Packaging design product development is a strategy carried out by the company to increase the growth of the company. Product development can be done by offering new products or modified old products to consumers. Increasingly wide open opportunities in the emergence of new products, meaning the development of new products that require an entrepreneur to open communication with consumers.
New product ideas are the main key in the business development process. One way that can be used to come up with ideas is brainstorming. Brainstorming is a technique in which there is a process of sharing ideas on a certain topic without criticizing (open discussion to generate creative ideas). This can be done by an entrepreneur by forming a team, or doing it with consumers or customers.
Failure in product development causes failure in competing with competitors who have been able to develop their products. Weak product innovation and product development must be overcome immediately, so that the business being run can develop quickly. The success of a business in the future depends on the entrepreneur’s ability to produce attractive, competitive and quality products according to consumer needs.
In the process of developing a new product, an entrepreneur must pay attention to several things, including the following.
- Understand the customer.
- The economic capacity of the community which is the target market.
- Changes in social phenomena and community distribution (demography) which become market segmentation, such as people’s income, people’s spending habits and so on.
- Changes in technology, especially in current technological developments.
- Political Changes or Regulations issued by the government, as well as current political conditions.
- Other changes that may arise through market habits, suppliers, distributors.
Definition of Product Packaging Design
Packaging is important in entrepreneurship, packaging is not only for products in the form of goods but products in the form of services must also be able to package their service products properly and attractively, so that consumers are also interested in using their services.
Currently, apart from being a product protector, packaging can also be used as a promotional medium to introduce products to consumers and convince consumers to buy the products offered.
Packaging is the activity of designing and producing containers or product wrappers in which there are activities for making packaging designs and manufacturing the packaging itself. Some of the functions of packaging are as follows.
- Protecting products against damage, from the beginning of the production process until they are in the hands of consumers.
- To facilitate product storage by manufacturers, distributors, agents, and consumers.
- As a tool for promotion.
A product usually has packaging consisting of several layers that are tailored to the purpose of the packaging is made. Packaging consists of three types, including as follows.
- Basic packaging (Primer Package), namely the layer of packaging that is in direct contact with the product.
- Additional packaging (Secondary Package), namely a layer made of material that functions to protect the primary packaging and usually has a more attractive and diverse design.
- Shipping package, which is made to protect the product during storage and shipping.
Product Packaging Materials
The selection of product packaging materials is crucial because it greatly affects the quality of the product, which must be maintained in the hands of consumers. The packaging material used greatly influences the design and shape of the packaging to be made. Currently, the types of packaging materials used are very diverse. Packaging is generally made of the following.
- Glass, however, has drawbacks, including breakability and transparency.
- Metal, usually made of aluminum which has the advantage of being heat resistant and does not rust.
- Paper, paper material is easily damaged by water and high humidity.
- Plastic, which can be in the form of bags, bottles, jars, and so on. The use of plastic as packaging is currently increasing. Low production costs are one of the reasons for using plastic as packaging besides being easy to shape. There are various types of plastic, some can only be used once and some can be used repeatedly.
In online trading (E-commerce), which is growing rapidly at this time, choosing the right packaging material is very important, especially shipping packaging. Besides reducing product quality, errors in selecting materials for shipping packaging (Shipping package) can also reduce customer trust in the online store we build.
Therefore, before marketing our products online, through social media or through the marketplace. Careful attention should be paid to the selection of packaging materials for shipping packaging.
Packaging Design Factors
Quality packaging used in the marketing process must pay attention to several factors in order to help maintain and improve the quality of the products offered. Here are some factors that need to be considered in packaging design.
- Safety factor,
product damage that may occur must be minimized or even avoided by packaging. Several causes of product damage include humidity, sunlight, insects, and so on. - Economic factors,
Calculation of production costs and product selling prices. Because packaging materials determine production costs and product selling prices, mistakes in choosing packaging materials can bring losses to the company. For example, baby milk refills are made of cardboard. - Distribution factor.
Making packaging must also pay attention to the ease of distributing products both at the distributor and retail level to the hands of consumers. Therefore, careful planning and planning is needed in designing the packaging, so that it is not difficult to put it on the shelf and store it. - Communication factor.
Another function of packaging is as a medium of communication from producers or traders to consumers. The packaging must be able to explain and reflect the product being offered. In addition, it should be easy to remember and understand. For example, because the shape of the packaging is not suitable, there are problems in placing the product and there is no visible information or explanation that describes the taste of the product. This causes the intent to be conveyed by the producer is not conveyed optimally. - Ergonomics factor,
packaging design must pay attention to the convenience of the product to be used, held and opened by consumers. Even now, business actors are competing to design packaging that is easier for consumers and more practical to use. Thus, it will be chosen by consumers because of the convenience in its use. For example, the indentation on a toothbrush is designed in such a way that it is easy and comfortable to hold and use. - Aesthetic factors.
Before looking at a product, consumers usually look at the packaging first. Therefore, packaging must be made or designed to have aesthetic value or visual appeal which includes colors, shapes, logos, letters, and so on. The goal of all this is not only to attract consumers but to convince consumers to buy the products offered. - Identity factor,
packaging design is one of the intellectual property owned by the designer. Therefore, packaging should not resemble or be the same as other product packaging designs, because apart from being subject to legal sanctions, the product does not have a clear identity. Product identity is very important so that it is easily recognized and differentiated from competing products. - Promotion factor,
packaging can function as a promotional medium or as a silent sales person. Quality packaging can be effective in attracting the attention of new consumers and old consumers to buy the products offered. - Environmental factors.
The selection of packaging materials must also pay attention to developing environmental issues. Because if you don’t pay attention to these environmental issues, then there is a possibility of problems with the community and even with the government. One of the packaging materials that has become a hot topic is styrofoam which is considered as packaging that is not environmentally friendly and dangerous to health. Packaging that is environmentally friendly and recyclable or reusable is the choice of manufacturers today in making product packaging.
How to Market Products That Have Been Developed
Technological developments, especially in internet networks, have increased the emergence of online shops on social media and on marketplaces. This presents its own challenges for entrepreneurs who will market their products online.
One of the things that must be considered in marketing products online is a photo of the product packaging that will be offered to consumers. With attractive product packaging photos, it can bring in many consumers, this is because humans are social creatures who tend to see everything from what they see.
Some tips for producing good product photos for online stores are as follows.
- Lighting in Product Photos, Lighting is a determinant of photo quality, for maximum photos use natural light or sunlight (outdoors or outdoor). If forced indoors, then try in a room exposed to sunlight. If you feel less use additional lights. Try to have a white background or photo background to make the product color more natural.
- Basic product photo layout. In order for photos to look good when accessed through any platform, make sure photos have a maximum high resolution of 64 megapixels, a maximum file size of 16 mg and an optimal size between 800 x 800 to 1000 x 1000 pixels.
- Product photos from various sides.
- The proportion of product images in photos is 75%, but not more than 90%. So that consumers can see details and precision on the condition of products.
- The background clearly focuses on products or can use ornaments on certain products.
- Use a model. For some types of products, it is highly recommended to use a model so that consumers are interested and inspire their imagination with the suitability of the product to be purchased.
- Use a photo editing application to beautify and improve photo quality deficiencies (Snapseed and PicsArt). Make a mini studio with good lighting, and some accessories that can help, namely, a tripod, tracing paper as a background, using a tripod in the process, white lights, and so on.
Products in the form of goods and services offered in the market today are very diverse. The diversity of product types is inseparable from the increasingly creative and innovative entrepreneurs in developing their ideas. Product design and packaging for each product are increasingly diverse, creative and innovative.
