Last Updated on November 9, 2023 by Packoi Team
Custom boxes designed specifically for your brand will help impress your customers while promoting an exemplary brand reputation. In this article, you’ll learn more about shipping boxes and how to design them to make your brand stand out.
Why Should You Put Designs on Your Shipping Box?
For most people, a shipping box looks like a plain brown box with minimal print. Usually, these prints include texts like “Fragile” or “Handle with Care” and the business’s branding.
These are not gift boxes that require a lot of creative designs. Creating custom packaging designs to make the shipping box eye-catching seems unnecessary.
But here’s the thing.
Your shipping box is not just for transporting products. It can be a marketing tool for your business.
Taking the time to design your shipping box is necessary for three reasons.
For Brand Recognition
Your shipping box design ideas can be used to market your brand. You don’t even have to change the color of the box. Use the same brown shipping box. The simple print of your brand name is already effective in spreading awareness about your brand.
Remember, your box will be transported to different places before it reaches the customer’s door. That means it gets exposure everywhere it goes.
Your custom packaging can take advantage of that marketing mileage. Make sure your brand is visible for all to see.
For Proper Handling
Another reason to put a shipping box design is to provide shipping and delivery companies with instructions on how to handle the box.
It doesn’t matter if you have shipping or mailer boxes. Shipping companies will stack boxes on top of each other. Their logistics people will have to unload and reload the box in different containers. Depending on the distance the package will travel, it might even have to go through conveyor belts, etc.
All these endanger the products inside the shipping box. If your box has the right labels on it, people will know how to handle it with care.
For Customer Satisfaction
Think about subscription boxes. Or even gift boxes. When people see them, they feel excited. That’s what you want customers to feel when they see your shipping box.
You want them to feel excited about seeing your box.
If the box looks plain and boring, it won’t make your customers happy about seeing it. They won’t feel excited about opening it.
Make sure you set up your customers for a memorable unboxing experience. Don’t give them a plain brown shipping box. Give the box some character and design to make it unique.
Before You Design Your Custom Packaging Boxes…
Don’t forget about the real purpose of shipping boxes. It’s not like mailer boxes that serve as the external packaging of a product being shipped out. Shipping boxes are more significant and can contain different products inside.
You have to know that difference to create the proper shipping box design. Regardless of the box design, ensure you comply with the very purpose of shipping boxes.
1. Protect the Product
No matter how creative you are with your custom box design, you won’t impress anyone if the customer opens it to a broken product. You’ll lose the customer and your money – since they’ll demand a refund and a shipment return.
So before you finalize the shipping box design, check what the product needs. What is the best design that will protect the product? What are the packaging materials that you should use?
For instance, you can use corrugated packaging for a sturdy box. Add materials that’ll fill the empty spaces and cushion the product.
3. Promote the Brand
Your custom packaging box design should also consider your brand image. The shipping boxes will be an extension of your brand.
You have to choose a design aligned with the reputation you want to build.
If you want to build a sustainable and eco-friendly brand reputation, you must use suitable materials to promote that. Use FSC-certified packaging so you can print the logo on the shipping box. That way, people will know that you’re compliant with the standards of the Forest Stewardship Council.
If you want your brand to have a fun and artistic image, use that for your shipping box design. If you want elegance, choose black as the color of your box.
4. Storage Efficiency
When designing custom shipping boxes, make sure you’re also considering storage. That means the box design should be collapsible, so it won’t take up a lot of space when the box is not yet in use.
This will allow you to order the boxes in bulk to lower the cost per shipping box. Also, having all the boxes delivered to you once will lower your carbon footprint. That makes it suitable for the environment, too.
5. Provide Information
Your shipping box design should have the correct information printed, so those delivering and handling it will know if they have to be extra careful with it.
Your custom-printed boxes should have the right labels and logos so people know what’s inside. You can also give instructions on how the customer should open the box. Indicate what is right side up so they don’t end up dropping the product accidentally.
4 Important Questions that’ll Lead You to Your Custom Box Design
There are many shipping box designs that you can choose from. You can mimic the design of mailer boxes, or you can keep the box styles simple.
Identifying the right one that fits your brand narrative, product requirements, and customer preferences is important.
To help you do this task, there are a couple of questions that you should answer. These will guide you as you choose the elements that will complete your shipping box.
1. What is the Purpose?
The primary purpose of shipping boxes is to ensure that your customers will receive your product in perfect condition.
So when thinking about the box design, consider what the product needs so it can be delivered safely. How will you shape the custom box to provide the utmost protection for your product while in transit?
This will help you identify the needed materials, like corrugated cardboard, packing peanuts, bubble wrap, etc. It’ll also help you decide on the shape and size of the packaging. It has to be just right—not too big or too small for the product.
2. Who Are the Recipients?
The shipping box design should also consider the customer. Identify the people who’ll be receiving the box.
