Packaging and brand design for new business

incensicle

First I would like to say I browse this site often and have got really useful information here so thank you to all of you who take the time to help others, it is really appreciated.

I am setting up a small business and have got stuck with how to proceed with my packaging and general image. I want my packaging, flyers, website, and catalogue to coordinate. I have some strong ideas but my background is art not design.

Do I get a designer to create my image, and give this to a web designer, and a printer or would it be better to find a company that handles everything.
I have found a company that offers to design packaging from scratch, sources boxes etc, but they don't design websites.
I have spoken to a student who will build me a simple website cheaply but who is not artistic.
I have a textile designer friend who's work I love but how would I translate this to packaging.
I am also worried about asking someone to do designs for me and then not liking them!
I really need help with this as I just dont know how to proceed.

COOLTRIKERCHICK

who ever you get to design your company log/image, will need you to give them some ideas to bounce off so to speak.

all i cam suggest is browse various websites and book mark them, and then write down or log the things you like about them, this will help you get your own ideas.

my company logo was designed by my printer ( just so happens to play in the same band as my hubby). This is a good starting point, as you can then you can start gtting ideas incorperating your logo.

also sometimes i think the simplistic look is better...

sorry i cant be more helpful

incensicle

Thanks for the reply.
I think your right about getting some sort of brief together for any potential designer. I have been looking at websites, as you suggested, also going round shops collecting items with packaging I like, thinking about colours etc, but I need to get something on paper. I think I may have a go at some designs myself, so I've got something to show.

My website, packaging, advertising all can't move forward until I get to grips with this. I think because it is so important to how successful the business will be I'm scared of tackling it!

I also have some issues about getting the right sort of boxes I need, so if anyones got any packaging suppliers to recommend that would be great.

ukbill69

Packing is not cheap when you get your design on it, better off your own design tape or labels.

First start, get a logo designer, I have one, shes good and done loads for me, charges about £20 per logo. PM me your email address and Ill send it to her.

COOLTRIKERCHICK

ukbill69 wrote: »

Packing is not cheap when you get your design on it, better off your own design tape or labels.

First start, get a logo designer, I have one, shes good and done loads for me, charges about £20 per logo. PM me your email address and Ill send it to her.

that sounds like a great price ukbill69...for that price not worth the hassle or the headache of trying to come up with something yourself..lol...

i know a good image is a must for businesses, but remember dont spend all your cashflow money on your image/ product packaging all in one go,

i too need good packaging etc for a new part of my business, and before i go spending umteen thousands on specialist machinery and packaging, i am going to make do with something more simplistic and basic to begin with. Not only will it save me tying up my money, but it will also give me scope for any adjustments to packaging , presentation etc... before spending loads of dosh...lol..

i have seen so many businesses spend so much money of having the perfect imagine in the begining, within a few months they have closed down, as they have spent to much money, and didnt realise that also need a dame good product/service too.

PasturesNew

To design for print and to design for web are different styles of design, so whoever you choose, check they know the difference and can demonstrate an example of something they've done that covers both media and what they had to bin/think about in order for it to fit both.

I worked for a company once that had plain white paper and their logo was a pentagon shape with straight edges ... striped in about 6 colours. I heard one remark once "wish we hadn't picked so many colours, it's so expensive to get printed". Having said that, that was for litho, nowadays there's digital and a small print run will cost an amount irrespective of how many colours there are. But your packaging will have to be done by litho probably (one man, cleaning the machine of each colour between each colour run)

incensicle

Thanks all! Ok ... listened to the advice about expensive packaging. My idea now is to get small recycled Kraft boxes, like they package soap in, with a window so you can see the product, (which is pretty and colourful). I hope to get these off the shelf from a packaging supply company. I have found close to what I want online. Then have a paper label band wrapped round with my info on, which should be cheaper to print. I hope the overall look will have a natural, home made sort of look.
The downside of this idea is I have a lot of product info to fit on, and it doesn't leave much room for a logo or any thing else. I have tried to get the info down, but there are instructions to use safely that I cannot leave out! Thanks for the lead though Bill thats a brilliant price.

PasturesNew you have hit the nail on the head. And I expect someone who is experienced in everything may be expensive. One question, if a designer does work for you, do you then own it and can take it to another designer to put into a different format or is that bad form?
Is it better to find someone who will do everything, and pay for their experience. my budget is in the (lowish) hundreds not thousands. Should I think about increasing this?

Savvy_Sue

Would a combination of sticky label and paper label band be a better solution? Only a paper label band will presumably be destroyed and possibly lost after opening the box - of course if it's a single use product that won't matter - whereas a label will remain stuck to the box.

Anyway, my suggestion means that you can have 'standard' information on the paper band, but 'custom' information for each product on the label. Again, my suggestion is not a lot of help if there is now and only ever will be one product, but I'm doing my best here!

COOLTRIKERCHICK

so glad you are now thinking 'ouside the box' excuse the pun..lol..

you packaging now sounds great, just needs 'tweaking' to be individual to you,

if you want it to be more 'natural' looking instad of using paper labels or stickers etc, why dont you use ribbon/twine to attach a gift tag style label with the main basic information on, and with a line saying more inforamtion inside with a more indept information leaflet.

the good thing the way you are doing it now, is you are not having loads of pakaging around the place, which you have paid for, and if your product is slow sellin in the begining, this could have been a great strain on your cashflow.

you have also given yourself an idea about your website design too

you said in you post about the natural home made look,

dont forget you can also say on your label that you used recycled packaging (or words similar)

and dont forget people are fed up now with wastefull over packaged items...so well done you for listening and being constructive... as i have seen a few people post for advice, and when you give your advice or opinion they think you are being nasty...lol..

keep us updated if you can with how things are going... as we can all learn from people's ways of doing things..

gavcooper

With regards to your packaging to keep costs down using an existing box is a good ideas ie. the small recycled Kraft boxes. If these are left blank a fully branded sleeve covering the box can be produced with or without a window. Giving you a nice branded box without the tooling costs. A sleeve with a window if you wanted you show the product would require the extra cost of cutting die to be made. Or guides could be left on the print job for you to cut your own window with a scalpel.

bingo_bango

If you're having issues with fitting all of the information on, then don't forget about the back of the sleeve!

Have you ever seen cooking instructions for meat on the outside of the packet?