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art of packaging

This is an inside look at packaging design process from a creative studio. 4 steps, 12 subcategories. This will be useful, and by the end you will know more about packaging than a graphic designer.
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studio@packaging.art

custom printed white corrugated gift box with watercolor illustrations of vegetables — bottom view.
three vertical stacks of custom cube structural design ice cream packaging
Two colorful flexo printed corrugated box packaging standing next to each other
nespresso coffee pod packaging with bold logo
two wooden wine crate packaging boxes on white background
A set of biodegradable coffee bag packages, in textured white paper, with red, blue and yellow labels with a black and white geometric bird logo on it.
Top of ice cream cube packaging showing creative copy, brand and pink and blue toasted marshmallow illustration on a white background.
Line of of colour bottles of kombucha and jars of preserves, condiments and mustard, showcasing colourful packaging design.
Top view of disposable food packaging tray in industrial black neenah card stock with walnut and roasted pear salad with marinated mushroom
1.

Branding and visual design must look good.
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This is a prerequisite for effective packaging design that catches customer attention. Simply reviewing graphic and package design trends in your product distribution areas will help you pull ahead.

Branding

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Complete
Brand families.

Create a brand family by organizing an existing product ecosystem under a cohesive and attractive, new brand language.
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Or brand a standout product, allowing new variations and packaging designs to be seamlessly added as  brand scope grows.

Structural Design

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Bespoke
packaging forms

Custom designed packaging improves branding and visibility signalling quality, experience, and authority to customers compared to similar brands.
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Custom structural packaging design can reduce production, storage, and shipping costs resulting in increased profit margin.

Visual Design

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Striking
visual looks

Give packaging a striking look by taking advantage of graphic design trends in the product category to create a look that is informationally clear, interesting, and new to customers.

Production

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Custom materials
& finishing

Custom packaging production improves quality of branding and signals product category through physical detailing.
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Custom production also improves profit margin via tailored manufacturing setup and smart consumable use.

Art of Packaging is a creative design studio with over a decade of product design experience launching and scaling consumer packaged good (CPG) brands.
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Branding, structural, and visual packaging design is our primary focus, along with in-depth consultation guiding new and ongoing clients though brand and packaging development.

‍Custom manufacturing and production setup with turn-key reordering complete most of the design and consulting projects we take on.

We connect clients with manufacturing specialists tailored to their needs in North America, Asia, and Europe.

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Biodegradable food tray, post-consumer recycled
sleeve cover, ink free finishing, toxic-free
foils. All natural ingredients : )

Top view of disposable food packaging tray in industrial black neenah card stock with walnut and roasted pear salad with marinated mushroom
2.

Environmentally Friendly Packaging has a major impact on customer perception of brand quality.
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Market expects sustainable packaging or at least a reasonable effort to make it green. As a result eco-friendly packaging and manufacturing options are available in every product category for businesses to select from:

Paper

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Recycled, raw,
sustainably sourced

A myriad of environmentally conscious paper and cardstock is available for packaging design.
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From sustainably sourced raw products that replenish land they grow on, benefit local population, and reduce water use. To fully post-consumer recycled options and everything in between.

Structural

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Reduced material use
and logistics impact

Smart structural changes to packaging design have a big impact on environment. More units per same amount of material results in lower costs, and less material use. Selecting correct materials for amount of protection required for product further amplifies this effect.
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Such changes to structural forms also optimise storage and shipping costs resulting in increased product profit margin.

Plastic

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Biodegradable, plant-
based, & compostable

Traditional plastic materials are substantially more recyclable and toxin free today.
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At the same time new manufacturing technologies are scaling up plant-based biodegradable and compostable options in every packaging category.

Consumables

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Toxic-Free ink’s,
adhesives, and finishing

Inks, adhesives, various coatings, and finishing techniques that style, help product use, ensure structural integrity and allow for direct-to-food contact cover everyday packaging.
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We can help you make these environmentally friendly, or design to reduce and potentially eliminate their use.

On one end Environmentally Friendly packaging design can mean sourcing and bringing together raw materials, custom structural design, finishing, and bespoke manufacturing to create an in-depth design that is green and impactful.

On the other end Sustainable Packaging design can mean designing with less and having minimal packaging that is either continuously reused, or incorporated to be part of the product, have an additional independent or complimentary use.

Artwork and structural design was developed in tandem
resulting in a cohesive family with every bend, corner, and tuck
considered. Vibrant colors and art catch initial
attention drawing customers.

Vibrant, colorful stack of ice cream packaging cube containers. Arranged in a tight pyramid. Covered in illustrations of banana, strawberry, chocolate, coffee, sesame seed, mint, marshmallow, coconut, lemon, matcha, and vanilla.
3.

