’t marketed and packaged well, you’re bound to lose a huge chunk of your sales. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that one of the biggest mistake marketers make is failing to understand the benefits of effective product packaging. The mistakes don’t stop just there though. Even when you want to invest your time, effort and money in coming up with great packaging, there are a number of things you have to do correctly. To create great packaging, here are 5 of the biggest packaging mistakes you must absolutely avoid!

1. LEAVING PACKAGING DECISIONS FOR THE VERY END

When you are in the initial stage of planning, designing and developing your product, packaging decisions might seem like a distant consideration but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Your product packaging can help make or break your product so there’s no sense in ignoring it till the end of the process. There are so many material and vendor choices to be made that it can overwhelm you if you put it off extensively. Therefore, start planning your product packaging as early as possible.

2. NOT DOING RESEARCH

Packaging decisions are never as simple as “Let’s just put our product in this box”. Depending on your product type, there are both good and bad packaging choices. It’s always a good idea to venture out in the market and do some research about the packaging options for your product type. You can get information by researching your competitors, suppliers, distributors, retailers and customers. Remember that the same type of material, look and feel can not be applied to all types of products- after all you wouldn’t package ice cream and hair extensions the same way!

3. CARELESSLY CHOOSING THE MATERIAL

Quite possibly the most important packaging decision, your choice of material for your packaging is crucial to the success of the entire initiative. While there are some obvious popular choices (like plastic bags or cardboard boxes), picking just the right shape, size, quality and type for YOUR product isn’t simple.  And while you can just choose the same material that your competitor uses, you still need to consider how you would make your packaging stand out.

4. DOING IT ALL ON YOUR OWN

Packaging in itself is a big industry- and for good reason. There are so many excellent material suppliers and packaging designers out there that your choices are endless. So don’t try to do everything yourself if you think your product would benefit more from professional input. Also, even when you are making and pursuing your own packaging decisions, you should always be open to suggestions from your colleagues, employees, industry people, family and friends.

5. NOT BEING REALISTIC AND FLEXIBLE

Your packaging decisions must be strictly in line with your overall business plan. You need to consider your finances, production quantities, industry and customer trends, and the possibility of creative new ideas. Therefore it’s always best to start small and always allowing for change. In practice, this means that you should not order 10,000 boxes for your product packaging when you only plan on manufacturing 4,000 units of your product in the first batch. After your first roll-out, the feedback you will obtain will be highly valuable for future packaging decisions.

Packaging is one of the most important aspects of your product. By smart and careful decision making, you can avoid the biggest packaging mistakes.

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The Benefits of Great Hair Packaging

January 18th, 2011

Most companies don’t put much thought into their product packaging. They share the mindset that believes customers are only concerned with the product contained within. However, while the importance of the product is superlative by all means, product packaging is playing an increasingly significant role in the success of businesses. Here are 5 good reasons why you should invest more time and resources into creating great hair packaging:

Presentation and First Impressions

Like it or not, our world is very superficial and physical appearances play a vital role. From people to products, presentation is essential to success. Your product packaging is, in effect, a representation of your product. The way it looks, feels and facilitates effects customer perception of your product attributes.

Additionally, when your product is placed in stores, it is the packaging that the customer sees first- and therefore it is important to make the right first impression.

Protection

Most hair accessories require protection from the possible damage in the process of shipping, storing, displaying and transporting. A carefully designed and effective hair packaging will not only ensure successful shipping but also help your customers in keeping the product safe after they’ve purchased it.

Promotion

From attracting your target customer to displaying your product’s benefits, great hair packaging is an excellent promotional tool. Packaging is actually like a salesperson for your product. It helps your product get picked from amongst your competitors and continues promoting your brand even after the customer’s purchased it. As long as the packaging remains intact (and even when its tossed aside once its ripped open to expose the product), it remains in front of the customer’s eyes and keeps the brand’s name embedded in their mind.

