Tips for Designing Your Seasonal Packaging

It's that time of the year again….!

It may be a few months away, but we’ve been thinking about Christmas for a while now - starting with our new festive designs for 2024!! These designs are a great “ready to go” option allowing you to just add your logo and order – seasonal packaging made simple! Available from just 500 sheets they’re an ideal way to add some festive fun to your seasonal products. Watch this space for more details! 

However, seasonal greaseproof paper doesn’t have to involve a generic design, and maybe you’re looking to create something more personal for your brand. If you are, follow our tips to ensure you create a successful seasonal packaging design…

Be prepared – The months whirl past and if you’re like us, it feels like Christmas gets earlier every year - we’ve only just finished purchasing BBQ products when the mince pies appear front and centre in the supermarket aisles! Being prepared means making the most of the sales season – there’s no point having your Christmas themed greaseproof paper arrive in December if you’ve been selling a festive menu since November.

Leaving things to the last minute can also mean you don’t create the best design possible and rush to have any packaging ready, rather than your ideal packaging. Don’t run the risk of last minute mistakes and ensure you thoroughly check your design before sign off – we always recommend printing it out, even on regular paper, to get a true idea of what it will look like.

Know your goals – Take the time to consider your sales strategy – are you going to run special events or promotions? If so, then adding an element of luxury to your branded greaseproof will help upsell and elevate your products.

If you’re looking to increase impulse purchases, then presenting items alongside festive themed packaging which raises a smile could be just what you need to encourage consumers to place an order. Don’t forget to consider limited seasonal editions – it’s a great policy for the likes of Starbucks!

Don’t be too specific – Depending on your budget and predicted sales for your seasonal products, it can be easy to fall into the trap of being too specific with your targeting. Whilst you may wish to produce a specific branded greaseproof for Christmas, this means the design is out of date after 25 December. Creating a winter themed design however allows you to use your seasonal greaseproof for an extended period - another good example is “Autumn” vs “Halloween” themed packs.

A further consideration, particularly for smaller retailers, is to not shorten your seasonal packaging’s lifespan by including special offers or information which includes expiry dates. Creating a “Happy Christmas 2024″ greaseproof paper may look fantastic, but you can’t put it to use the following year if you have excess stock.

Considering the design, wording, and specific promotional offers can help keep costs down and profit margins up.

Keep your brand recognisable.

It is important that you don’t confuse customers by creating packaging that doesn’t represent your product or brand.

Did you know that in Christmas 2011, Coca-Cola released 1.4 billion (yes, billion!) special edition white cans containing their regular Coke products. These white cans were designed to promote their Arctic Home campaign, with the aim of raising awareness in the reducing number of polar bears in the wild. Unfortunately, the campaign backfired when customers mistook the new white design for Diet Coke products, and accidentally bought and consumed the full-fat version. The complaints poured in and the brand was forced to launch red alternatives of this limited-edition packaging to placate unhappy customers.

The moral of the story? By all means, use seasonal colours to reflect the feeling of the time of year you’re targeting, but do consider how this will be perceived by your audience.

Similarly, it can be tempting to mimic what your competitors are doing, after all, it’s working for them right? Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. However, you run the risk that too many products all looking the same, will lead to your product getting lost amongst the extra noise during busy sales periods. Worse, it can erode your brand values and confuse loyal customers.

Our advice? Stay true to your brand aesthetics and values!

Want to avoid the pitfalls and create the best possible seasonal designs? Why not take advantage of our free design service? Our expert team or artworkers will help you to create the ideal design for your brand. Just get in touch to find out more! itsawrap@jrpress.co.uk