A step-by-step guide to creating beautifully branded packaging

As a graphic designer, I know the value of presenting your brand in a consistent and eye-catching way. Whilst your logo is clearly an important starting point, a full brand identity means consistent use of colour, typography, additional visual elements, language and photography. This all comes together to ensure your brand is recognisable and memorable. It might be easy to just place your logo in a corner and be done with it, but you can have a lot of fun when you have a full brand identity toolkit at your disposal.

I launched Flourish & Lace earlier this year after being approached by several friends who asked me if I would design their wedding stationery for them (something I’m sure plenty of designers can relate to). Working with excited brides is a lot of fun, and I enjoyed the process so much that I thought it would make a pretty awesome business. I decided that I wanted to offer contemporary, creative stationery, which was professionally printed on great paper stocks. However, trying to settle on a name for my new business venture was not an easy task! Several days of mind maps and mood boards led me to Flourish & Lace.

Next stop: a brand identity. After designing a logo which represented what my business was all about, I knew I’d need to make sure it could be adapted for various uses. For instance, social media websites require you to have a square avatar, and if I tried to use the full logo for this then it would end up looking very squashed. So I designed a square version of the logo to suit.

I created a colour palette and chose typefaces which complemented my logo design, and I also expanded upon the ampersand within the logo to create some other visual elements. All of this gave me a brand toolkit, which I could dip into and pick and choose which elements would look best depending on the situation. This was so useful when deciding how to package the finished wedding stationery I send out to my customers.

When your customer receives their order in the post, that may well be their last touch point with your brand, so you want to leave a brilliant lasting impression, right? The best way to do this is to make your product sing with some brilliant, branded packaging. When I send out wedding stationery to customers, I want the package they receive to reflect my brand and make them feel valued as a customer. Above all, it should make them really excited to open it!

This bespoke save the date card, printed on my favourite Nettuno paper stock, was designed for an amazing couple who share my love of all things Harry Potter. Save the dates are pretty special because they are the very first thing your guests will receive from you, so I wanted to make sure they were perfectly packaged.

First, I wrap the stationery up in a couple of sheets of tissue paper. This helps protect the product, but it also gives my customer something to unwrap. This is important because it’s like receiving a present; the suspense before you open something is part of the fun! However, be warned – this step does involve utilising your very best gift-wrapping skills. Make sure you keep those corners sharp! I purchased butcher’s twine in both grey and light pink to match the Flourish & Lace brand colours, and I love using it to tie up the tissue paper wrapped parcels with a bow.

printed.com are brilliant for custom stickers, and I ordered two different designs from them to use when packaging up my wedding stationery for customers. These have gone down really well, and I can use them for all sorts of things, not just my packaging! In fact, I recommend stickers to the brides I work with as a lovely way to seal the envelopes for their invitations.

A handwritten thank you note is a nice touch just to remind your customer how much you appreciate their business. I ordered some postcards from Printed.com, which I use to write personal little notes thanking my customer for their order. I also always make sure to pop a few business cards into the package – after all, your customer is sure to be asked where they got their beautiful wedding invitations from, and you want to make sure it’s easy for them to spread the word!

The final touch is to pop everything into a sturdy box suitable for going through the post. And it definitely won’t hurt to pop a few more stickers on once it’s all securely taped up.

Who wouldn’t be excited to open this?

Flourish & Lace was launched by graphic designer Vicki Minchener in 2014. Visit www.flourishandlace.com for more information or check Flourish & Lace out on Facebook or Twitter.

Have you ever tried using branded packaging? We’d love to see the results! Tag us in your printed creations using #ProudlyPrinted for your chance to be featured on our blog.

While you’re here, why not check out some more customer creations? Just click here for an abundance of inspiration!

Or read more about packaging with our masterclass with ‘Say it with Brownies’.