How do you think they’ll want to open it?
Consider your market’s preferences and give them a box style that suits their expectations. Give them an unboxing experience that’ll make the whole experience memorable.
Don’t underestimate the role of packaging in impressing your customers. If they know that your sturdy box can protect the product, they’ll trust you enough to keep buying from you.
3. What Is the Delivery Process?
Shipping boxes travel through different locations before they land on your customer’s doorstep. They have to leave your warehouse on a delivery truck. Then that truck will go to a sorting facility, where it’ll again be loaded on a delivery vehicle. This may be a truck, a ship, or a plane.
All these locations will result in multiple people handling your box. The design of your box should be strong enough to withstand all these handlings and transfers.
The box design should use suitable materials and labels to ensure that it’s handled correctly.
4. What Is the Budget?
A shipping box will cost money. You can get premium materials for your box on a huge budget.
But that doesn’t mean there’s no way to make it more affordable.
Once you know what type of box design your product will need and what your customers will appreciate, consider making it as generic as possible. While shipping boxes can be designed to look creative, they’re not like a mailer box or a subscription box that comes with a personality.
You can create a generic shipping box and add labels and stickers to make it unique to the actual product you’ll put inside.
This will allow you to order it in bulk – thus saving money.
8 Design Ideas for Your Custom Boxes for Shipping
If you’ve answered the questions, you should know what kind of box design you’ll want for your product.
While shipping boxes usually look generic, there’s no rule prohibiting you from making it look unique to your brand.
Here are some design options that’ll surely appeal to your customers:
1. Use White for a Clean Look
White for your shipping box design will give it a clean and minimalist look. It looks great from afar and will stand out amongst other brown boxes. It can give your brand a high-end feel, which will surely excite customers and make them anticipate opening it.
But while a white box looks incredible, it can be prone to dirt and smudges. Make sure the box is properly laminated to minimize this from happening.
2. Be Black and Elegant
Another way to keep your shipping boxes simple is to use black. If you want to uphold a reputation of luxury and elegance, choose black for your box design.
Like the white box, you must use suitable lamination so the surface won’t be prone to scruffs and scratches. This will make the box look untidy. It won’t uphold the image of elegance that you want to promote.
3. Highlight Your Brand Name
Shipping boxes provide a great opportunity to highlight your brand name. They’re usually plain and simple. But guess what people will first notice if you put your brand’s name and logo on top or at the center?
Your branding. They have nothing else to look at, so they’ll focus on your brand.
Make sure you take advantage of that focus so you can establish a powerful recall.
4. Let It Give Instructions
Your shipping box design can also include instructions about how to handle it. This is crucial, especially if you’re shipping fragile items like those made of glass, ceramics, etc.
Put the details of the box material, like how much weight it can carry. This will alert handlers to how many boxes can be stacked on top of your shipping box – or if they should be put on top of the pile.
These instructions will ensure that your product will reach its destination without damage.
5. Add Informative Labels
Ordering shipping boxes in bulk is a great way to save on costs. But this will give you a generic-looking box in return.
But that doesn’t mean you can liven it up. You can add creativity to your shipping box design by adding informative labels. Print “Fragile,” “Handle with Care,” or “100% recyclable” on a sticker or label. Then, put it in the boxes. You can position them differently if you wish, as long as the shipping company doesn’t miss the information.
6. Promote Sustainability
The material of your shipping box can promote sustainability. Use a cardboard box for the packaging materials.
It’s best to get your packaging from an FSC-certified supplier. These companies adhere to the standards and principles of the Forest Stewardship Council. They source materials from responsibly managed forests and implement sustainable practices.
Getting FSC-certified materials will allow you to print the FSC logo on the box, telling people you’re practicing sustainability.
7. Design Sides Differently
Another way to make your shipping boxes unique is to design them differently on each side. This should be easier to do since these are bigger than mailer boxes.
Make sure the box design on each side is still aligned with each other. Not only that, all the designs should still promote your brand.
If you want to use different colors, that’s okay. But don’t forget to consider your budget for the entire box.
Be creative with your design, but make it functional and informative as well.
8. Personalize the Box
The shipping box will include details about the recipient, like their name, address, etc.
Don’t just print it on bond paper and stick it on the side of the box. That would make it look tacky and appealing. Make it look like it’s part of the overall shipping box style.
Are You Ready to Create the Best Shipping Box Design? Packoi Printing Can Provide Various Design Possibilities.
There are many ways to design your shipping box. Don’t let your brand be limited by the generic boxes that you see.
You’re free to put your unique touch on the design of your shipping boxes.
If you want to get ideas from the experts, Packoi Printing is here to help. We are FSC-certified, too. We can supply you with sustainable and eco-friendly shipping boxes.
Get in touch with us so we can talk about your ideas. Call us, and we’ll get back to you with a fair quotation soon.
