Introduction
Packaging is the first impression of brands and products. According to The Pkg Lab, “Packaging is a First Impression That You Can’t Ignore.” They note that packaging is the first thing a customer sees and it makes an immediate impression, just like when meeting someone for the first time. This impression can greatly influence the customer’s perception of a brand.
Most major brands understand this and invest heavily in their packaging design. As Poly Craft points out in their article, “Your product packaging is your first impression – make it great,” big brands devote significant resources to ensuring their packaging looks appealing and aligns with their desired brand image. For a new or small cereal brand, packaging may be overlooked, but it is still a critical branding and marketing tool.
Packaging Communicates Brand Image
Product packaging plays a key role in communicating a cereal brand’s personality and style to consumers. As the first point of contact between a shopper and the cereal inside the box, the packaging conveys important visual brand cues through elements like color, fonts, logos, and slogans.
Vibrant colors on a cereal box can instantly signal if a brand is fun and playful or more sleek and refined. Font styles used for the logo and product descriptions also affect brand perception – a handwritten or stylized font creates a different feel than straightforward sans-serif text. The inclusion of mascots, characters, or illustrations provides further means to express the brand’s style.
Packaging Allows Shelf Stand-Out
Eye-catching packaging design is crucial for cereal brands to stand out on crowded grocery store shelves. With thousands of products vying for consumer attention, the shapes, colors, and size of your cereal box can determine whether your brand gets noticed or not.
Using unique structural box designs that pop out, such as diagonal cuts or asymmetric shapes, can immediately draw shoppers’ attention in an aisle. Similarly, bright, contrasting colors and bold graphics make a big impact compared to plain boxes. Consider using packaging finishes like matte, gloss, or foil to further differentiate your cereal box.
Larger package sizes tend to stand out on shelves more than smaller boxes. While keeping costs in mind, opt for the biggest box size you can afford. This allows more room for compelling visuals and brand messaging.
Packaging Provides Product Information
Product packaging plays a crucial role in providing transparency and information about the cereal inside. This includes details like the nutrition facts, ingredients list, allergy warnings, certifications and claims, and preparation instructions.
Having this information clearly presented on the box allows consumers to make informed choices about the cereal they buy. It builds trust and reassurance that the brand is being transparent about the contents of the product.
As noted in research from The Journal of Product & Brand Management, “making packaging designs and labeling on existing products more informative is a popular way for brands to let consumers know they hear them and want to engage.
Transparent packaging that reveals the actual cereal and ingredients is another way brands can showcase what’s inside. This type of clear packaging provides a literal view of the contents, as discussed in research from E Pac Flexibles.
Cereal Packaging Maintains Freshness
Proper packaging is crucial for maintaining the freshness and shelf life of cereal. Cereal is very sensitive to moisture and can quickly become stale if exposed to humidity or ambient air. The barrier properties of cereal packaging prevent moisture ingress and help keep the cereal crisp and fresh.
Cereal boxes are designed to be sealed tightly to lock out humidity. According to research, “Active packaging includes additives or freshness enhancers that are capable of scavenging oxygen. The bag inside further provides an impermeable barrier, while also allowing for nitrogen flushing to remove oxygen.
Additionally, the durable packaging protects the cereal from physical damage during shipping and handling. Well-designed boxes with inner bags keep cereals fresh for months or even over a year. As one expert notes, “The bag is for freshness. If the cereal is exposed to humidity, it can get stale”.
Custom Printing Aligns to Brand
One of the biggest benefits of a custom-printed cereal box is the ability to fully align the packaging with your brand’s visual identity. With a custom box printer, you have complete control over the graphics, colors, images, and finishes used on the box.
Rather than being limited by pre-defined packaging templates, you can craft a custom cereal box that perfectly encapsulates your brand. The printer can help walk you through an iterative design process, allowing tweaks and changes until the packaging is just right.
For example, you may want to use your brand’s signature color palette, unique illustrations or mascots, custom fonts and lettering, photographic images, and other graphical elements that consumers instantly recognize as your brand. With custom printing, the possibilities are endless.
This ensures your cereal packaging aligns seamlessly with the rest of your brand identity. Custom boxes help you stand out on crowded grocery shelves and allow customers to connect with your brand on a deeper level through your unique packaging.
High Print Quality
Custom printing enables cereal brands to achieve incredibly high print quality for graphics, images, and text. Modern digital printing allows for photo-realistic image reproduction with vibrant colors and fine detail. This is especially important for cereal boxes, where eye-catching graphics are key for shelf appeal. With custom printing, brands can feature crisp photographs of ingredients, appetizing bowl shots, and lifestyle imagery. Logos and text also benefit from the sharp, clean edges that digital printing provides. Compared to stock packaging, custom-printed boxes offer far superior print quality across the board. Vibrant graphics make the brand and product jump off the shelf.
Custom Finishing Options
Custom-printed boxes allow for unique finishing options that make packaging stand out. Some popular options include:
- Spot UV – A high gloss, shiny coating applied selectively to create accents and draw attention to specific areas of the box design. Works well for highlighting logos or text.
- Foiling – Metallic foils in colors like gold, silver, or holographic can be applied to add an elegant, premium touch. Foiling elevates perceived brand value.
- Textured Finishes – Options like matte, soft touch, or linen provide tactile finishes. Matte gives a sophisticated, muted look while soft touch feels smooth.
- Embossing – Pressing a design into the box to create a raised texture for a 3D effect. Works well for logo details.
- Die-Cut Windows – Cutting custom shapes to reveal interior contents. Allows for product visibility.
Finishing touches make custom-printed packaging stand out on crowded shelves. They allow small brands to mimic premium techniques used by major cereal brands.
Cost-Effective Small Batches
One of the biggest barriers for small cereal brands in getting custom-printed boxes is cost. With major cereal brands producing huge volumes, they can take advantage of economies of scale and lower per-unit pricing. Small startups typically can’t afford the high minimums that many box printers require.
The key is finding a printer that provides wholesale pricing even for small batch orders. As opposed to big box makers, a custom box producer like EZCustomBoxes offers quantities as low as 100 boxes without inflated costs. This makes professional packaging accessible for any business, regardless of size and budget.
Affordable low minimums from the right supplier unlock the benefits of custom boxes for even the smallest cereal brands.
Easily Iterated and Updated
One of the major advantages of custom-printed cereal boxes is the ability to easily update and iterate on the packaging as your brand evolves. Unlike going with a generic stock box, custom printing allows you full control to tweak the packaging to align with changes to your brand identity or marketing campaigns.
For example, you can create special limited edition boxes or variations for seasonal promotions like holidays. Custom boxes make it simple to refresh the packaging with new colors, logos, graphics, or messaging as needed. They also enable easy testing and refinement based on customer feedback without large upfront investments.