Graza. Fish woman. Hellland. These brands represent some of my favorite CPG designs. This type of packaging, which is characterized by bright colors, brave fonts and creative illustrations, is now moving into large retail tours beyond the special transactions.
“If you enter into almost all major grocery stores in the United States in the United States, there is at least one product that we have designed, if not two,” says ” Mike McVicarCo -founder of GooseA design studio based in Brooklyn.
In order to help you create catchy constructions for consumer packaging (CPG), I have collected findings from Mike that you do not want to miss, and CPG design tips and CPG branding examples for CPG that serve as inspiration.
Table of contents
The CPG design pendulum
In the late 90s and early 2000s, a good design for consumer packaging (CPG) was not a priority.
Packets with call-outs and stickers that scream “33% less fat” were the mainstream, a style that Mike described as “exaggerated, ugly and extra”.
When the 2010 rolled, Branding design went to the other – the Blanding Trend.
Packages became too minimalist and generic and often had serife fonts and pastel colors.
And now many brands with the rise of social purchasing are the dopamine-charged Instagram aesthetics with colored starters.
It is also a renaissance of the Y2K styleWith strong colors and playful textures.
“The pendulum has been in the direction of” it can be fun again! “, Said Mike.
Large brands also love this trend.
Out of Wobble pudding To 7upThey are redesigned to choose the dopamine and create a visual identity that spreads fun and joy.
The disadvantage of a trend style
The problem with this trend?
Some companies have led to “the ‘gram” prioritizing when they come to Gander.
“You will find brands that only have very decorative design or only Feel aesthetically interesting. It will not pay off in the long run or even at short notice, ”said Mike.
It is problematic for brands to emulate what everyone else does or to reproduce a trend because:
- They assume that another solution is their solution.
- They will be easy to interchangeable.
- They do not focus on communicating their own brand values and differentiation to customers.
He also does not believe that the current dopamine packaging trend stays much longer.
After all, it’s a pendulum.
Differentiation of CPG brands by design
As early as 2015, Gander worked for rebranding for BanzaA noodle made of chickpeas.
Contrary to the popular style of the pasta gang back then (think of Barilla’s Simplified blue packaging) Gander went for a bright and expressive style.
Banza was one of the early brands, which with its CPG packaging, which had affected the food industry as a whole, gave a courageous explanation.
“Our ethos was to take an alternative food and to turn it into a CPG brand that was expected to be expected that gluten-free pasta was expected,” said Mike.
And it worked.
Banza went from anonymity to One of the top Pasta brands in the USA is now in 25k retail locations National, including Target, Walmart and Costco.
Since then, Gander’s many other CPG brands have been having helped to come to the large retail shelves. Graza, the design of which she built from scratch, hit hit $ 48m+ In income and can be found at 13+ locations.
Looking back at her big victories, Mike gave three simple tips for every brand that would like to stand out by design:
- Start with your story and history as a brand Instead of blinding the trends blindly.
- Understand who your customers are In what kind of world they live aesthetically and what for them.
- Take a look at your competition And see what options match that others do not do with your product and company.
5 CPG brand examples
1. Notco
Notco is a food company that uses its AI Giuseppe software to create vegetable alternatives to animal products such as milk and yogurt. Their products such as emergency milk, Notburger and Noticecreams are on the shelves of over 3,000 shops in the USA, including Whole Foods, Sproscs and Amazon.
What I like: Notco uses lively colors and playful graphic illustrations to make vegetable alternatives entertaining and healthy. I also like the minimalist designs on their packaging, which look light for the eye and reflect their “less” thos. They are also strongly obliged to use sustainable packaging for their products, which appeals to environmentally conscious consumers.
2. Olipop
Olipop is a beverage area based in the USA that positions itself as a healthy alternative to soda. The ingredients include plant fibers, prebiotics and botanical that support a healthy intestine. Olipops natural ingredients make you a favorite for health -conscious consumers and create them over $ 200 million in 2023.