Packaging Manufacturing is a crucial and highly underutilised stage of packaging design process.
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You can optimise production costs with smart structural packaging design, and effective materials that protect product and capture attention. Always ask manufacturers and designers about scope of options available here:

Dielines

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Custom Shape,
Branded Impact

Custom die manufacturing creates uniquely branded labels, packaging boxes, and extensive range of marketing materials.
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Cost to impact ratio is great even for small projects, and results one-of-kind packaging designs even without the stacking impact that visual design brings.

Glass

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Custom Mould, or A
Myriad of Stock options

Addition of branded or visual design elements to your bottle packaging design turns your products into objects of packaging art.
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Glassware can be custom produced at very reasonable quantities for most businesses.
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At smaller quantities, an extensive portfolio of stock bottles is available to ensure packaging is unique.

Flexible

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Any Shape or
Product Format

Flexible packaging design uses plastic. Vacuum packed, bagged, bottled, protective, temperature controlled, varying thickness.
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Applicable to virtually anything from food to luxury goods, it can be styled and printed without limit.
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Available in a myriad of options, including eco-friendly, flexible packaging is highly cost-effective.

Finishing

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Final polish
in Every Category

The most underutilised option in packaging design manufacturing. Ranges from custom print finishes, spot gloss, embossing, debossing, spot inks, metallic options, etc.
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Often available at little to no additional cost on every job, it is underused because clients rarely  ask, and manufacturers typically don’t suggest.

Every project we develop we ensure that packaging manufacturing stage is fully utilised. It is as much part of Art of Packaging process as branding and visual packaging design.

We adjust and consult on scale of production, improving client costs and margins. We work with manufacturers to create custom impositions and dies which reduce material use, stacking the effects on both client cost, and environmental impact. We creatively approach bottle, plastic, and flexible packaging, utilising die lines for custom branding and visual effects impact.

And we investigate and extract every bit of finishing effect available to our clients through manufacturing. This results in polished work, with hand-made details that capture customer attention and result in better performance.
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Custom branded, protective, burn-
in wooden crate premium wine packaging.

two wooden wine crate packaging boxes on white background
4.

Start by asking a professional for feedback.
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Art of Packaging provides in-depth consultation, as well as complimentary general project advice for branding, packaging design, and packaging manufacturing.

Advice

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Packaging Project
Advice and Feedback

We provide complimentary feedback and advice for all incoming packaging design, branding and production projects.

Brief

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For packaging ready
for Creative Execution

For packaging design projects ready for creative stage we help clients review and assess project scope, scale and intent prior to start. This helps focus the brief and improves results.

Consulation

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For Packaging in
Development Stages

For packaging design projects in initial development stage we offer in-depth strategy and production consultation which results in actionably creative direction options that you can execute on your own, with your team, or commission with Art of Packaging.

Optimization

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Multiple options
to Improve Process

We can answer specific questions regarding everything discussed here. Studio advice improves process, projects structure, delivery time, cost and quality of results.
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For projects that commission in-depth consultation and proceed to project with us we remove consultation cost from project fee.

studio@
packaging.art →

Phil Turre
Studio Manager

Plastic hot sauce bottle packaging with vibrant custom die label, including logotype and illustration.

Custom hot sauce bottle, with custom
shape die cut label.

Two colorful flexo printed corrugated box packaging standing next to each other

B-flute and c-flute corrugated materials, box flexo printed
for standout look and product protection.

Two colorful flexo printed corrugated box packaging standing next to each other on the angle from the side showing graphic design on top of the boxes

Visual design wraps the brand around the packaging
creating an eye-catching look.

close up of two colorful flexo printed corrugated box packaging standing next to each other

Brand logo is designed to stretch across different packaging
formats reflecting product functionality.

stanpack ice cream pint packaging on white background front side

CMYK all-over printed ice cream pints
for Stanpac system filling system.

ice cream pint packaging on white background back side

Strong color print drawing
customer attention to packaging details.

nespresso coffee pod packaging with bold logo and illustration

Nespresso pod packaging, uncoated
paper, protective structure spot printing.

ice cream jar packaging with custom label printed with strawberry flavor illustration
ice cream jar packaging with custom label showing ingredients on a white background
ice cream jar packaging showing nutritional information on a custom printed label

Friction fit ice cream labels
on glass jars.

custom printed white corrugated gift box with watercolor illustrations of vegetables — bottom view.
custom printed white corrugated box with watercolor illustrations of vegetables and creative copy — front view.
custom printed white corrugated gift box with watercolor illustrations of vegetables and creative copy — side view.

Custom, corrugated, white finish,
flexo printed gift boxes.

Close up of biodegradable coffee bag packaging with logo printed in textured black.
Reverse side of a biodegradable coffee bag packaging showing label detail
A set of biodegradable coffee bag packages, on an angle in textured white paper, with red, blue and yellow labels with a black and white geometric bird logo on it.

