Branded Packaging, From Concept to Finished Design

Impressive branded packaging designs can be found along every supply chain worldwide. They’re ready to steal attention on both physical and digital shelves, tempting customers to purchase the product inside. But what does it take to get to a point where having your brand on product packaging alone is enough to inspire customer trust – and ultimately lead to those all-important sales?

We sat down with our Assistant Commercial Manager (and packaging design guru), Matthew Kay, to find out! Read on for some behind-the-scenes insight on how our clients enter Greyhound Box with a packaging idea and leave with a gaze-worthy finished product.

Why is Branding the Box such a Big Deal?

Before we get into the details of what happens on our factory floor, we’re taking it back to basics. Branded packaging is surging in popularity, and not only to produce an aesthetically pleasing home for products for consumers to hold in their hands. Along the entire supply chain, from materials sourcing and manufacturing to transport and logistics, more and more brands are nestling their ‘look’ onto the boxes gatekeeping their goods.

Naturally, the more a brand’s logo is seen, the higher recognition people will have of it. But recognisable packaging’s far more than an awareness increasing exercise – it forms a huge part of brand storytelling. Namely, using the details of the packaging to narrate what matters to your brand, like its values.

What’s the ROI of Branded Packaging?

Being bothered to brand up the transit boxes that move goods around the country is a simple place to start. Whilst some would argue there’s an additional cost involved, others would argue the ROI makes that point mute. And we’d agree.

Whether it’s a factory worker moving pallets or an external employee unloading a transit box ready to stock retail shelves, those few extra seconds of notice that branding affords pays dividends in the long-term. For instance, if branded eco tape is used to seal the package rather than the traditional plastic tape we’re used to. Whilst the ancillary is serving a fundamental purpose, the branded detail communicates an extra element of thought – something that can make all the difference when it comes to how your goods are perceived and handled.

And these perceptions stretch to the subconscious associations we make when it comes to the type of product the package is protecting. Take understated black illustrations on a gloss-finished white package. They’d exude elegance and an air of sophistication. On the other hand, a parred back design on a box with tuck-in flaps (removing the need for sealant) is minimalist, a trend that’s increasingly bringing about associations with more sustainable packaging designs.

Developing a Branded Packaging Concept for Orean

So, onto what it takes for our team at Greyhound Box to transform a packaging idea into a reality. We’ll use one of our long-serving clients as an example and introduce you to Orean. They’re suppliers of award-winning personal care solutions, and we’re sure you’d recognise a few of their renowned beauty products!

Orean needed branded packaging for the first evolution of their ‘Innovation Kit’. Each kit follows a theme, with the box housing different types of beauty products and samples for showcasing NPD discussions.

The top of our finished branded packaging design for Orean

Paris: The City of Love (and Packaging Week)

Seeing as Orean are already one of the sector’s most renowned suppliers, there’s no surprise that the Innovation Kit would be heading to Paris Packaging Week 2024. And you don’t need us to tell you how important this packaging branding exercise is when you’re introducing prospective buyers to that luxury customer experience – especially in the city of love!

Over to Matthew to talk you through how we produced and delivered 800 Orean Innovation Kits ready to be shipped across the channel earlier this year.

1. Understanding the initial concept for the printed packaging design

“We spent time with Orean to get a clear understanding of the goals for this packaging project before we even began to produce a brief. If you’re not fully aligned in the project’s why from the get-go, you’re setting yourself up to hit a few miscommunication milestones along the way!”

2. Sampling packaging types to ensure the right fit

“With the purpose of the box at the fore of our minds, we got to grips with the products Orean needed it to showcase, so our design team could begin to draft an initial design specification.

We selected a FEFCO 0427 presentation box in the slim profile E flute. At only 1.5mm thick, the corrugated material is ideal for these shallower and more intricate boxes. Yet this thin width doesn’t compromise strength – the corrugated nature of the cardboard ensures the box retains its structure to protect the goods inside.”

3. Engineering bespoke fitments for prime product showcasing

“With the skeleton of the package determined, it was time to turn this 0427 box into a bespoke beauty. Our specialist designers developed a unique fitment to sit inside the box and hold several products of different sizes and materials in place.

Lifting the lid of a box to find neatly sitting and ordered products (compared to ones that take advantage of freedom to move) makes such a difference to the experience of prospective Orean customers – buyers we know are driven by high standards of care and luxury.”

A close up of the bespoke internal fitments for this Orean box

4. Incorporating the brand into the bespoke packaging design

“Making Orean front-and-centre of the box came next. Knowing that we needed to print the branding directly onto the corrugated material was another core driver of choosing the FEFCO 0427 box with slim profile E flute. It provides the perfect surface for our TCY to precisely print the black design Orean wanted to head up the package – and with the cleanest of finishes.

We also printed our own logo and a QR code to the underside of the box to top off this bespoke packaging design. Not only does this highlight the collaboration, but it also encourages Orean’s prospective customers to understand the bigger picture of the beauty supplier’s value chain.”

5. Time to cut!

“The product was then sent to our Baysek die-cutting machine, the last stop on this particular package’s production line. The nature of the tech means the boxes don’t need to be glued – when they’re ready to be packed full of Orean goodies, it’s a simple and quick assembly!”

The underside of the box we manufactured for Orean

There you have it – step-by-step insight on what it takes us to turn a branded packaging concept into a fully-fledged design. (And for those of you that are lucky enough to be heading to Las Vegas in 2024, keep your eyes peeled. We’re in the process of producing the third evolution of these branded boxes for Orean which are going to be showcased at a sin city trade show later this year!) 

To explore the world of branded packaging for your business’s products, get in touch with our team.