Information

You can use your product packaging in inventive ways to publish information about the product and your company. You can also print information on it related to product use, maintenance and feedback.

Utility

From a customer’s point of view, the product packaging can provide them with ongoing utility even after they have extracted the product from it. For instance, they might use the hair packaging box repeatedly for holding their wigs and extensions.

Great hair packaging can play an instrumental role in marketing and selling your product. It is definitely a worthwhile investment!

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Colors for 2010 vs colors for 2011

December 11th, 2010

As we move into the New Year, it’s time to take a look back at the definitive colors for the year passing by and the forecasts for the one to come!

2010 Color of the Year

Pantone PMS 15-5519 2010 Color of the year Turquoise

Pantone PMS 15-5519 2010 Color of the year Turquoise

Turquoise (PMS 15-5519) was, arguably, the most popular color choice for 2010. While it was initially touted as the leader among house paints, it has (like color usually does) also become a packaging favorite. Turquoise was Pantone’s Color of the Year and even Global Color Research’s pick, Verdigris (NCS S 2050-B80G) is quite similar to Turquoise.

The blue-green dominion was also apparent in major paints firm ICI’s pick for ‘Color of the Year’. Their selection, Icy Blue looks as good on walls as it does on packaging displayed on a store shelf. For the color gurus at ICI, Icy Blue represents, and rightly so, new beginnings, energy renewals, optimistic dynamics and limitless horizons. The color is airy, atmospheric and light. It is not garish or overpowering in the least and creates a pleasing visual sense.

2011 Color of the Year (forecasted)

Forecasted Color of the 2011 - Cirtus Yellow

Forecasted Color of the 2011 - Cirtus Yellow

The color forecasts for 2011 are in and they represent almost a total 180 from the blue-green infatuation of 2010. However, ICI’s pick for 2011, a certain shade of Citrus Yellow, retains the airy, open feel of the Icy Blue they selected for 2010. Their description of the Citrus Yellow seems like a natural continuation of the implications of the Icy Blue. While the latter was about new beginnings and fresh spirits, the Citrus Yellow is about freeing yourself and having fun. Yellow has always been associated with warmth and sunshine and the Citrus Yellow introduces a sense of calm and openness to it.

Benjamin Moore’s forecasted Color of the Year for 2011 complements Citrus Yellow quite well: It is a rich Vintage Wine that has been prevalent not only on fashion runways and in packaging designs but also at homes.

When designing your hair packaging, you can benefit immensely from the carefully researched and trend conscious color picks of the above mentioned organizations. However, keep in mind that the best colors are always the ones that complement your marketing message most effectively.

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10 Tips on Great Hair Packaging

December 3rd, 2010

Before you dive directly into designing the packaging for your hair products, make sure you spend sufficient time in planning it. Here are 10 tips for designing great hair packaging:

1. BENCHMARKING

Benchmarking is the marketing term for setting a standard for your self. The best way to do that is by carefully evaluating your competition. Analyze the packaging designs and strategies employed by the market leader in your category and look at the general conventions in packaging design. Once you’ve done that, you can incorporate your competitors’ strengths into your own packaging and take it to a whole other level by improving on it and adding your own brand of uniqueness and differentiation.

2. TARGET MARKETING

What is your target market? Who does your product cater to? Is there a specific demographic your product appeals to? Or does it cater to many different demographics? Are your potential customers young or old? Are they male or female? Profiling your prospective customers by answering such questions will go a long way in designing great hair packaging- as it will be created by keeping the customer’s preferences in mind.

3. CONVENIENCE

Your packaging design should be inventive and appealing- but it should never be unnecessarily complicated. There is only so much patience a customer has with troublesome packaging. The ideal hair packaging is attractive, protective and convenient to use and store.

