Attracting traffic is a goal every enterprise pursues. In this regard, exquisite packaging and printing are undoubtedly an excellent strategy. Today, we will explain how to quickly capture customers’ attention through exquisite packaging and printing.
To stand out and show individuality in packaging design, graphics are a crucial visual tool. They act like a salesperson, conveying the contents of the package to consumers through vision. With strong visual impact, graphics can draw consumers’ attention and stimulate their desire to buy.
Factors That Determine Packaging Graphics
01 Packaging Graphics Are Closely Related to the Packaged Product
Packaging graphics can be divided into three categories: realistic graphics, semi-realistic graphics, and abstract graphics. They must be closely related to the product inside the package to fully communicate its features. Otherwise, the graphics will be meaningless, fail to evoke any association, and achieve no effect—this is a major mistake for packaging designers.
Generally speaking:
- Products related to physical needs (such as food and beverages) tend to use realistic graphics.
- Products focusing on psychological appeal mostly use abstract or semi-realistic graphics.
02 Packaging Graphics Match the Age, Gender, and Educational Background of the Target Audience
Packaging graphics are closely linked to the target audience, especially those under 30. In packaging design, it is essential to understand the audience so that the graphics can gain their recognition and achieve marketing goals.
a. Age Groups
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Under 12 years old (Children):
Children prefer cartoon characters, semi-realistic graphics, and dynamic, fun patterns that match their innocent and lively nature.
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13–19 years old (Adolescents):
Teenagers are imaginative and imitative. They favor idol-style, dreamy, and stylized packaging graphics.
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20–29 years old (Young Adults):
Young adults have mature physical development and obvious gender differences. They value value and authority, have strong judgment, and accept various graphic styles while still feeling fresh about abstract graphics.
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30–49 years old (Middle-aged):
Most people in this group are established in life and career. Influenced by life, work, economy, and society, they are realistic and have clear positioning preferences. They tend to favor rational, realistic graphics.
b. Gender Differences
- Men: Like adventure and have a spirit of challenge. They prefer explanatory, sci-fi, and innovative visual styles in packaging graphics.
- Women: Tend to pursue gentleness and stability. They prefer emotional, realistic, and aesthetically pleasing graphic expressions.
Physical and psychological factors should also be considered in the design.
c. Educational Background
Education shapes people’s values, temperament, and judgment. People with different educational levels have distinct preferences for packaging styles:
- Those with higher education are more receptive to abstract graphics.
- Those with less education tend to prefer clear, realistic graphics that are easy to recognize.
Expression Forms of Packaging Graphics
The following graphic expressions are commonly used in packaging design and should be applied flexibly.
01 Product Representation
Product representation allows consumers to directly understand the contents inside the package, creating visual impact and purchase desire. It usually uses realistic graphics or real-life photography.
For example, food packaging often prints high-quality photos of food to highlight deliciousness, deepen consumers’ impression, and drive purchases.
02 Product Association
“Scenes evoke emotions” — graphics can arouse similar life experiences and feelings. Through association, people connect one image to another.
Designers can create packaging graphics based on:
- Product appearance and features
- Effects after use
- Static and usage states
- Ingredients and composition
- Origin, history, and stories
- Local characteristics and customs
These graphics help consumers immediately associate with the packaged product.
03 Product Symbolism
Excellent packaging design is attractive, praiseworthy, and irresistible. This charm comes from the symbolic effect of packaging.
Symbolism uses implication rather than direct expression, and its power often exceeds realistic depiction.
For example, coffee packaging may use a steaming graphic to symbolize rich aroma and imply romance and companionship, attracting target consumers.
04 Brand or Logo as Graphics
Using the brand or logo as the main packaging graphic highlights the brand and enhances the credibility of product quality. This form is widely used in shopping bags and cigarette packaging.
05 Product Foil
Foil means highlighting contrasts to make the product image brighter, stronger, and more prominent.
06 Product Usage Method
Many consumers are unfamiliar with new products. One of the most effective ways to explain them is through packaging graphics that show how to use the product, improving persuasiveness and arousing interest.
For example, instant noodle packaging prints photos of the brewing process to help consumers understand usage in advance.
In packaging design, graphics should not be isolated. They must cooperate closely with the overall layout to create a complete visual design and establish a unique style.
Packaging Design for Export Products
For export commodity packaging, appropriate graphics should be selected according to the preferences and taboos of different countries.
Cases are not rare where exported goods were detained by customs or rejected by local consumers because packaging graphics violated local taboos. Therefore, understanding graphic taboos in target markets is critical.
Different countries have different preferences and taboos for packaging graphics:
- Islamic countries: Forbid graphics of pigs, hexagrams, crosses, female human bodies, and raised thumbs; favor pentagrams and crescent moons.
- Japan: Regard lotus as unlucky, foxes as cunning and greedy; the 16-petal chrysanthemum (imperial emblem) should not be used. Prefer circles and cherry blossoms.
- UK: View goats as lewd, roosters as vulgar, and elephants as useless; dislike these graphics. Prefer shields and oak leaves.
- Singapore: Known as the Lion City, favors lion graphics.
- Thailand, Afghanistan, North African Islamic countries: Forbid dog graphics.
- France: Consider walnut trees unlucky; regard spade shapes as a symbol of funerals.
