The Ultimate Guide to Design Eye-Catching Folding Carton Printing for Retail Success

Last Updated on September 22, 2023 by Packoi Team

At least, this is true if you create packaging that has an eye-catching design.

In this article, you’ll discover high-quality packaging solutions that’ll catch the attention of your market. Specifically, you’ll learn how to design folding cartons that will ensure success for your retail brand.

Why Eye-Catching Folding Cartons are Important In Retail

If the product is amazing and the brand behind it has an impeccable reputation, why should you give much thought to the design of your custom folding carton packaging?

To answer this question, you need to understand the role of this packaging material in the overall brand and marketing strategy of the business.

What are Folding Cartons

A folding carton packaging is a flat paperboard material that can be assembled into the shape of a box. Usually, this comes in the shape of a cube. But you’re free to create designs that’ll leave you with unique shapes like a pyramid, sphere, etc.

While there are many packaging options used in the retail industry, folding cartons seem to be the popular choice for their versatility, cost-effectiveness, adaptability, and sustainability.

The Different Uses of Custom Folding Cartons

When you enter a cosmetics store and you look at the store shelves, what do you see? When you walk around grocery aisles, what is the display?

You’ll probably find a lot of folding cartons displayed. Sometimes, the product inside is taken out and displayed beside it. But the bottom line is, the box is typically shown on top of the shelves or display tables.

What does that mean?

Folding cartons are no longer used to just hold a product and keep it safe. It’s now become an integral part of a company’s sales and marketing strategy.

It can be used to entice a shopper to buy a product. It can also be used to advertise to potential customers. The list gets longer and the benefits are greater for your brand.

The Real Impact of Retail Packaging on Consumer Behavior

If you doubt the power of a well-designed carton, it might surprise you that 8 out of 10 consumers decided to try something new because of how the packaging caught their attention.

That means if you design your custom folding cartons right, it can help you increase sales and even encourage customer loyalty. The brand elements, color, typography, and images combine to create a powerful marketing tool that can influence the buying decisions of customers.

For instance, using vibrant colors can make customers feel excited about your product. An elegant typography can attract sophisticated customers to your luxurious brand. These are only a few examples of the impact of your packaging on your customer’s behavior.

4 Elements of an Eye-Catching Folding Carton

Now that you understand how important the folding carton design is, it’s time to learn how to make it happen. There are 4 elements that’ll help you come up with an eye-catching print for your custom packaging solution.

1. Branding

Since the folding cartons are going to represent your brand, you need to include your branding elements. It could be the brand name, logo, and colors – anything that people associate with your brand.

This will help improve brand recognition and promote your business even outside the store premises.

2. Color Psychology

The next element that you should focus on is the color of your folding carton. You have the option to stick to your brand colors – but it’s not mandatory. You can choose another color scheme that suits your product and target market better.

To choose the right one, focus on the emotions that you want your customers to feel when they see the packaging. Do you want them to feel happy? Impressed? Excited? Some colors can evoke these emotions.

3. Typography

Just like colors, typography can also add personality and tone to your folding cartons. Serif fonts are classic so if you want to exude a traditional vibe, use Times New Roman. If you want a modern look, using sans-serif fonts like Helvetica would be better.

4. Imagery

The image printed on your folding carton plays a huge role in making it visually appealing. Whether you’re using photos, illustrations, or patterned graphic design – make sure you’re using high-quality images.

This is powerful enough to tell a story so choose the images well.

3 Printing Options for Custom Folding Carton Packaging

There are printing techniques that you can use to create packaging that will catch the attention of customers. Here are 3 options that are commonly used on folding cartons.

1. Foil Stamping

This type of printing uses a metallic or reflective finish to create an eye-catching design for folding cartons. The foil stamping can transform your packaging into a more luxurious one.

Use it to highlight your brand logo or name. That should make it stand out.

2. Embossing or Debossing

This is another way to make your custom folding carton design visually appealing. Embossing raises the design while debossing depresses it. This type of printing technique gives the carton texture. It adds depth and character to the packaging.

3. Spot UV Printing

This is another printing style that applies a glossy finish to make a design stand out. This can be applied to your brand name, logo, or a design that represents your product. This creates a beautiful contrast on the surface of folding cartons.

