Package Design Agency Purpose

The competitiveness of products these days creates an environment where only the most potent brands win. Even though most companies are aware of this, we find the average brand puts forth a mediocre effort into their brand and packaging design strategy. Startups, passionate with ideas are often so frantic about getting to market that they settle for average designs and lacklustre brand strategies. Their assumption of what they need is “a logo and category-friendly packaging”.

Let’s be honest, without a proper brand and package design strategy, you’re essentially rolling the dice on your investments and your brand’s performance. For 99.9% of standout brands, shelf success didn’t happen by accident. At Zesty Brands, our packaging design agency methodology increases a brand’s impact, consumer and retailer confidence, while lowering the investment risk for retailers and investors. Here’s how we do it:

What does a package designer do?

We work with brands to tell their story, the right way and to the right people. Our aim is to not only create legendary brands and packaging, but to inspire businesses to make brave decisions and uncover their greatness. We build brands that advance passion forward.

Working with a package design agency

Here at Zesty, you work with the most experienced, senior creatives, who take on a select amount of projects at any given time. You get our undivided attention through the course of your project, providing a sense of trust, connection and understanding. Unlike large agencies who often have teams you get passed off to without warning.

Package design process

We believe a brand is a reputation, driven by a collection of perceptions, emotions and experiences—it is the gut feeling the consumer has about your product.

The first step to packaging design begins with the consideration of both brand and existing brand equity. Thinking is at the forefront of brand development and package design. It’s easy to get ahead of yourself, sprinting towards commerce, but this is how we’ve seen brands fail. Instead, we advise long-term thinking, patience, and a packaged design process that encourages longevity and category performance.

To rise above the shallow tactics seen by many brands, you need to unleash the power of an authentic and true brand. At our Package design agency, we help you craft a compelling story your company can deliver on, and one that draws customers in. Our approach sets our clients up to compete more effectively in their category. Through a variety of bespoke tools, we uncover smarter and more compelling ways to communicate your brand to the world.

Once we have honed your brand strategy and brand story, we begin the creative package design work — which is always strategically-led. Through the stages of concept to refinement and delivery, we employ a variety of highly effective, rapid, proven processes to get things moving in a single agreed direction with swift progress.

Understanding retail stores & shelf presence

A consumer product can live in multiple retail establishments and positions. Establishing your desired retail position, while accepting the reality of what happens when your product gets to the store and it’s out of your control. Our package design agency is well versed in the important considerations for retail display and the variety of needs from different retailers. We understand the nuances of things such as: how Whole Foods and Costco have different points of purchase and ways they display products — will the brand carry over to both retailers if the mass market is your approach.

Understanding the retailer and category is not enough to determine shelf success. A deeper look at the shelf and how it fits the consumer’s eye is a requirement for package design. When designers create your packaging, they need to understand shelf presence. This is why our Vancouver Package Design Agency provides shelf set renders and competitive comparisons.

Brands who effectively communicate their Zest Factor, Brand Promise and product offering increase their likelihood of succeeding on the shelf. We all know the importance of including messages that resonate with buyers, but brands must speak to them in a unique way. For example, if sustainability is an important value, we don’t just rely on recyclable packaging as part of your brand strategy, or a recycle logo. We consider what unique language and words will describe your sustainable mantra in a recognizable way to consumers.

Often, it isn’t the words alone, or the packaging that make a difference, it’s the combined Brand, Language, Photography, Font styles, Pantone Colours, sizes and layout that exude meaning and purpose.

Brands that solve a problem

A package cannot solely consider how it “looks” on a shelf, it needs to consider what problem it solves; the emotions and feelings the product gives to a potential customer. Packaging design solutions need to solve problems. As package design strategists, we need to think how to get the customer to notice the brands problem-solving each time they pull it out of the fridge or backpack, etc.

Pouch packaging, boxes & other materials

How you package your product and the tactile quality of a packaging is an essential part of your design considerations — the key to eliciting a visceral emotion; like how an unbleached pouch packaging might feel humble and true.

Things have changed with the rise of online retail, therefore we must also consider if the brand carries its promise through to when it’s displayed online and how it arrives at the customers door. Will they purchase again, review or tell their friends? We understand the need for e-commerce formatted considerations, Instagram-ready visual adaptations, and the need for an adaptable brand and package design.

Let’s Chat!

Zesty is a consumer packaged goods design agency that helps brands like you win on-shelf and in the minds and hearts of your customers. Through our packaging design process, we’ve helped brands big and small become category leaders. If you’d like to have a chat about your project, please get in touch!

Client Success

Check out our branding and package design for Canadian sensation CHIWIS >