Sometimes it can be hard to come up with that little bit of creativity you need to push your packaging forward. When this happens, it can be a good idea to look at what other people have done with their block bottom paper bags in order to get the creative juices flowing.
This is a very easy material to print on and manipulate, giving you a huge range of possibilities when it comes to designing your packaging. Here are a few suggestions to get your creative juices flowing:
#1 Go Chic
Shabby chic is fully in right now and people will love your product even more if it’s beautifully packaged. The beauty of this style is that it is relatively easy to design and can look great with raw kraft paper, minimising both cost and time when it comes to planning. Here’s a great example of how use this style for your business:
Image: Pringle Hill under CC 2.0
#2 Pretty Flowers
This will benefit some businesses more than others, but if you have a product that lends itself to floral packaging (i.e. soap, flowers or garments) then this can be a great design. There are lots of different options to go off here, from watercolour floral patterns to more traditional styles and even printed photographs of wild flower fields – the choice is yours!
Image: Tueymeaw Piyawan under CC 2.0
#3 Making Shapes
Anyone with a slightly larger budget may want to completely transform their packaging solutions. One of the best ways of doing this is to reinvent the physical design of your packaging, this can be as simple or complicated as you want it to be. Here’s a cute example of how creative shapes can turn boring packaging into something cute and desirable:
Image: Yoppy under CC 2.0
#4 Hand Drawn
While this isn’t practical for large corporations, if you’re a small company with a limited edition product then you can add a personal touch. Depending on creative you’re feeling this can be different with each product or you can pick a design and hand draw it on the packaging prior to putting it on display. This is a great way to attract attention and increase the desirability of your products. Here’s a very simple, yet effective example of this:
Image: stevendepolo under CC 2.0
#5 Keep It Simple
Brown kraft paper bags have a bit of a cult status that makes them really cool, so if you’re a local deli it may be worth sticking with a relatively plain bag with a small logo on it. This is extremely easy to utilise and while it may look lazy from a design point of view it can work really well and even help to boost your sales.
#6 Gloss Print
Want to give your paper bags that little extra touch of class? Why not print them in gloss, giving them a shiny, appealing design that will instantly draw your customer’s eye. This is relatively inexpensive compared to some other types of packaging and can look really high class – perfect for high street shops and small boutiques.