What I like: There is a lot to love about Olipop’s design. The bright color schemes and cheeky fruit images are attention. The product also underlines its prebiotic advantages and reduced sugar content to attract customers who are looking for delicious soda alternatives.
3. Chomps
Chomps is a snack brand that makes delicious, healthy meat sticks. They are famous for their beef and turkey rods, which they produce with sustainable ingredients. Each floor has 10-12 g protein and zero-gram sugar, perfect for fitness enthusiasts. You can find Chomps in over 20,000 shops in the USA
What I like: The striking packaging of Chomp has strong colors and fonts that appear at first glance. It communicates its unique selling characteristics such as “100% grass feed & finished”, “non-GMO” and “Gluten-Free”, who sounds in healthy conscious customers who are looking for a healthy snack.
4. Hiya Health
Hiya is a health and wellness company that specializes in the daily vitamins and nutritional supplements from children. It was founded in 2019 by two new fathers that discovered other vitamins that contained sugar, artificial ingredients or other rubber -like additives. They use essential vitamins and a mixture of fruit and vegetables to make their products.
What I like: I love Hiya’s simple design, bright colors and funny illustrations that attract the attention of the parents who are looking for a healthy daily diet for their children. The packaging also shows the advantages of the product and the sustainably related ingredients, which makes it easy for parents to buy on site. Hiya produces $ 103 million In net sales in 2024.
5. Bobbie
Bobbie is a company for infant formula that sells organic and sustainable baby formulas. They make their formulas with milk from grass-fed cows and are the only mother and mother-baby formula company of the USA. The company was founded and exceeded in 2019 $ 100 million in sales in 2022.
What I like: Bobbies choice of soft color schemes on its design leads to a calming effect and conveys a feeling of trust and calming for parents. The unique range of sales “Complete Nutrition, modeled after breast milk” is outstanding when it comes to packaging, which would certainly look for a more natural way with parents to feed their babies.
7 CPG design tips for creating attractive packaging
If you expand Mike’s tips (above) and expand them with some best practices and strategies, you will find seven tips here to achieve CPG branding of the next level.
Tip 1: Understand your target group.
If you do this, you can sound your CPG designs and messages emotionally.
Think about who you are aiming. Where do you find you? What are your needs, interests, values and concerns? For example, millennials may prefer environmentally friendly packaging with minimalist designs, and Genz wants environmentally friendly and clear nutritional information.
Example of real world: Unilever’s Dove is an example of a CPG brand that his audience knows well. In 2018, Unilever identified a growing demand for increased sensory experiences, moisture advantages, modern design, transparency in the ingredients and sustainability in its products. In response, Dove revised his personal care packaging to emphasize these values.
The result? Dove recorded double -digit sales growth compared to the previous year. Also, 74% Customers preferred to buy the new design according to design analyzes.
Pro tip: Collect valuable knowledge in your audience with surveys, review platforms, online forums and social media and then use them to inform your design strategy.
Tip 2: Define your brand identity.
What do Nestle, Coca-Cola and Nike have in common? A unique, recognizable brand identity, with which customers can connect their products with trust, quality and consistency. A strong brand identity shows your product.
Regardless of whether your brand is playful, innovative, luxurious or sustainable, your design elements such as logo, colors, typography, images and messaging – must consistently strengthen this identity. I think this will help you build brand recognition and loyalty.
Example of real world: Take McDonald’s. The golden arches and the red and yellow color palette correspond to the image of the brand as an inviting, family -friendly and reliable choice, which leads to a feeling of familiarity and trust with customers.
Pro tip: Develop Brand guidelines So that your design elements are consistent across all branded materials.
Tip 3: Make the design functional.
While striking package designs can attract attention, I have found that customers prioritize the functionality when choosing a product-and for good reason.
Packages that easily open, close, transport and store, improve the general consumer experience and make your product more desirable. Therefore, people become regular customers and promote their product when it is more convenient.
