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Customized Inflexible Containers: Working out Your Packaging Design Choices
Apr
When a picture is worth a thousand words, why wouldn’t you design your custom rigid boxes (packaging) to create conversations?
We are constantly told not to judge a book by its cover, but that’s exactly what we do every time we pick a product up off a shelf. If you’re trying to stand out in a competitive market, your first job is to choose a custom box design as beautiful and eye-catching as the product that you plan to put in it.
When to Choose a Rigid Box
An upscale brand needs upscale branding, and upscale branding starts with luxury packaging. A custom rigid box is the epitome of classy branding for luxury industries. It exudes an air of sophistication central to high-end cosmetics, electronics, fine candles, and expensive food.
The robust nature of a high-quality rigid box increases its appeal to those willing to invest in a high-quality product, earning your product a top shelf position.
Most luxury rigid boxes will also double as keepsake boxes, either used to store the item that came in it or repurposed to hold other treasures. While this means that your customers are left with a longer-lasting, more eco-friendly package, your high-quality box will also sit at a higher price point.
A rigid box made of chipboard instead of corrugated cardboard won’t fold flat, meaning it will cost a bit more to get it to you. The higher initial cost puts the rigid box out of the running for most of the subscription box industry. The good news is that the higher initial price point of custom rigid boxes comes with some pretty exciting design options for your brand.
Soft Touch Coating
Once you’ve settled on using a custom rigid box to house your premium product, you have to decide how you’re going to dress it up.
When designing a luxury box, you want to keep it simple. An understated look comprising of your company logo on a solid color backdrop is all you need to show that you’re selling a luxury product.
Soft-touch coating, or soft-touch film lam, is one of the most popular options for customizing a rigid box once you have that understated design picked out. The velvety texture adds a tactile element to your packaging, giving it a more premium feel.
At the same time, the upscale finish increases the durability of your packaging. The coating will protect your design against scuffs and waterproof your packaging. Soft-touch film lam is a coating that serves several purposes, primarily increasing your packaging’s appeal to your buyer.
Spot Gloss UV
Nothing offsets an understated soft-touch coating like spot gloss UV. If you’re looking for a way to really make your logo or subtle design elements pop, this would be the way to do it.
While a folding box might be covered in UV, giving it a bright and shiny appeal, this wouldn’t be the case with a rigid box. By virtue of its high-end appeal, a rigid box would be coated with a matte or satin film lam, with the spot UV providing a gentle contrast. The eye-catching pop of gloss adds a subtle appeal, while the overall design remains understated and luxurious.
Related Content: Uses of Embossed and Debossed Design Elements in Product Packaging
Foils and Embossing
Foil and embossing are two design elements that reach customers on different levels of appeal.
Foil stamping creates a beautiful visual contrast on your rigid box, much in the same way that spot UV does. In contrast, embossing creates a tactile experience for your customers and gives your rigid box a satisfying upscale feel.
In many cases, a logo will be foiled and embossed, enabling it to stand out more. Other embossing options include a flat emboss, which would be like topping off a seal, a deboss, and a sculpted emboss, which has a 3D look to it. The right packaging provider will help you decide which option would work best with your brand.
Paper Wrapping
Working with a rigid box instead of a folding carton gives you countless more design options. Paper wrapping is one of these options that, in reality, is actually thousands of options.
Wrapping your box with a fine paper gives it a silky-smooth finish that simply can’t be achieved on a folding carton. If smooth isn’t what you’re after, paper wrapping comes with a wide variety of texturing options. For example, if you’re manufacturing a cologne for men, you might benefit from a leathery texture.
It all comes down to the experience you want your customers to have when they hold your product in their hands. What do you want them to feel when they pick it up off the shelf? What impression do you want to give when they open your well-designed box for the first time and see all the details that went into its creation?
When you’ve created a high-end product, you want consumers to see the luxury behind your logo. Your packaging has to portray that message. To have the type of branding that carries immediate recognition, you need to work with a high-quality manufacturer to produce the best packaging for your brand. The notoriety of your brand depends on making your packaging as appealing as the product going into it.
