Consumer goods is a tough market to enter. It may seem that no matter the caliber of your product, customers will ignore it if it doesn’t look good at first glance. After all, there’s no shortage of brands clamoring for customers’ attention.
People typically make decisions based on what they see. It’s why product packaging proves crucial. If you want your product to get noticed, you must find a way to elevate its design effectively.
This rule especially applies to a beverage business. Whether you sell via eCommerce or physical stores, great drinks packaging is key to attracting your target market’s attention. It’s one factor that separates a product getting added to a cart and taken to checkout from those that stay on the shelves, unwanted and undrunk.
Thankfully, food packaging and beverage packaging designs aren’t rocket science. You can make your beverage product stand out with a good amount of innovation and creativity. Here are some design ideas that exemplify just that.
6 Beverage Packaging Design Ideas
1. Text-centric designs and bold typography
Source: Dieline
This approach to packaging design is popular in the food and beverage industry, and understandably so. A text-centric packaging design puts your name front and center. It’s excellent for brand recall, where customers who repeatedly come across your name in bold will find it difficult to forget about you. Your brand gets to be the star of the show.
You may check out MORE Water for inspiration. It has less, visual-wise, but that adds to the product's charm. See how the packaging zeroed in on a clean but dynamic design that relies on typography.
2. Sustainable packaging
Source: Boxed Water
The clamor for eco-friendlier packaging isn’t merely a trend. It’s slowly becoming embedded in consumer culture, and it’s high time to get behind it. Not only will you help Mother Nature a little, but you also get to tap an increasingly expanding market of eco-conscious consumers.
Take a cue from Boxed Water. As the name suggests, the brand eliminated its use of plastic or glass packaging. Instead, they use paper-based cartons that are 92% renewable.
3. Minimalist
Source: Zaha Hadid Architects
While it’s true that you want your product to grab attention, it’s not entirely correct to assume that such a goal is doable only with a loud design. Yours can be simple and quiet and still charm the hearts of customers.
The Leo Hillinger wine bottle designed by Zaha Hadid, for instance, features no more than fine lettering on the bottle's neck. Even with such subtle branding, the product's sleek and attractive packaging is easily recognizable.
4. Smart packaging
Source: Coke Collection
The best beverage packaging design marries form and function seamlessly. It’s where smart packaging comes in, which may be interpreted differently—for example, by QR codes. Introducing QR codes to your drinks packaging could serve an array of goals.
In the case of Coca-Cola, the brand used it to attract new customers, specifically gamers. It introduced QR codes to promotional packs, which allowed lucky Coca-Cola drinkers to win exciting prizes, including HyperX headsets and Xbox Game Passes.
5. Mischievous design
Source: 99 Designs
Humor goes a long way, especially if you’re selling an alcoholic beverage like The Urban Turban. The brand doesn’t shy away from mischief, highlighting its packaging with a bald man in a yellow shirt and a pink guitar. It’s as if the brand openly acknowledges that the people who buy their product are probably more fun than your average Joe or Mary.
Mischief doesn’t work exclusively for alcoholic beverages. Your fruit juices or energy drinks are just as welcome to kid a little. Even an online food business could go this route.
6. Anatomical ink drawings
Source: Penley Estate
Anatomical ink drawings are the antithesis of mischievous beverage packaging. Here, you get serious with drawings that would look at home in a museum.
Consider Penley Estate. Its wine packaging features a detailed anatomical sketch that looks hand-drawn. It’s the kind of packaging that shines in food photography, standing alongside a slab of steak. If you get behind this packaging idea, you’re telling your customers that you’re classy and likely know art history.
Quench the Consumers’ Thirst for Good Design
A good beverage packaging design commands attention. It tells consumers you respect your product enough to give it a look no one can dismiss. It promises shoppers what’s in store for them should they purchase your product. In itself, it’s enough to quench a thirst, specifically that for aesthetics.
Thus, feel free to derive inspiration from the packaging trends cited on this list. Also, remember that this curated catalog is by no means exhaustive. Other packaging design aesthetics exist beyond what's mentioned here, so explore and research those to elevate your business further.
Speaking of business, consider availing of Rush’s eCommerce services. We provide all-in-one business solutions whose end goal is bringing you closer to your customers. The scope of our services covers eCommerce execution and white-label loyalty program design. These are anchored to our eStore, which offers limitless brand scalability.
Book a demo with us to know how we might become allies in every stage of the customer’s journey.