Example of real world: An excellent example is Ziploc bags that I used a lot. Thanks to its simple, innovative re -lockable bags that keep food fresh, preventing sponsorships and easily reusing. In fact, it is now a generic name for all the plastic bags. (Then you know that you did it!)
Pro tip: Compensate for aesthetics with function. Test your packaging to ensure that the customer expectations meet.
Tip 4: Tell a convincing story.
A good story always pays attention, creates emotions and establishes a sensible connection to your audience. And the first step to tell an interesting brand story is to know why.
As Simon Sinek said famous “People don’t buy what you do; You buy why you do it. “ In their history, it could be about the vision of their founder, the unique origins of their ingredients or their mission to create a better world.
Whatever it is, I would advise you to use elements such as handwritten fonts, founder stories or pictures that reflect your trip and humanize your brand. This puts your product into something that establishes a connection to your audience by just another article.
Example of real world: Look at Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. The packaging includes a Vermont landscape (where it was founded), a forward cow and a scoop of ice cream. The designs also have bright colors, handwritten fonts, cheeky illustrations and punctured names that fit the playful brand identity.
Pro tip: Think about how your audience designs your brand history when you use your product.
Tip 5: Integrate minimalism.
Due to the removal of unnecessary disorder, the news and the unique advantages of your brand become the main focus. Experience gives sufficient white space, subtle colors, clear typography and high-quality images in your packaging of your brand a modern, professional and premium feeling.
Example of real world: Rxbar is a great example of this type of “less is more” design. They also bring their minimalism to the next stage by also using them to communicate the transparency of ingredients.
Pro tip: Less is more, but not too much away. You can highlight essential information such as your product advantages, ingredients, instructions or unique positions in order to convince customers on site.
Tip 6: Promote sustainability.
There is a growing wave of environmental awareness worldwide, especially among the younger generation. According to Flexcon, 70% Choose products based on the consumers based on the sustainability their packaging.
The use of environmentally friendly materials, reducing waste, optimizing resources and promoting recycling or reuse are effective ways to demonstrate the commitment of your brand for a sustainable future. I also recommend that you add clear environmentally friendly labels to connect with customers who appreciate sustainability. This improves the reputation of your brand and positions your product as a more responsible choice on the market.
Example of real world: Clif Bar & Company is an example of a CPG brand that is committed to sustainability with eco-conscious packaging for sustainability. One of his goals is to ensure that 100% of the plastic packaging can be reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025.
Pro tip: Consider customers who return or reuse the packaging to demonstrate a discount or incentive to demonstrate the commitment of your brand for sustainability.
Tip 7: Test, iterate, experiment.
Design is a continuous process. So let me remember: I am not afraid of experimenting and trying out new things. Carry out market research, analyze data and collect customers feedback.
Testing different packaging materials, sizes and designs helps to determine what works best for your target group. Refine your packaging based on feedback and market trends to ensure that your products meet consumer preferences.
Example of real world: Checkout Bio -ValleyRedesign. The brand originally used real photos of animals, children and farmers on their packaging. However, studies showed that this did not matter to their consumers as they had hoped for. So they overtook the design. The result? A turnover of 10% within six months of the start.
In addition, customers appreciated the new packaging and praised their farm scene illustrations and the distinctive modern design.
Pro tip: A/b Test your packaging designs and materials in real life to make data -controlled decisions and ensure that your product drives sales.
Stack with CPG designs that increase sales
The right packaging design can significantly increase product awareness, strengthen your brand presence and promote growth. However, as I have illustrated in this article, there is no uniform approach to creating CPG designs.
I recommend that you understand your target group and then convince your brand identity to develop designs that find the response. Effort to reconcile aesthetics and functionality (I am interested in it and trust others) to create a product that can enjoy the customer.
Let your brand history shine through the product and at the same time match the modern consumer values. Finally, experiment to learn the design that generates the greatest sales. After all, this is the ultimate goal.
Note from the publisher: This post was originally published in July 2024 and updated for completeness.