Packaging designs play an enormous role in the marketing and branding process. With the competitive nature of global enterprise being at an all-time high, it has become paramount for small businesses to maximise every competitive lever that they have, and packaging is definitely one way to do that.

The evolution of packing designs is advancing at an exponential rate; the designs are pushing the boundaries of traditional designs in a number of ways, including styles and materials used. Following are several emerging trends that promise to have a massive impact on packaging design:

Logos and Labels that are Hand Drawn
The rapid expanse of social media has created a market in which consumers have unparalleled access to brands. This unlimited access has created a need for brands to develop a new personality that has the capacity to effectively engage consumers in a more relaxed and personal manner.

With hand drawn labels, brands have been able to escape the impersonal elements that are generally associated with more commercialised graphics. This type of approach is also referred to as visual authenticity, and it is characterised by artistic freedom, sketchy typography, handwritten print, etc.

To print your labels, Avery has 2 options for you - Avery WePrint, a professional printing service or Avery Branding & Merchandising range if you would like to print yourself.

Minimalism & the Luxury of Less
Where boldness and ostentatious presentations have been quite common in the past, more brands are now taking a more subtle, understated approach to the designs they use for their packaging. This understated approach includes softer colours and designs that are not as busy and overwhelming as designs of the past.

The luxury of less is a rapidly developing trend that places less emphasis on flashy, bold and overstated designs, choosing to go with designs that are soft spoken.

Hyper-Functional Forms
The basic design and purpose of packing must consider three specific things, which are housing the product, protecting the product from potential damage, and facilitating the transport from the store to the home of the consumer.

However, more manufacturers are beginning to consider the user experience after the consumer has arrived home. These considerations have led to manufacturers creating packaging that has multiple functions that extend beyond the three primary elements of product packaging.

Whether it is the inside of the wine case that can be converted into a wine holder or food packaging being converted to serving dishes, the idea is to contribute the user experience in a practical and efficacious manner.

Ultrapure Presentations
The era of packaging that was convoluted with multiple messages is rapidly becoming a thing of the past. Contemporary packaging presents a straightforward and stark design.
Once again, minimalism is in play with this trend, with a lot of geometric shapes and patterns, as well as abstract elements. The number of colours that are being used in these designs is being reduced as well, with a primary focus being on monochromatic and dichromatic designs.

These new trends are highly impacting and remarkably sustainable, so it can be expected that they will only grow in popularity and use.

This article was contributed by Mark Gentle, the Vice President & Managing Director for Avery Australia & ASEAN . Over the past 20 years Mark has held numerous roles in Asia Pacific, Europe and Australia and he has extensive international experience in Business strategy, manufacturing, and change implementation. Mark has qualifications in Electrical Engineering and an MBA from the Southern Cross University. Mark is a member of IMA Asia and is currently serving as a Councillor with the Australian Industry Group.