4. APPEARANCE

From creating a great logo for your company to incorporating it into an eye-catching design onto the packaging print- the design process for your hair packaging starts with your company’s visual identity and ends with the final look of your product and packaging. Everything from your choice of fonts, themes, colors and styles will determine your packaging’s attractiveness. Make sure that your company’s name/logo is well-displayed on your hair packaging and your design motifs and color palettes are highly attractive for your target customer.

5. THEME

Closely related with the individual appearance of your product’s packaging is the overall theme for your entire range of products. While all of your products can carry your company logo and the same motifs, you can use an overall theme for a product family (with slight differences to signify variations). In the same product category, you could tweak the design and color choices to indicate a difference between prices and types of your products.

6. COPYWRITING

Your promotional text- from the brand slogan to the product description- is known as your ‘copy’. Your packaging design will include a good chunk of your copy and you will need to make sure that it is appealing, professional, comprehensive and easily understandable. If your product requires instructions for use, detail them in an easy-to-follow manner. If you are not sure about the best way to communicate with your clients through the written word, hire a professional copywriter.

7. PROTECTION

Depending on the exact nature of your hair product, you might need to design packaging in a manner and material that protects its content. A sturdy packaging will protect your products from damage which will mean less trouble for you (when shipping) and for your customers (after their purchase).

8. ENVIRONMENT FRIENDLINESS

Customers are increasingly appreciative, and demanding, of green packaging- which means that you should use as little resources and material in creating your packaging as possible. You earn bonus points with your customer if your packaging is made of recyclable material.

9. LEGALITIES

Before you decide on the material, size and other attributes of your packaging, ensure that your packaging design will be compliant with legal requirements.

10. QUALITY

Don’t compromise on packaging material and print quality. There is no use of designing great looking packaging if it will be transferred to poor quality material (that is ineffective in protecting its contents) and passed through low-quality printing.

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Your Logo: What, Why and How

November 30th, 2010

WHAT IS A LOGO?

Have you noticed how synonymous the ‘tick’ sign is with Nike or how the ‘bitten apple’ is all that Apple Computers needs to imprint on its products? Nike and Apple are two excellent examples of how a logo is instrumental in building a brand. Even if your company is not a global giant, you can benefit immensely from investing in a great logo for your company/brand.

A logo is the visual identity of a company or brand. It creates instant recognition within a customer’s mind without the need of text, descriptions or details. However, the logo can also be the name of your company or product written in a distinctive and stylish way. The logo of Starbucks Coffee is a combination of both text and motifs.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

A logo not only brands all your products with your stamp (and therefore associates them, without a doubt, with you) but it also acts as an effective marketing tool. Customers can spot the visual appearance of a logo from a distance and its individuality can help your product be instantly differentiable from the competition on the same shelf. Your company logo can also help spread the trust your customers have in one of your products to your newest product. When customers see a new hair packaging product branded with the same logo as the one on their favorite brand of wigs, they will automatically favor the new offering. Additionally, a creative, attractive and professional logo can generate plenty of interest in itself and, therefore, most companies prominently feature their logos on product packaging. Quite often, the entire packaging design stems from the look and feel of the logo itself. Whether you want to milk your established brand or want to build a new one, putting your logo on your hair packaging is immensely beneficial.

HOW DO YOU GET ONE MADE?

Unless you’re great with graphics designing yourself, the best way to create a great logo is to hire professional services. There are a number of companies which specialize in creating logos. Most high-end services deliver excellent results but they can cost you hundreds and thousands of dollars. However, if you’re on a tight budget you can still get a great logo created.    Feel free to contact HairPackaging.com for more information.

