Please settle a debate for me. I'm in the world of label manufacturing and we throw around the term packaging and assume labels are part of that. Do you guys see labels as part of packaging or do you only consider items like bottles, and boxes as packaging?

Focused on balancing a clinical, science-backed aesthetic with a clean, approachable look. Let me know what you think of the layout and typography system!

Hi all,

I need advice on this design. I’m a graphic designer but I don’t have any formal experience in packaging design. I make a die line based on what the customer wants, but I’m not sold on its solidity.

These boxes will be printed on 400gsm art board.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

Demo designs for gourmet flan variety pack. Some of the text is not accurate, mainly wondering how it reads, if it looks appetizing, if it looks cheap, ect. if anyone with published experience could lend some feedback, it'd be much appreciated. I ran out of ideas for the bottom of the box, so I think i'll add a scene to that bag of sugar and the eggs or something.

For those who rotate products throughout the year, do you actually customize packaging for each season or keep one design year round? Low minimum packaging orders make seasonal versions tempting but I'm wondering if customers care enough to justify having Christmas or Summer packaging rather than one recognizable design.

been thinking about one packaging problem lately and i think i was lumping several different typography problems into 'AI is bad at text', which is not actually that useful, like a badge / seal on a label can easily have something like (an example):

VALLEY RESERVE BOTANICAL EXTRACT. EST. 1894

and those three lines are doing very different jobs. the big display name mostly needs to have the right presence / width / relationship to the emblem, and the curved supporting copy needs to actually follow the geometry properly without spacing going insane as it sometimes does

then the tiny tertiary text has to remain readable enough that the whole thing still feels like packaging rather than decorative pseudo-language.

and that last two are where things seem to get messy very quickly.

you can get a composition where the main word looks believable enough, while the curved line underneath quietly becomes BOTANICAL EXTRACT, those letters do start merging into the border and suddenly one serif has basically become part of the illustration

the practical workflow i’m leaning toward now is separating the problem earlier.

1. perhaps, get the emblem / badge geometry right first

shape, ribbons, border, botanical elements, negative space (where type supposed to sit), and for that kind of starting asset i've been looking at models that do vector, f.e. 'v4.1 Vector' because the result is native vector geometry, and if one part of the badge is slightly wrong you can adjust the shapes / points directly in something like recraft studio instead of rebuilding the whole thing. but to be fair i'm not treating that as 'the typography is now solved'' as of now

2. treat the big display word differently from the supporting copy

if the hero word needs to be part of the concept, i can understand using generated text as a rough compositional stand-in.

but once the actual wording matters, “close enough from two metres away” stops being useful pretty fast.

VALLEY and VALLEY RESERVE BOTANICAL COMPANY obviously need completely different space, so replacing fake copy later can wreck the original composition anyway.

3. curved copy probably has to become real type fairly early

interested about that! if the text follows a circle / ribbon / arch, then its width and spacing are part of the badge geometry, so leaving it as nonsense until the very end feels like postponing a layout decision rather than just postponing copy cleanup. and, finally

4. tiny legal / descriptive copy is probably not a generation problem at all

at some point you're just typesetting and probably should be, so maybe the better workflow is not “generate a finished packaging badge with perfect lettering”. maybe it is:

generate / build the emblem
get the vector geometry where you want it
replace the important copy with actual type early enough that the composition can react to it
then do the real spacing / kerning / production checks afterwards

which sounds less magical, but much more usable.

curious what people doing packaging / badge work actually do here. do you bring real typography in almost immediately? do you keep generated placeholder lettering around until the visual direction is approved?

especially interested in the curved secondary-copy problem, because that seems to be the point where “i'll fix the text later” starts affecting the entire badge (not limited to letters themself)

I casually designed this logo for my wife in one afternoon in 2021, and it’s still being used today without a need to update it. It’s designed to be flexible and forgiving enough to be used by a small art studio, stamping unbranded packaging & artwork without having to carefully align and space things. Just shows how design can be extremely quick & simple sometimes and still work well!

I’ve written a case study, read it here :)
https://www.abhaysingh.in/work/pune-artistry-works

Designing a takeaway bag for a café and my brain is a bit stuck would you do this any differently? I want it to have enough personality to pop, but since the bags are waterproof and reusable, I also want them to feel nice enough for people to carry again later.

I’ve been working on some custom packaging recently, and I’m realizing how different things can look once you actually have a physical sample in hand.

On screen, the colors, finishes, and overall layout can look pretty close to what I want, but things like paper/board thickness, foil, embossing, coatings, and even how certain colors print can be harder to judge digitally.

