Packaging Design Trends for 2023

But what about in the field of packaging design for glass bottles? Packaging design can be one of the most effective sales and marketing tools for start-ups in the consumer goods industry. Well-designed, flexible packaging can deliver an enticing promotional message to consumers looking for new product experiences.

The mission is: to stop the consumer in their tracks, convince them to reach for the product (or get the computer mouse to select the product), and convince them to put it in the shopping cart (both real and virtual) in three seconds.

Retail shelves are no longer the domain of the big brand manufacturers fighting for inches on supermarket shelves. Today, there are hundreds of start-up brands every day competing in a mad race for space on supermarket shelves.

10 key trends for attractive packaging design

1. The glass bottle or packaging becomes a creative canvas

Today’s most innovative consumer brands are using their creativity to stand out on the shelves. From literally depicting artwork on their bags, to using negative space, to transforming their bags into vintage bags from the 1800s, the lines between functional design and artistic masterpieces are blurring for the new consumer brands.

2. Minimalist designs

A clean, minimalist design, like that of Draft Brothers, sets the new brands apart from the cluttered design of traditional brands.

3. Solid, unique colours

Another design innovation is the use of solid, unique colours that cover the entire package and are not normally used in packaging design.

4. Vintage

It seems that more and more consumer goods manufacturers are now using old designs to make their packaging look like those of yesteryear.

5. Wording

Innovative companies rely on strong marketing copy, which is creatively crafted to deliver clear, straightforward messages that cut through the clutter and eliminate the need for marketing jargon.

Sometimes a simple list of ingredients is enough for consumers to know they are buying something healthy. Or a simple explanation of what the product actually does.

6. The Intelligent Packaging

One of the biggest innovations and trends in the beverage industry is smart packaging. Like the Smart Bottle from Univerre. Through an NFC tag, a company can see when, where and how the bottle has been interacted with. See all the benefits of smart packaging here.

7. A design for the supermarket and for e-commerce

In this day and age, every company needs an online shop. Packaging design today has to fulfil two tasks. With the emergence of direct sales business models, more and more consumer goods companies are selling online – sometimes exclusively online. Product packaging design should take into account the specifics of online shops, where consumers cannot simply pick up a package. Consider simplifying packaging with large fonts, solid colours, direct to the point marketing copy and creativity.

8. Designs for special occasions

Digital printing – especially on glass packaging – allows brands to be more flexible so they can respond quickly and cost-effectively to special occasions. Thanks to innovative digital printing technology, special bottles can be printed very quickly and easily.

9. From storytelling to storyselling

With the rise of content marketing, blogging and social media, creative storyselling has become a distinct marketing discipline that companies turn to in order to harness the power of emotionally charged stories to sell their brand and products. In fact, the term ‘storyselling’ has emerged to describe the specific way in which companies are using storytelling in their marketing. Brands are now starting to tell stories through their packaging, with each package telling a unique story.

10. Humour

As with storytelling, the same applies here: Nothing sells better than making people laugh (the advantage of storytelling is the ability to integrate emotions into your marketing message).

Humour is a strong emotion, but it is also different. You can use a funny design that makes customers in the supermarket stop in the aisle and laugh out loud.

What you need to remember for a strong Packaging Design in 2023

Start-ups in the consumer goods industry have one key advantage over the established market leaders: their agility. Without large corporate bureaucracies to hold them back, they can use packaging design to outpace the big brands.

In particular, they can use innovative, creative packaging design to stand out on the shelf, clearly communicate their product benefits, incorporate smart packaging technologies, design for both the virtual and physical shelf, and create effective and innovative designs.

We are convinced that innovative companies can shake up the market through superior design awareness. The above tips are a good start.

We look forward to hearing from you about the packaging design innovations you can implement to succeed in 2023 and beyond.

Contact us for further information.