Your logo is your identity and can have innumerable benefits. So make sure you incorporate it into your packaging design

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How to come up with a great packaging design

November 12th, 2010

You don’t need a Marketing degree to design good packaging for your products. All you need to know is that the secret of selling is to design everything keeping the customer in mind. Knowing your customers’ requirements and preferences, you can focus on creating packaging that hits all the right buttons with them. Additionally, you need to consider the nature of your product and the external factors that can influence it. Here is a selection of useful tips for designing great packaging:

Don’t be afriad to stand out

Your product competes with that of your competitors all the time. In a shop, it sits next to tens and hundreds of products in the same category. In such situations (common across stores worldwide), how do you increase your product’s chances of being selected by your target customers? You do so by increasing its visibility. Packaging is one of the most effective mediums for making your product stand out from the crowd and making an instant impression. Research has shown that if potential customers are attracted to your product’s packaging, they take the time to look closely at your product and pick it up from the shelf to find out more about it. All that remains then is to complete the sale! With such a great advantage to be had, you must spare no expense in making sure that your product packaging is unique, attractive and memorable.

Design accordingly

Your packaging should be attractive by all means- but what constitutes as ‘attractive’ is highly subjective. Before you create packaging for your products, do an analysis on your customers. Are they mostly female or male? What age bracket do they belong to? What are the tastes and preferences of this demographic? With answering a number of such questions, you will not only be able to know your costumer base better but also design packaging that is attractive to them. If your customers are young people and women, past trends have shown that they will approve of flashy and colorful designs. But if your costumers are largely men and senior citizens, you should probably stick to mature designs and somber colors. Of course, you can only make these decisions if you do an evaluation of your target customers.

Print useful information

If your product is of a nature that requires a step-by-step for its usage, make sure your packaging includes printed directions. For instance, if your product is hair extensions, your packaging can include printed directions for putting them on.

If your product is ‘green’ (environment friendly) and your customer is conscious about such attributes, make sure your packaging highlights this admirable feature. You can also include information on the product/packaging recyclability.

Keep it convenient and legally compliant

Your product packaging should be strong enough to protect its contents and designed for convenience. It should not be unnecessarily large or made of a material that is not appropriate for your product. Your choice in size, type of material and other attributes should be in accordance with the legal restrictions of your market. Equipping yourself with knowledge of legal guidelines is essential before designing the packaging.

A good packaging not only protects your product but can also play a vital role in selling it. Planning your packaging design while keeping your product, customer and environment in mind will help you go a long way in making your product a success.

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How Much Does Hair Packaging Cost?

October 20th, 2010

Would you like our Design services only or do you require our Design and Print service?

Our specialized staff are available to guide you through the quick and easy process of design and will be happy to refer you to one of our worldwide contacts for printing.  Read below our simple checklist and then contact us to get your packaging started!

Design

  • Would you like a logo?
    • Checkout our logo design portfolio for some ideas.
    • Do you have a logo but would like a logo makeover? No problem – lets talk!
  • Do you know what type of items you will be packaging, eg. Hair extensions, lace wigs?
  • Have you decided on the style?  Box or plastic enclosure with header, insert, optional hang tag?
  • To help make your choice look at our photo samples below and check out how to come up with great packaging design

Print

Do you know the quantity of packaging you will be producing?

Will your packaging be produced in the USA, Europe, China or elsewhere?

And last but not least – how soon would you like the turnaround?

Facts & Tips

  • A 15 inch box can usually hold 8 inch up to 14 inch hair lengths.
  • China offers the cheapest print pricing if you do not need your items quickly.

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Types of Hair Packaging

September 20th, 2010

We offer two types of packaging for your hair pieces –

Box Style as shown in the image below:

Hair Extension Packaging Box

Hair Extension Packaging Box

 The box style comes with a thick insert to which the hair is attached with twisty ties. The twisty ties are available in a choice of colors. The insert then slides into the box. There is also a Hang Tab available for use on in-store displays

Hair Extension Packaging Plastic Enclosure as shown in image below:

Hair Extension Packaging Plastic Enclosure

Hair Extension Packaging Plastic Enclosure

 There are three main components to this type of packaging – Header/Insert/Plastic Enclosure.

1.    The Header with grommet (Pink area at the top of this image hole for hanging purpose).  Usually printed on both sides and sealed inside the plastic enclosure.

