Feelmarks insights
How to Write a Packaging Design Brief That Your Team Can Use
A packaging project can start with an exciting visual reference and still get stuck on a missing measurement. Before exploring colours and typography, your designer needs to know what the pack must communicate, what it must contain and how it will be produced.
A packaging design brief brings those decisions together. It gives your team a shared starting point and makes it easier to evaluate a design against the job it needs to do.
Start with the product and the customer
Describe the product in plain language. Include the product name, size, variants and intended sales channels. A pack displayed on a crowded shelf has different viewing conditions from a small product image on a website.
Then describe the customer and their main purchase question. Are they comparing flavours, checking compatibility or looking for a particular pack size? Avoid a broad audience such as “everyone who likes quality.” Give the designer a decision the packaging should help someone make.
For example, an illustrative tea brief might say: “Help shoppers distinguish three blends quickly, while keeping the range recognisably part of one brand.” This is more useful than “make it premium.”
Define the information hierarchy
List the information that deserves the most attention: brand, product type, variant and a key distinguishing feature. Separate this from supporting information such as usage instructions and company details.
Provide the approved wording in an editable document. Mark anything that is provisional. Your team should know whether it is designing around final text or allowing space for content that will arrive later.
Product claims and mandatory information need approval from whoever is responsible for their accuracy and applicable requirements. A designer can organise the supplied content; layout approval should not be mistaken for approval of the claims themselves.
Confirm the physical pack before final artwork
Share the supplier's current dieline, dimensions and material specification. Identify the front, back, folds, seams and any areas that cannot carry artwork.
If the structure is still being developed, say so. Concept work can explore a direction, but final artwork depends on the confirmed production template. Record the template version so an old file is not mistaken for the approved one.
Discuss finishes with the production supplier before making them central to the design. A metallic effect shown on a screen does not specify how that effect will be manufactured.
Explain the range, not just one pack
A single attractive pack is only part of the problem when you sell several products. List the variants that exist today and any planned additions that affect the system.
Decide what stays consistent and what changes. The logo position and type hierarchy might remain fixed, while colour and product imagery distinguish variants. Test the smallest label and the longest product name early; they often reveal whether the system is flexible enough.
Agree deliverables and approval roles
Specify whether the project needs concepts, production artwork, presentation mockups or launch visuals. These are different deliverables and should be scoped separately.
Name one person who will consolidate feedback. Gather comments on wording, appearance and production feasibility before requesting the next revision. Conflicting instructions from different reviewers can otherwise turn a simple correction into another round of work.
Copy this starter brief
Use these prompts to prepare your first document:
- Product, variants and pack sizes:
- Intended customer and purchase question:
- Sales channels and viewing conditions:
- Main message and information hierarchy:
- Approved copy and unresolved content:
- Dieline version, material and supplier contact:
- Existing brand assets and references:
- Required deliverables, deadline and approver:
Before signing off, review the design at actual size and in a realistic product listing. A large presentation image can hide small text and weak variant distinctions. Ask the production supplier what proofing is appropriate before manufacture.
Feelmarks brings graphic designers, 3D artists and video artists together in-house. Explore our creative portfolio, or discuss your packaging brief with the team.