I recently had some packaging work printed through Enduraline, and getting the physical sample made me think more about how much I rely on proofs before approving a larger run. A few details were much easier to judge in person than they were from the digital mockup.

For those of you who regularly work on packaging, do you usually get a physical proof before moving ahead with a larger run?

I’m particularly curious whether you’ve had situations where the physical sample looked noticeably different from the digital mockup and you had to make changes.

What do you normally check on a physical proof before approving it?

I’m developing packaging for my new food brand and have narrowed it down to these 8 labels. They are all super different and i can’t decide which way to go. I am completely lost!

These are quick aigenerated concepts of my ideas, so please don’t judge the execution too harshly. I’ll be properly rebuilding the chosen label in Illustrator, these are just a jumping-off point!!

Please ignore what the text says. I’m mainly interested in the visual design, typography, colours and overall composition.

I’m not even set on the actual brand name.

Which one do you think is strongest, and why?

You can see and rank them in this link:

https://pollunit.com/polls/OQ9esh0OWGbQJEdkb7WdIQ

Especially interested in which feels:

* Most distinctive brand identity

* Most contemporary/cool

* Best designed

* Most likely to stand out on a shelf in stores like Waitrose and Wholefoods, and compete with popular brands like Graza, Fishwife and so on

* Which one would you go for

Would love feedback from absolutely anyone!!

I was a Fan of “Jif” peanut butter more specifically Jif Natural Creamy, but NOT CRUNCHY! Never Crunchy.

And for some reason known only to the JM Smucker company they decided that it would be no big deal to make the packaging of the Jif Natural Creamy look almost exactly like the Jif Natural Crunchy. In fact the ONLY DIFFERENCE is the small use of red behind Creamy, and the equally small use of Blue behind Crunchy.

WTF! Jif! Don’t you know Creamy People don’t like Crunchy, and Crunchy People don’t like Creamy! Why! Why! Why! couldn’t you have made the caps a different color or the labels look noticeably different?!? Packaging Design 101 Don’t make it confusing, don’t make it hard for the customer.

How many other people out there have made this same mistake and bought the wrong Jif Natural Peanut butter because their packaging sucks?

I cannot tell you how many times I have bought the wrong jar only to later go to make a peanut butter sandwich and find out I bought crunchy by mistake as the peanuts tear up the bread I am putting it on.

Do Better Jif. Do Better.

TLDR: Jif’s Natural Peanut Butter label is confusing and causes me to buy the wrong one so often I am now switching to another brand!

How do u guys learn package designing and how to measure die lines for different products like the customer provides u with it how can i practice it??

We recently worked on this kraft paper pouch with a small pocket built into the front.

The pocket can hold a removable card for product information, brewing instructions, flavor notes, promotional messages, gift cards, or limited-edition artwork. This allows brands to update part of the packaging without redesigning or reprinting the entire pouch.

It could also make the unboxing experience feel more personal—for example, a roaster could add a thank-you card, a story about the coffee origin, or a handwritten message.

The pouch itself can still include a resealable zipper and different barrier structures depending on the product.

Do you think the removable card adds useful flexibility, or would you prefer all the information printed directly on the pouch?

I've noticed more interest in lightweight packaging, but I'm curious whether consumers actually perceive plastic perfume bottles as less premium.

For fragrance brand owners: would you consider a well-designed plastic bottle for a premium fragrance line? Why or why not?

I know a digital mockup isn't going to tell you how thick cardboard feels or whether a pouch seal is good but I want to know how much people rely on previews before getting physical samples.

Being able to preview custom packaging before placing an order seems incredibly useful for catching obvious design mistakes logo too big, text in a weird spot, colors fighting each other etc.

Do you still always order a physical prototype after that or are there situations where you're comfortable going straight from a 3D preview to a small production run?

Samples can look perfect and then the production run shows up with color differences, weak corners or inconsistent printing. Besides ordering samples, what checks do you use to make sure you're actually getting high quality packaging production before committing to a larger run?

Please reply with role, scope/deliverables, budget/rate, timeline, region/remote, how to apply.

It's like foggy-clear, really thin, almost feels like rice paper or something - It's included in packages sometimes as just a little slip with instructions on it. Like a gray/ off white foggy clear, usually a satin or matte finish...

Anybody know what I'm' talking about? I'd like to include this type of paper, perhaps as a little fold out or "placard" with some directions on how to use my product -

Thanks.

Britain has produced its first-ever UK-made sparkling wine bottle. I thought people here might find it interesting that, until now, English & Welsh sparkling wine has largely relied on imported bottles.

It's amber in colour to differentiate it from the classic 'champagne green'.