They say first impressions are everything. And when it comes to good packaging, that’s definitely true.

Why is good product packaging design important? For one, it protects the product and keeps it safe.

But more importantly, good product packaging design is important to your consumers. 72 % of consumers say that packaging design influences their purchasing decision. 

So if you’re ignoring the packaging design of your products, you’re ignoring a lot of potential money. That’s why it’s important to take notice of recent design trends and update your packaging.

If you’re not sure what’s trendy, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Here are 11 of the best product packaging design trends in 2024.

1. Sustainable Logos

More and more packaging is featuring sustainable logos, highlighting the brand’s commitment to ethics and sustainability. 

This could be a logo that indicates the packaging is recycled, encourages the consumer to recycle the package, or indicates the packaging is biodegradable.

It could also indicate that the packaging is made from recycled materials, or is made from plastic-free materials. 

More and more consumers worry about the environment. They desire to support companies whose packaging is minimal, recycled and made from recycled materials.

2. Minimalist Packaging

Continuing with the environmental trend, minimalist packaging is becoming more popular. That means reducing the number of materials used to create product packaging.

It also extends to other design elements of the product. A minimalist approach to design creates a clean, sharp design. It leads to creating a design that stands out and highlights the essential elements of the product, instead of leading to a crowded design with irrelevant elements.

3. Textured Packaging

Touch is an important and underrated sense when it comes to packaging design. Good packaging is about more than what consumers see, it’s about what they feel when they pick up the package and touch the product. 

A smooth, elegant feeling indicates luxury and quality. The customer may not even realize it, but subconsciously they can feel it.

However, a rough, raw feel doesn’t have to imply cheap. If anything, using raw, textured materials can indicate where the materials come from and connect the consumer to natural products.

4. Imperfectly Raw Designs

The rough, raw texture of packaging can extend to other elements of packaging design. Raw packaging could include recycled cardboard, recycled egg crates, or other packaging made from natural fibres.

This type of design is especially trendy in food packaging design. Granola, nuts, dried fruits, and similar healthy foods are often packaged this way to show off their freshness and health benefits. 

Using raw, imperfect materials in your design can help brands indicate their eco-friendliness and commitment to fair trade and sustainability. 

5. Stand-Up Pouch

Stand-up pouches are a type of flexible packaging that has increased in popularity in recent years. These pouches are usually made from multiple layers of foil, paper, or plastic. 

Stand-up pouches offer a lot of advantages. They are affordable, sustainable, lightweight, portable, and easy to open and reseal. 

Flexible packaging has no defined shape, so it can hold liquids, powders, gels, or solids.

Stand-up pouches are common in food and drinks, where the food and beverage labels may be attached to the pouches or printed directly on them. Juices, nuts, rice, and pet treats are common products packaged in stand-up pouches.

In recent years stand-up pouches have also been used for clothing, CBD (cannabidiol), and pet treat products.

Stand-up pouches may also be known as Doypacks, which is a trademarked name.

6. Resealable Packaging

Consumers want to do more than reduce their environmental waste, they want to reduce their food costs and wastes. Many also want a better way of controlling their portions.

A simple and effective way of accomplishing these goals is with resealable packaging. 

Commonly this is done with a slider, as seen with cheese, beef jerky, and sausage products. It’s an easy way to extend the shelf life of these products.

Another way of creating resealable packaging is with a branded sticker or branded tape that’s designed to reseal your product. Unlike an unbranded option, a branded option will show consumers that you pay attention to the details when producing your product.

This solution isn’t as popular in the food industry as in other industries, since it doesn’t always create an airtight seal. 

7. Second Use Packaging

More brands are creating packaging that serves a second use. This could be a box that unfolds and transforms into something new or seed packaging that also acts as a starting planter for seeds. 

Some other examples include boxes that unfold into dollhouses or have printed designs on them for colouring.

Creating packaging with multiple uses can lead to some wild and creative designs. A few examples include a pizza box turned projector, a champagne box that doubles as a speaker, and crisp bags that turn into shareable bowls. 

Creating packaging that has multiple uses can lend a sense of fun and interactivity to your product. Consumers are looking for more than a product. They are seeking experience.

8. Vintage Charm

Vintage charm packaging is a complete aesthetic. Old-fashioned font and nostalgic colour tones invoke history. 

Packages are often heavy on text. They may give the consumer information on ingredients, manufacturing, instructions for use, slogans, and any other information the company deems fit to advertise on its products.

Vintage designs suggest an air of quality and sturdiness that newer products may not have. It harkens back to a potentially simpler time when things “just worked” and lasted for years. 

An existing brand could use vintage charm to create “throwback” style packaging that remembers their past and the history of the company. 

Even new brands could use a vintage style to imply simplicity or a sense of analogue in a digital world.

Tea, coffee, lip balms, soaps, and chocolates are all popular products packaged with a vintage charm, but really any product can benefit from a vintage look.

9. Branded Unboxing

Unboxing videos are popular on social media, where shoppers show off their shopping hauls and unbox their latest goods. 

So why not make unboxing a built-in part of the consumer experience? 

Creating a complete branded experience ensures that from the exterior to the interior packaging, your brand is presented to the customer exactly how you want it. 

This could happen even before the product is purchased by the consumer. A good example of this is high-end electronics such as smartphones. They often have carefully crafted exterior packaging, which then reveals a safe, secure interior packaging with the company’s name or logo.

Apple incorporates this branded idea in every aspect of its design, starting at each Apple store. Simplicity is the key. Store fixtures feature timber counters with metal supports, implying a “worktable” design.

Creating a good unboxing experience will encourage positive word of mouth, and wow your customers. 

10. Transparent Packaging

Consumers want to make an informed choice. What better way to make that than by allowing them to see the product through transparent packaging? 

Packaging can be fully transparent or have a designed transparent window. Designed transparent windows are commonly used in food products, where brands desire to show some of their product off to consumers while minimizing exposure to light.

If you can give consumers a glimpse of your product, they can see for themselves what’s included in the package. Consumers can see the ingredients in food and see how fresh it is. People “eat with their eyes” before anything else.

Allowing consumers a peek at your product can make a bold statement. Don’t be afraid to show off your product and give customers a chance to evaluate it.

11. Gradients and Colour Blocking

Gradients and colour blocking have been common elements of digital UI and UX design but recently they have been featured in the packaging. 

Colour blocking is about showcasing two or three colours (often bright colours) and simple shapes and graphics. Gradient use often uses bright colours and shading to encourage a consumer to look at the entire package. Both elements are great ways to bring attention to your product and make it stand out in a crowded market.

The Importance of Good Product Packaging Design

It’s important to remember that product packaging design is an extension of your brand. It can protect your products, ensure a longer shelf-life, and attract and retain customers. 

That’s why it’s important to have flexible packaging and label solutions from LabelProfi. Our printing and label technology is eco-friendly, high quality, and customizable. 

For more information on packaging and label solutions, contact us.