Packaging

Packaging can be a noun or a verb. It is a process of preparing and securing products for display, sale, transport and distribution.  It is also what the product comes in.

Usually it is something we take for granted, or perhaps curse when it comes to opening the tamper-proof plastic after it is purchased.  Sometimes it seems the manufacturer of the product we just bought is so concerned with shoplifting that they make it almost impossible to get into the package, right? 

It takes many aspects to package a product.  The, size, shape and logos have to be developed by an art and marketing division. Then perhaps special automated equipment is needed, that would especially be true in mass production.  Of course the company needs supplies to make the package. That would not only include what is needs to make the product itself, but everything from the paper label advertising what it is to the shipping Styrofoam or molds to keep it from getting jostled, to the boxes, the plastic wrapping, and on and on.

 For example, a CD is packaged into a jewel case along with a brightly colored paper telling you what songs are on the CD by what artists. That may open up to more photos, a list of the lyrics,  a section under each song to give credit where credit is due, etc.  Then it is all snapped together, shrink wrapped and sealed. That way the customer knows it is brand new.  So the Packaging (jewel case) goes through packaging (the CD inserted, the label the shrink wrap).

There is a great deal of research that goes into what will make the customer grab that product off the shelf and purchase it over a competitor's.  The colors used on the label, the images and pictures, even the size and shape are all important. There are some rules that need to be adhered to as well. For example, liquid bleach is best delivered in a bottle. You wouldn't put it in a carton like you would milk.  Beers and certain wines are best bottled in dark colored glass so the sun doesn't destroy the flavor. 

Packaging must fulfill several functions. It has to physically protect the product from breaking or getting damaged. It has to also provide what is called a barrier protection so it remains sterile, or dry or whatever.  It has to provide containment, like a box of cereal or 100 pencils.  It has to appeal to the buyer, so it involves marketing strategy as we have seen as well as security against tampering or theft of pieces.   Portion control such as a spout, squirt top, spray nozzle, or sprinkle cap could be added.  Finally, if the product needs to be opened and closed often, it needs to be able to protect what remains in the package. As you can see, there are many coordinated efforts that have to go into a product's Packaging Design.

Whether the product is consumable, like food or drinks, reusable such as electronics or designed for one use only such as medication vials, Packaging Products requires a lot of know-how and brain storming.   The packaging industry is a booming field and one that has career opportunities at every level.