10 Unique Product Packaging Design Ideas & Strategies for 2024

10 Unique Product Packaging Design Ideas & Strategies for 2024
Article by DesignRush DesignRush
Last Updated: December 09, 2023

With the many unique packaging designs competing for customers' attention today, serving eye-catching and unique designs might be challenging. Professional packaging designers continue to take on this challenge and deliver fresh creations for the brands they work with.

Creating unique product packaging designs requires immense imagination and artistic skills. With the expertise of a packaging design company, designers can harness their creative genius and collaborate with clients to create captivating packaging that aligns with their branding.

By combining aesthetics, functionality, and a deep understanding of the target audience, the packaging design team can help potential customers make that final purchasing decision. The result is a visually appealing and strategically designed packaging solution that enhances the overall brand experience and drives sales.

9 Strategies to Create a Unique Packaging Design

The box design is just as important as the product itself. It instantly becomes one of your product's selling points, especially when executed properly.

Here are a few strategies to help you craft unique packaging designs.

1. Make the brand and customers your primary inspiration

Always prioritize your audience's preferences without compromising brand identity. Unique packaging ideas are visual representations of your products. Use graphics and font styles that complement your product. For example, car parts packaging would have an entirely different aesthetic than food and beverage.

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2. Use a distinguishing box

In this day and age, when social media popularity looms large, the usual simple brown box wouldn't snag any attention. We recommend going for distinct packaging that flaunts your brand's personality while being functional.

3. Play around with different packaging materials

Now that most popular online businesses thrive on door-to-door shipping, you want the products to be safe and conveniently packaged while maintaining attractive aesthetics. Consider the size, weight, and products it will carry. You can wrap the products in bubble wrap, use thick and decorative paper, or opt for hand-made wrappers for that personalized feel.

4. User-friendly packaging goes a long way

When thinking of unique packaging ideas, user-friendliness is a must-have quality. If you have liquid products, ensure that you use spill-proof packaging. For single-use items, consider a reseal feature. One perfect example of effective and user-friendly packaging is the Ziploc-type bags for chips.

5. Unboxing is the new trend

Unique packaging designs have that unboxing-worthy quality. Be artistic, play to the audience’s humor, and make it quirky as long as it complements your brand. It helps if your packaging has the element of surprise to make the overall experience fun for your customers.

6. Find the right color palette

The color and style of any unique product packaging can capture the attention of customers right away. Research says that shoppers consider packaging color over anything else. That’s how vital a color scheme is when creating unique packaging. See how people react to different colors, then choose one that suits your brand.

7. Eco-conscious designs are well-loved

Nowadays, it’s vital to consider the environment with your packaging. Many consumers veer away from products or brands that further damage our environment. Bigger and grander designs are not always better. It’s okay to skip the extra layers of plastics or other harmful materials.

8. Adhere to regulations

Safety is a priority, especially for food products. There are rules and regulations for packaging to ascertain safety and defend against tampering. The packaging should withstand harsh deliveries. Also, it’s best to practice methods that keep the perishable fresh.

9. Make it easy to store

A retailer might demand packaging that’s easy to stack on a shelf or a warehouse for storage, so peculiar-shaped packaging might not work as well as traditional shapes and can be tricky to stack. Think about how shops will display the product, and design according to more common standards.

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10 Unique Packaging Ideas to Spark Your Creativity

unique package designs
[Source: Yael Mendez]

1. Pleyad by Yael Mendez

Pleyad is a Mexican-manufactured beer. Yael Mendez, the brains behind its design, takes inspiration from the brand name: The Pleiades (the Seven Sisters), an open star cluster found in the zodiac sign of Taurus. Each of the main stars of The Pleiades corresponds with a different type of beer. While the brew’s origin story draws influence from mystical and traditional concepts of the universe, the beer packaging blends this with minimalistic elements to develop a more contemporary packaging design.

