Who can forget Tifanny’s blue box or a bright Coca-Cola can? There’s something about these brands that commands instant recognition. Multinationals have a strong recall, all thanks to their advertising and marketing spending, yet only a few brands have iconic packaging, something that keeps them top of mind! Think of the triangular-shaped boxes of Toblerone. Even smaller companies like Paper Boat are using iconic packaging to carve a well-recognised brand.

Here are the top 4 tips for creating a truly iconic packaging design:

Simplicity
When you think of Dairy Milk, purple and gold come to mind. The basic swoosh represents Nike, the red of a Coke can represents Coca-Cola, and the golden McDonalds arches denote McDonalds. Colours have a strong representation. Logos use minimalism to their benefit. Keep it basic if you want your packaging to become famous, whether its developing an unforgettable logo or choosing a colour scheme with only 2-3 different colours.

Stability
The greatest and most iconic packaging has remained stable over the years. The blue colour of Oreo, the yellow of Maggi, and the red of Kit Kat have built the brand packaging over decades. Would the Ferrero Rocher be the same if it weren’t for the gold foiled wrappers covering the sphere? It’s a rhetorical question, right! It is important to re-invent product packaging, but it’s equally important to retain the values that make its packaging memorable. Investment in research and development and faith in your own packaging ensures the stability of the brand and better chances of achieving iconic status.

Story
The best packaging designs go beyond functionality and reveal certain stories that make them truly memorable. Dairy Milk does that with an image of one and a half glasses of milk pouring, clearly indicating the extra milk component in its chocolate. Suddenly, the values of health and goodness get associated with taste and celebration. If you want to convey a story with your box design, ask yourself what values you want people to identify with your business. What thoughts and concepts do you want to conjure in your customers minds as soon as they see your packaging, even before they utilise your product? Keep your brand narrative in mind, and your design will have a lot better chance of becoming iconic.

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In a busy, blink-and-miss world, a brand that stands out is one that remains top of mind for the consumer. Customers are immediately drawn to the iconic packaging. Colour, contrast and size are three aspects that aid in this process. Use vibrant colours and uncomplicated colour schemes, like Coke and McDonalds have done. Fonts should be legible and catch one’s attention instantly while walking down the shopping aisle. Most iconic brands pass the 5-year-old test, where a 5-year-old is described as a package design and sent into a grocery store to find it. Striking designs are easily recognizable, even for a young child to understand.