Tips to Create Visually Appealing Folding Carton Prints

With the knowledge that you have when it comes to the design elements and the printing techniques, the next question that you should ask is what design is best for your folding carton.

Some would be content using their brand logo and name and embossing it on the carton’s surface. But you can be more creative than that. Here are tips that can help you determine the right print design to use.

1. Know Your Target Market

The goal of eye-catching folding cartons is to attract the attention of your target market. That means you need to know what designs resonate with them. Research what interests them. For instance, if you have an eco-conscious market, you might want to choose sustainable materials and design for your folding carton.

2. Think about the Visual Hierarchy

The visual hierarchy refers to the path that the customer’s eye will go through as they look at your packaging. Make sure what they’ll see is the essential information that’ll influence their buying decisions in your favor (e.g. product details, ingredients, etc.)

3. Keep It Simple and Functional

Sometimes, simplicity is the way to catch the attention of your market. A plain brown box will stand out amid colorful boxes with heavy illustrations. Add intricate designs and silhouettes to achieve elegant packaging.

More than the design of your folding cartons, ensure that it’s functional as well.

4. Test It and Revise When Necessary

Once you have a design in mind, create a mock-up to see how the folding cartons would look. Show it to other colleagues or customers. Get their feedback so you can see if the design of your carton would work.

Whatever feedback you get, use it to improve your packaging solution.

Examples of Eye-Catching Packaging

Many brands have successfully used their packaging to promote their brand. Think about Apple products. Their boxes come in a simple white box with the Apple logo. Even the paper bag is simple with it’s logo and name alone. Despite the simplicity, people recognize their packaging even from afar.

Lush Cosmetics, on the other hand, has been successful in its packaging efforts because its packaging is a reflection of its brand – sustainability.

Brand consistency is the key to the packaging success of Hershey’s Chocolate. They’ve been consistent with their packaging color and design.

The same is true for Tiffany & Co’s iconic blue packaging and white ribbon. The consistency has made it distinct to the brand.

What Made these Retail Packaging Successful?

The example provided proves that there are several ways you can approach your folding carton design.

You can choose to be simple about it. Or you can make it a reflection of your brand. You can also be consistent about it so people will learn to identify the packaging design with your brand.

Choose the approach that works best for your brand and market.

Practicing Sustainability When Designing Retail Packaging

Try hitting two birds with one stone as you design your folding cartons. Don’t just make it eye-catching – make it sustainable as well. There are several ways to create sustainable packaging.

Choose Eco-Friendly Materials

Start by choosing the recyclable and biodegradable materials for your custom folding cartons. The most common material for folding cartons is paperboard boxes anyway. So this should be easy to comply with. Just make sure you’re getting the materials from the right supplier.

Opt for Biodegradable Ink

Apart from the materials, you should also choose biodegradable ink to print on your folding cartons. Even if you use eco-friendly packaging materials, it won’t be recyclable if your ink is toxic. Talk to your packaging supplier to ask for soy-based or vegetable-based ink for your packaging.

Print the Right Labels and Logos

Your target market won’t know about your efforts to be sustainable if you don’t tell them. Indulge the environmentally conscious consumers and let them know. Print “100% recyclable” or “made of 100% recycled materials” on the folding carton so they’ll know.

Partner with the Right Suppliers

Finally, you should partner with the right suppliers so you can be sure that your folding cartons are being sustainably sourced. Look at their certificates. For instance, an FSC-certified company means they get their paper-based materials from responsibly managed forests. By partnering with them, you’re supporting efforts to negate illegal logging and forest exploitation.

Are You Ready to Create Eye-Catching and Sustainable Folding Cartons? Packoi Printing Is Ready to Assist.

As you can see, creating custom-printed folding cartons that are eye-catching and functional isn’t too hard. You just have to know the right options to choose from. Once you’ve created an attention-worthy packaging, it’ll help increase your sales and promote your brand.

If you want to know more about your options, get in touch with Packoi Printing. We are FSC-certified and ready to help you produce sustainable folding cartons.

Email us so we can talk about your packaging requirements. After receiving the email, we’ll get back to you with a fair quote.