Is just a product still the same without its packaging? As the old saying goes – looks matter, and without an adequately designed package something is hard to offer regardless of how good its other attributes might be. Indeed, packaging design represents what the brand stands for as much as other components of the brand visual identity do, and using cases the packaging is nearly as important as the product itself. After all, what might Coca Cola be without its famous bottle?In China, as in other markets, packaging design does not only have the event of protecting the product and explaining its attributes and benefits, but it addittionally has the role of appealing to consumers. Studies reveal that buyers generally decide what to purchase at the point of sale.In order to successfully help sell the product, the package must differentiate and characterize the product and ultimately to become the main product experience.

But how do the packaging help the brand engage and attract Chinese consumers? What’re the factors to consider to design a truly distinctive packaging for the Chinese market?

In this article Labbrand discusses the impact packaging design is wearing the businesses operating in China and, specifically, at the issues product brand managers need to consider before falling in the "cultural trap" and developing a package that overlooks at the differences between China and Western markets.

We will consider the components of packaging design in the order an individual may perceive them: colour; label and typeface; images, patterns and shapes; and material.

Selecting the proper colour palette for the packaging has a good deal related to the best success or failure of an item brand. In fact, colour plays a significant role in a consumer’s purchase decision.People use a little more than a minute to make up their minds about a product they see for the very first time, and a large part of the judgment is founded on colours alone. So, clever utilization of colours in packaging design can contribute not merely to differentiate the item from competitors, but and to influence moods and feelings and ultimately attitudes towards a certain product.

All of us have involuntary physiological and psychological responses to the colours we see," in line with the Chicago-based Institute for Colour Research, an organization that collects information on the human reaction to colour and then sells it to industry. "Colour…impacts our appetite, sexual behaviour, business life and leisure time," says Eric Johnson, the institute’s head of research studies.

Actually, exactly the same colour might be perceived very differently in numerous cultures. For instance, green enjoys no popularity in Japan, France, or Belgium, while it may be frequently seen on the packaging made for Turkish and Austrian consumers. Individuals from Islamic cultures react negatively to yellow since it symbolizes death but like green as this is believed to help fight off diseases and evil. Europeans associate black with mourning and often prefer red, grey, green and blue. In the Netherlands, orange may be the national colour and therefore may be used to arouse nationalistic feelings.

Colours have a powerful significance in Chinese culture as well. Yellow, as the colour that was just for the emperor to wear, and red, as symbol for happiness and good luck, are generally very powerful colours for designing presentation with this country market. However, this does not connect with every product category: Chinese consumers generally find appealing these bright and shiny colours for food products but often prefer white and pastel colours for personal care and household items.

For example, General Mills adapts the colours applied to own product packages in the Chinese market by utilizing bright and flashy colours.

Kleenex, instead, features brightly colour and slightly abstract flowers on the packages sold in the US but it designs Chinese packaging with pastel colours and small, delicate and realistic flowers.

Label and typeface are critical to attract consumers for they are a prominent visual element on any packages.Different countries have different regulations about the data product labels should or should not contain, therefore size and layout of information on the label could need to change for the product to enter a specific country.

Besides country specific regulation on labels, key to promote the brand to local consumers is the typeface applied to the package. This is particularly so in China where foreign brands adopt Chinese manufacturers, and consequently Chinese typeface, to higher communicate to the market.To get additional details on Packaging Design Alimentare
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Coca Cola, to cite a brand that truly masters the art of packaging localization, gives just as much importance to the Chinese written brand name as the initial English one. The Chinese typeface, therefore, becomes integral part of the brand identity in China and shapes the packaging within an unmistakable way.

Packaging has gained paramount importance as a major influential factor in purchase decisions created by consumers. The designs of the packages often attract the buyer in this way that despite numerous speculations, the item is purchased mainly because of its presentation and aesthetic appeal. In the event that you still have second thoughts on investing in effective packaging designs, then think about this scenario. Your product is placed amongst others in an excellent market or food store and you’ve less than 2 seconds to seize the interest of customers who simply flick through the collection unless something interesting meets their eye. When you have an innovative and appealing package design for the product, then the chances of gaining consumer interest increases manifold. Packaging is now an amalgamation of art and science as there’s a dire dependence on converting browsing to purchasing, especially taking into consideration the stiff competition evident in the market.

Looks do matter, especially in a situation when you have to grab the customer’s attention in the blink of an eye. Safety, recyclability and basic dimensional considerations are requisite for an excellent design. But what is the utilization of focusing on these things when the visual appeal lacks strength? Analyse your product and make sure that the tiniest facts are evaluated. If you are not able to enhance the present packaging design, then just develop out-of-the-box solutions. Chances are that such unconventional ideas would generate better results compared to the competition. After all, the whole agenda behind such creative designs and extensive effort is to make certain "love-at-first-sight ".A good strategy to use about it’s to discover the approach taken by your competitors and then just develop something new.

You would also have to give your package / brand a name. Why not begin with some really catchy and unconventional names that tickles the funny bone of the consumers? Psychologists have claimed that people tend to remember humour and weird names / incidents / occurrences much better than glossy brand names. Keep it simple, keep it relevant and voila – you’ve a strong user engagement tool. However, it would be good to decide on your words carefully as every tagline or statement goes a considerable ways in connecting with the customers.