Why your brand needs to be instagram-ready

It would be difficult not to notice the trend in designing instagrammable packaging in 2021. Instagrammable means visually appealing in a way that is suitable for being photographed for posting on the social media application, Instagram. As a business person who is not keen on social media apps, you may wonder why anyone would care about that. But your customers do. Social media is one of the best things that’s ever happened to new businesses. It’s effective, free, and with the right aesthetic, your packaging could do the marketing for you.

Why should you have Instagrammable packaging?

With the significant rise of micro-influencers, having visually appealing packaging has been as important as having a good product, if not more.

By having highly-personalised, on-brand and beautiful wrappers, you guarantee that customers will want to take pictures to post on Instagram and effectively reaching out to thousands to millions of potential clients. The way to make it an all-round unboxing experience is branding. Think colour scheme, logo, https://cdn.standardmedia.co.ke/images; everything should be cohesive. If your colours are pink then the tissue paper, protective packaging, down to the box should reflect it. Another way to go would be customising with a letter from the CEO or a sticker. 

Less is more

Minimalist packaging says simple and elegant without doing too much. Gone are the days of bright colours, bold statements and at least two or three fonts of text that scream “attention here”. As 2021 progresses, there will be a noticeable uptick in simple designs like a plain white box with one small line of black text. Moreover, with the growing concern for the environment, today’s customers expect companies to be mindful about everything and use less inks, paints, and labels.

Minimalism means to omit needless things.

Swap the oversized box for a more appropriate size.

As for graphic design choices, printing on white boxes makes colours pop, but if you’re eco-conscious, kraft boxes often serve you better. You will not only save money on packaging and ink, you will be sustainable and eco-conscious, buzzwords that every millennial consumer loves to hear.

Luxury

Luxurious packaging is special packaging. It implies care and thought was put into the product therefore adding value. The best ways to put luxury into your packaging is to first make it a sensory experience; look good, smell good, feel great to the touch and taste good — if edible. Is the bottle smooth? Does it look like perfection? Would I hang on to the container because it looks great?

Make it on-brand. Close your eyes and think of signature, specific New York-based jewelry company Tiffany & CO. Did the baby-blue box appear instantly? That’s being on-brand.

Create a flawless luxury brand experience, even as a small business. Louis Vuitton products are boxed up in the brand’s signature “Imperial Saffron” coloured boxes, accented with blue ribbon that read “Louis Vuitton” in gold foil stamping. Within the boxes, most items are protected by branded dust covers. All this works together to make the unboxing an experience on its own.

African Art

Africa-centric designs in packaging are created to encapsulate African fashion, art, sculpture, furniture, textiles and jewellery designs. They imply the product is made with African ingredients, and are genuine.

Additionally, trends are moving towards more African prints and colourful designs. Take for example the Java coffee bags, or the Artcaffe coffee cups. Many consumers take pride in their purchases, and will post pictures of them on their social feed because they are beautiful. Talk of free marketing.

Playful pops of colour

This is the most prevalent design in most Kenyan brands. These unusual pop of colours are guaranteed to appeal to customers in search of a light-hearted experience. Vibrant colours and patterns candidly put together tell a story of the brand, while being fun and engaging. Of course, knowing your market is important here. It is unlikely to find, say, whisky, in such designs even though they exist.

Kenyan Originals Company effectively uses colour in its design and product to catch the attention of the consumer in a unique and memorable way.

Confini Kenya that sells flavoured licorice is more popular for its clear packaging where you can clearly see the fun colours in the actual products. Although marketed for children three years and older, all the Insta-mums will happily get this over a generic brand.

Personalisation

For a while every product was mass produced and unremarkable, when every beer can or packet of crisps looked the same as the next. Digital printing changed that and the possibilities to customise your product with different personalised packaging brought that era to an end. Few brands have been able to pull this off but those that have enjoy growth in affinity and matching volumes. What comes immediately to mind is Coca-Cola’s printing of names in their soft drinks. Needless to say, Coca-Cola experienced sudden growth in the UK four months after the launch of the “Share a coke” campaign in 2013. The company’s sales increased in value by 4.93 per cent year on year to £765 million.

Other brands have taken a slightly different approach by incorporating quirky messages and slogans that show the brand’s personality. The latest trend is using Kenyan slangs and viral slogans like ‘I’m in a kasmall meeting’ as seen in coffee mugs or ‘Cheza kama wewe’, among others. As a business, you can take this approach in your branding merchandise and customise it for your target clients.