Ways to Create a Minimalistic CPG Packaging Design

Less is more when it comes to a minimalist design. The concept prioritizes the essential with simplicity at the forefront, making it ideal for CPG packaging design where the goal is to make an immediate impression on a small design space that cuts through the clutter of competition.

The Core Concepts of Minimalistic CPG Packaging

Minimalistic everything is trending – in architectural design, home decorating, and in CPG packaging too. Consumers are on overload already. Gone are the days of flashy, complicated concepts that often confuse the eyes…and the brain. Sending a cohesive, clear message with minimal ornamentation provides a pure, sleek, and elegant way to say it all…with less.

Benefits of Minimalistic CPG Packaging Design

The advantages to minimalizing your brand’s CPG packaging design are many. They include:

• More recognizable than traditional designs and easier for customers to remember
• They grab consumer’s attention better than complex designs
• They stand apart from the competition
• They are small but mighty
• They have a sleek and elegant appearance
• Highly effective on smaller mobile screens as well as laptop and desktop screens
• Very easy on the eyes

How to Achieve a Minimalistic CPG Packaging Design

Going minimalistic on your CPG packaging design isn’t difficult once you get in the minimal mode. Once you train your brain to stop trying to stuff more in the design and focus on creating with only the basics, you’ll be hooked.

Below you’ll find ten simply strategies to incorporate minimalistic design into your brand identity:

1. Establish an identity. To tell your story of your brand, you’ll need to define what it is. Then, assign a value to your product. Why would someone want to buy it? Is it all-natural or organic? Is it delicious? Maybe it’s designed to help consumers loose weight. Whatever the value of your product is, define it and build your brand identity and your packaging around it in the simplest way possible.
2. Single element statement. Rather than combining a group of elements as was the popular method in the past, work on finding one single element that represents your brand. By surrounding your element with plenty of white space, you’ll emphasis it so the consumer easily spots it and identifies with it.
3. Color choices. Once you have created your brand’s personality, use color to highlight it. Colors are deeply rooted in psychology, so you’ll want to choose ones that represent the emotion you are wanting to evoke. When incorporating a minimalistic theme, avoid using too many colors. Black, white, and gray are favorite color schemes in minimalistic design but you certainly aren’t limited to them. The only real rule is that you don’t make the design busy as that contradicts the reason for going minimal.
4. Typography matters. Just as there is neurosales behind color choices, the same exists where typography is concerned. The type of font you use has an impact on consumers which should be consistent with the message of your brand and should also be minimal in nature. Avoid fancy overstated script font when you are trying to go simple. Do use fonts with sleek lines and elegant, yet simple, lines.
5. Identify with your targeted customer. You want your customer to identify with you. To achieve that, you’ll need to identify with your customer too. What problem is your consumer needed to solve though using your product or buying your food? What will entice your customer to buy your product and why? Reflect your buyer’s pain or priorities when designing your minimalistic package but be sure to do so in keeping with the minimal concept of less is more.
6. Get playful. Go bold. While it may seem like a contradiction to go bold o get playful on a a minimalistic design, it’s not. Having one single eye-catching design gives you some wiggle room so you can be playful or make a bold statement about your brand.
7. Be consistent. Consumers love the familiar. In fact, the brain loves things that are familiar because it doesn’t have to work hard to process as it does with new information and therefore, it can take in
8. Venture outside the box. Consumers love “ah ha” moments when they experience the message you are creatively relaying. For instance, on the package of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, you’ll find a noodle turned just right to resemble a smile. It’s subtle and not crowded with detail. It’s just there, smiling at you. When you can wow your audience with your package through a minimalistic theme, you have made a connection.
9. Don’t break rules but feel free to create your own. You never want to get so rigid you aren’t creative. Even in the minimalistic concept, the idea isn’t to be in bondage. If you can create a simple packaging design that is easy on the eyes and says more with less, do it however you can achieve it – not by being a slave to the rules. It’s called innovation.
10. Don’t be afraid to rebrand. If you are reading this and already have your brand identity and packaging design but are finding it isn’t measuring up to the outstanding minimalistic design you now have in mind. Don’t worry. Companies rebrand their packaging all the time. In fact, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese recently reported it is not only changing its packaging, but the name of the product too. If Kraft can do it, so can you.

 Don’t Hesitate to Go with a Pro

Achieving the look and feel of a minimalistic package design is an excellent way to make your product

If you need a little help bringing the minimalistic packaging approach to your brand, be sure to check out what the Mad Mind Studios team has to offer.