Biodegradable coffee bags.
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close up of pantone custom printed white ovtene cheese paper packaging

Breathable, shelf-life extending cheese paper,
Custom printed with spot Pantone.

three vertical stacks of custom cube structural design ice cream packaging

Artwork and structural design was developed in tandem
resulting in a cohesive family with every bend, corner, and tuck
considered. Vibrant colors and art catch initial
attention drawing customers.

custom design screen printed directly on the bottle hot sauce packaging

Screen printed special edition
hot sauce bottle with custom
color matching cap.

Thick textured packaging design cardstock on top of each other in wrought iron and industrial black by neenah, with white enamelled foil and embossing effects, lit by a direct light with a deep shadow running diagonally across them.

Hot foil pressed in on Neenah Industrial Black, and Wrought Iron
folding board stock, and combined with embossing created striking, tactile, enamelled effect under both
natural and grocery store lighting.

Top of ice cream cube packaging showing creative copy, brand and pink and blue toasted marshmallow illustration on a white background.

Each side of the cube received individual attention,
considering how the customer will see it. This resulted in a
enjoyable experience with every box a miniature world in itself.

Front of ice cream cube packaging showing product name, creative copy and marshmallow illustrations on a white background underscored by pink.

The first thing customer sees is the face on the illustration,
but once in hand Illustrations and logo always look at each other.

side of ice cream cube custom structural packaging showing creative copy, brand and click lock enclosure on a white background.

The sides provide secondary required information such as
ingredients and french translations (required legally in Canada). They
also host the tuck-lock, which allows glue-free construction and
from which an illustrated character pops out to say hello.

Back side of ice cream cube packaging showing creative recipe copy flanked by illustrations on blue and white background.

The back has space to host creative copy about
the flavour and what can be done with it.

Underside of ice cream cube packaging showing UPC code, ingredient, nutrition labelling and creative copy on a blue background.

The bottom hosts all secondary, legally required information.
UPC code, best before date space, nutrition labelling,
allergen warnings, etc.

Inside of an open ice cream packaging container,. showing flaps, containing brand logo and creative copy.

Once customer pops the cube open, inside flaps host additional
creative copy, different in each cube, using flexible datea. This also
allowed for contest to be run with winning cubes hiding here.

ice cream sandwich packaging inside a freezer showing condesation

Paper based ice cream sandwich
packaging with humiditty controlled
label and ink.

Top view of disposable food packaging tray in industrial black neenah card stock with walnut and roasted pear salad with marinated mushroom

Trays utilized different color Neenah card stock
creating variation in personalized, daily-delivery items,
and differentiation on grocery store shelves for signature items.

wooden box packaging on white background with bottles of wine inside
two wooden wine crate packaging boxes on white background

Premium protective wine packaging
with burn-in branding.

Close up of custom die cut cheese label packaging with elegant typography, branding and cheese photography.
Over a dozen of custom shape diecut labels with painting like photography of cheese labels laid out on a stark black grid background.
Close up of custom die cut cheese label packaging with elegant typography.

Cheese brand and packaging labels customized for temperature
controlled application system. Custom photography..

Top view shot of FED boxed delivery meal packaging box, showing textured Concrete Grey folding board from Neenah, embossed and foil stamped with white pigment foil. Inside is citrus mix green salad with salmon.

Dynamically generated, personalized label printed automatically,
using individual customer information. Label wraps around
the front of the tray, ensuring readability when stacked.

Macro shot of custom shape die cut laid paper labels with UV gloss and vibrant green and blue inks for kombucha packaging.

Custom die shape and UV finished kombucha label,
on welted laid paper for adhesion control.

Ice cream cube packaging unfolded showing custom structural design, folds, creases, and tuck locks, with colorful design printed on top.

Structural net went throug several proptype stages, finessing
tolerances between flaps and connections to ensure a snug,
leak-proof fit that was easy to fold, setup, and fill.

Stand up biodegradable coffee bag package with coffee beans around it.

Coffee packaging design for Grate Dane roastery
in Vancouver, BC. Compostable bags, Print, plus label,
and stamped finished system.

studio@
packaging.art →

Contact Phil Turre [Studio Manager] with new business, packaging, and branding project inquires.

281 Industrial Ave
Vancouver BC
V6A 2P2
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Canada
Mykhaila Omelianovycha-
Pavlenka 4, Kyiv
01010
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Ukraine

Art of Packaging is a design agency operating studios in Canada and Ukraine. We develop brands, creative strategy, design packaging, and set up clients with premium manufacturing in Asia, North America, and Europe. Art of Packaging is strictly a creative design studio and consulting practice and does not itself print or supply packaging or packaging components.
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