The best information to put on a product package from experience

Packaging has become a very essential component of the manufacturing process of products as well as an integral part of product advertisement and marketing.

 This year 2024 is a year that I started experimenting with a product that is indigenous but not with a very good market positioning. This product is made locally in some regions in Ghana and each of these regions has its own name for it. In the Volta Region, it is called ATSIFIFI, among the Gas, it is called ADULE and in the Ashanti Region, it is called KULIKULI.

It all started with the idea of branding a product that is local such that it can go to various markets and be well received.

Factors considered for the type of package material

Packaging materials are the various materials that are used to create containers for manufactured products. The materials used to package any product are critically considered based on their properties or features. 

To decide on which packaging material to use, the following were considered;

• Form or nature of the product (food product)
• How to sustain the product on the shelf from spoilage before its time
• Price due to packaging costs.
• Sustainability of package.
• Transportation matters

After all these considerations, a sample package was made from paper. The package is a box with an illustration of the product and other necessary details on it.

          Image of the first package

It shows an illustration of the product, name and some essential product details on the other sides.

The product is a fry which means that in the finishing process of the product, it has to be fried in oil until it turns brown. The product was wrapped in tissue paper before being kept in the box. The next day, the entire box became oily which means that using paper throughout the packaging will not work. In the previous trial, a zipper seal was used as the primary package and the designed box the secondary package.

crunchy sticks in tissue paper

crunchy sticks in zipper seal. This offered the preferred protection and preservation

What consumers said about the package

The product which is a snack after a number of people tasted it, they commended how great the product is but there were interesting comments given by the consumers as well. The comments are put in no particular order.

first design for the package

second design for the package, improved with additional graphical elements

This design for the package has an image of the product on the package. It makes it easy for consumers to easily relate with the product.

• The package is nice and attractive

After a number of people got in touch with the product, many commended the package design as being very attractive and innovative. Innovative in the sense that in the local market, no one packages the product in a special container as has been done now. Others were very surprised seeing the product called crunchy sticks or adule or kulikuli in a box. Mixed reactions were received from different kinds of people.

• Product name is a bit misleading

To make the product a well-branded one, I chose a name for it which is 'Longevity crunchy sticks'. The longevity doesn't have anything to do with the product though because it is my brand name and I wanted to push the brand name but it is surprising that consumers took the longevity as part of the product. This was interpreted as such that the product improves longevity. After getting a number of reviews and comments in this regard, I decided to make the thing simple for everyone to relate well with the product so I changed the product name to 'crunchy sticks'. Now, the package shows a picture of the product and not an illustration of it so it is easier for potential buyers to know at a glance what the product is without having to ask me what exactly the product is. Visual Communication is about sending out information in forms that it is able to communicate to viewers without the presence of anyone to provide further explanation. If in any case, viewers begin to ask for more clarification after getting in contact with a design, then something has to be done about the design. It was a very important comment received and because it is key in making sure the product sells, amendments and improvements have been made to correct it.

• Package should communicate to consumers

Consumers look at the product and after reading the text on the package, they become excited. It is written on the package that the product is a snack and the overall aesthetic appeal of the package is something wonderful. This is why at the planning stage, we were thinking about what kind of text we would put on the package to make it easy for everyone to relate with the product and its package effectively.

As a communication Designer, it is a very crucial thing to research any project thoroughly before deciding on how the final product should be. The reviews received from people from the very initial stages have shaped the entire design process. It is more like marketing research and analysis because after all the product should be able to market itself to people to buy. Packaging is an art and science and in as much as the safety of the product is concerned until it reaches consumers, the persuasive ability of the package is also very important because without it, the product can't sell and will end up being somewhere it is not supposed to be.

Want crunchy sticks to buy? Call +233 248973755 and get the product delivered to you. It is a snack that can be enjoyed with any soft drink and you will have a good time.