Packaging is often the first thing a small brand spends real money on. Send us the product, the price point and where it will be sold, from a market stall to a national retailer, and we design for that shelf rather than an imagined one.
Packaging design
Made to be picked off the shelf.
Product packaging design has to sell on the shelf, survive the post and carry every legal detail. We design yours on your maker’s dieline.
What we design
Packaging we design
- Folding cartonsRetail boxes for food, cosmetics, candles, supplements and gifts.
- LabelsFor jars, bottles, tins and tubs, set to the label shape and roll direction your labelling machine needs.
- Mailer boxesPrinted shipping boxes for online orders, inside and out.
- Sleeves, wraps and tagsBelly bands, swing tags and inserts, often the affordable way to brand a plain pack.
- A range systemOne design that flexes across flavours, scents or sizes through colour and type.
How it works
From dieline to printed box
Get the dieline
Your packaging maker supplies the flat template with its cut, fold and glue lines. No supplier yet? We suggest what to ask for.
Design on the flat
We design every panel on the dieline, then show it folded as a 3D mock-up, so you see how the faces meet.
Check the wording
You confirm ingredients, warnings, weights and barcodes. We set them at sizes that meet the legibility rules.
Artwork for the press
Files go to your maker with the dieline on its own layer, bleed past the cut and spot colours named as they need.
Print processes
How will your packaging be printed?
The process shapes the artwork, so ask your maker early which one they will use.
| Process | Usual use | What it means for the design |
|---|---|---|
| Digital | Short runs, test batches and personalised packs | Full colour with few limits; good for launching a range |
| Litho | Folding cartons in larger runs | Sharp detail and accurate CMYK, with Pantone colours on request |
| Flexo | Roll labels, corrugated boxes and pouches | Fine lines and small type need extra care; colours are often spot inks |
| Screen and foil | Glass, rigid boxes and premium effects | Each colour or effect is separated into its own file |
Print & design
Related services
Questions
Questions about packaging design
Question not here? Send it to us and we will answer it directly.
Ask a questionWhere do product barcodes come from?
Retail barcodes come from GS1, the standards body that issues company numbers through member organisations in more than a hundred countries, including South Africa, the United Kingdom and the USA. Once you have your numbers, we place each barcode at a scannable size with its quiet zone kept clear, so tills read it first time.
What has to be printed on food packaging?
In the UK, prepacked food needs the name of the food, an ingredients list with allergens emphasised, the net quantity, a date mark, storage conditions and the business name and address, among other details. That mandatory text needs an x-height of at least 1.2 mm, or 0.9 mm on small packs. American and South African rules differ, so you confirm the wording.
Why do packaging design quotes vary so much?
Because packaging ranges vary so much. One label for one product is a contained job; six flavours across three pack sizes, each with its own copy and barcode, multiplies the artwork. Illustration, product photography and changes to the box structure all add to the quote, and we list them separately.
Can you start before we choose a manufacturer?
We can start on the look, but final artwork needs the manufacturer’s dieline, because box sizes, glue flaps and label shapes differ between suppliers. Early concepts on a standard box let you test the idea with buyers and collect print quotes. We then fit the chosen design to the real template.
Launching your first product?
Start your packaging design
Tell us about the product, the type of pack, how many variants there are and who will print it. Include the dieline if your maker has sent one. The fixed quote comes back item by item. Then your packaging design begins on the real template, not a guess.