Unique Packaging Ideas
[Source: Le Temps Chocolate]

2. Le Temps Chocolate

Le Temps Chocolate shows off an old-school approach for its unique packaging design. The English aristocrat sporting a top hat and a monocle from the 20th century graces one packaging design variant. The other variant shows a girl wearing an early 1920s headband that goes with art deco elements. The concept transcended the decades with other elements from the 60s through the 80s, making this design stand out through the test of time. A worthy entry for the best chocolate packaging designs, indeed!

unique packaging designs
[Source: The Goodship Company]

3. The Goodship Company by Mint

This collaboration screams high-end all over! The white boxes and gold accents are perfect nods to the brand's luxurious personality, while the line of bright colors across the top of the packaging indicates variety.

products with unique packaging
[Source: S.E.Callahan Whiskey]

4. S.E.Callahan Whiskey by Widakk Design

Sophisticated packaging is a breath of fresh air against a cluttered store shelf. Widdakk Design's unique packaging ideas stand out for S.E.Callahan. The agency went for a warm palette that blends well with the bottle’s contents. The overall material choice, traditional woodcut-style illustrations and elegant typography wrap everything up in a classy package.

unique product packaging
[Source: The North Face]

5. The North Face by BBMG

Three standout attributes make The North Face and BBMG partnership a dream tandem: minimalist execution, readable text and eye-catching copy. This is a no-frills design. The North Face proves that a unique packaging design doesn't need to boast exclusive features. Sometimes, a straightforward, minimalist design is enough to deliver a message.

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6. Lost Farmer by Logo Design NYC

Lost Farmer's packaging design is a benchmark for many with its cool and hip aesthetics. Its color story takes inspiration from the vibrant and nostalgic 80s. Overall, this design is risky yet effective, proving it one of the best unique packaging designs for beverages out there.

7. Maeve Skincare by Gray Branding

Gray Branding uplifted Maeve Skincare by composing unique package designs for the brand. The collaboration produced subtle yet bold looks for the beauty industry. The agency stayed loyal to the brand colors while keeping the elements soft and pleasing. Lastly, the logo remains the centerpiece without drawing too much attention.

8. Petr Hloušek by Cocoon

The collaboration between Petr Hloušek and Cocoon resulted in a unique product packaging that captures the winemaking method. Everything about this packaging has a story to tell. The label resembles something out of a Czech village where wine is a way of life. On top of everything, an elegant color scheme makes the product tempting and elegant.

9. Disco Energy by Cuba Branding

How should you introduce a special brand of non-alcoholic energy drink to the market? Take notes from Cuba Branding! Their unique packaging ideas shone through in this project. The agency capitalized on the disco theme from the disco ball, bright dance floors and funky color story. A punchy copy that says, “all the energy of the night," wraps everything up.

10. Arcobaleno Chocolate

Bright and colorful are two words that perfectly describe Arcobaleno’s food visuals. The fictional brand of fruit-flavored dark chocolate emphasizes its fruity flavors. While the package was created as a school project, we have no doubts that it will translate well into the real world. The dark background and white accents are the perfect stages for playful illustrations. Utilizing bright colors and basic shapes are good previews of what to expect from the packaging's contents.

unique packaging design
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Different Design Styles to Adopt When Developing Unique Package Designs

When designers develop a unique packaging design, they also consider the style route they'll take, whether it's casual, minimalist, luxurious and so on.

Here are some common design styles you can implement for your brand:

  • Casual - Practical, simple and direct. Casual packaging is your best bet if you want to reach a vaster market. No one can go wrong with this since it resonates easily with the general public.
  • Charming - Endearing, comical, playful, witty and adorable. Charming packaging styles use design components that make your audience smile. In a nutshell, this design style evokes happiness and positivity.
  • Crisp - Neat and trendy. Crisp design styles follow the principle that "less is more."
  • Luxury - Think of elegance and grandeur. Packaging designs with luxury styles are premium and high-end.
  • Bold - Designers usually incorporate Bold Style to their product packaging designs to stand out. Being "bold" is not exclusive to bright colors or outrageous elements. Some designers include powerful copy and brave concepts.
  • Nostalgic - A favorite of many. The nostalgic style is a nod to vintage, classic, retro, old-school, or anything that can take you back to a different time.

Catching the attention is the first step in a buyer's journey. And designs with different, unique concepts are already one step ahead of the game. While designers consider branding, giving the design a touch of personality and quirk is crucial. Because while there are endless executions to making successful product packaging designs, only a few can stand memorable.

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