2. The Insert is a fold-over flap used to conceal the hair attachment and usually printed both front and back.  This is available in a variety of colors and shapes.

3. Plastic Enclosure.

Optional Components to Plastic Enclosure: Hang Tag

Hair Extension Packaging HangTag

Hair Extension Packaging Hang Tag

 The Hang Tag can be used to hold product information and can be attached to the hair.

For Wigs (e.g. Lace Wigs) similar packaging styles are available

Lace Wig Plastic Enclosure Packaging

Lace Wig Plastic Enclosure Packaging

 Another type of packaging more suitable for wigs is a larger version of the plastic enclosure as shown in the image on the left:

Lace Wigs Box Packaging

Lace Wigs Box Packaging

 For more upscale wig packaging, we recommend the use of a box. The image on the left shows how our design compares to the actual product.

TIPS

Some people opt to use a Ziploc® type plastic bag when they are starting out. A hang tag helps greatly with the Ziploc® bags.

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2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa: Our Most Fun Project

August 6th, 2010
Wig Box packaging and Headbands packaging for 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa

The Final Products - Wig Box packaging and Headbands packaging for 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa

The World Cup hasn’t been the only thing that’s been keeping us up last month. We had the opportunity to work on an amazingly interesting project for a great client and we poured all our creative juices into it.

Hair & Accessories Inc. contacted us and laid out what they wanted. The project covered some broad fields but with a lot of hard work and some kickass ideas, we were able to get it all done- with spectacular results. Here’s the story!

Okay- so what we had to do was design a variety of headbands, Afro wigs and Mohawk wigs. Moreover, we were to design the wigs packaging. And these were not going to be just any type of headbands and wigs- these were going to be FIFA and world cup themed. And so the hair wig packaging also had to be similarly designed.

We started with a grand brainstorming session.  All of us pooled in our ideas for the illustrations, created mock-ups and then picked the best ones. We did all the design sketches in Adobe Illustrator. About the design itself: because FIFA represents global union, fun and celebration, our aim was to design products and wigs packaging that reflected just that. So we used vivid and bold colors and a design so vibrant and attractive that it leaves you no choice but to notice it. Like the official FIFA 2010 logo, our hair wig packaging (and the products inside them) utilizes lots of reds and yellows and a design that makes the most of bright, colorful broad strokes. All of this is set to clean white backgrounds for maximum accentuation of the design’s powerful colors. But it didn’t just stop there. We also went a step further and created a number of product images. After creating the headbands and wigs, we used Photoshop to affix them to images of models so customers could see how the products would look when actually worn. Our end results would surely attract customers to make purchases- a goal that governed our entire process.

Once we were done with the design, we adapted it to a variety of marketing tools. These included:

  • Catalogs
  • Posters
  • Postcards
  • Business cards
  • Fliers

We also promoted our clients’ products on many different websites. To showcase everything we created to our client, we put up a simple website so they could see and review everything in a convenient manner.

From designing the products and packages to creating all the marketing material, the project was laborious enough to keep us up for 3 consecutive nights at times- but it was all so much fun to work on that we enjoyed every moment of it! It’s always great to see the fruit of all your creativity and efforts turn out so well.

Final word: We have to say- given how successful this project was (not to mention how much fun we had while working on it) we would love to take on more work like this for, both, national and international events!

Afro Wig Mock-up on Model for Spain - the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ South Africa Champions

Afro Wig Mock-up on Model for Spain - the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ South Africa Champions

Afro Wig Illustration for Spain - the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ South Africa Champions

Afro Wig Illustration for Spain - the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ South Africa Champions

Mohawk Wig Mock-Up on Model for England

Mohawk Wig Mock-Up on Model for England

Mohawk Wig Illustration for England

Mohawk Wig Illustration for England

Mock up of Headband on Model for USA

Mock up of Headband on Model for USA

Black Headband Illustration for Italy

Black Headband Illustration for Italy

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