Packaging Design

Creating brand experiences

Because first impressions count!

Packaging; a necessary evil or an extension to your product? Some might argue that packaging is merely a means to an end; it keeps the product clean, protected and tamperproof but it is just another cost eating into precious margins which ultimately gets thrown away and, subsequently, has a detrimental effect on the environment. Is it really worth it?

The answer is YES! Packaging is a vital component in the life cycle of consumer brand experience, crucially when you make your first impression… so make it count.

Good packaging design can be the deciding factor in whether or not a consumer gravitates towards your product and, whilst competing for sales in a notoriously busy market is rife, making sure you stand out on the shelf is part of the battle won. How do you do this? Beautifully designed professional packaging that reflects your product, your brand, its story. Essentially it should be viewed as an extension to your product, the packaging is the very first point of contact a consumer has with your product – aesthetically, emotionally and physically.

Getting the right design is everything

Our Brand Alchemists are committed to helping you determine and create the perfect packaging design for your product. With over 10 years experience on both client and agency side, we understand that research, development and marketing play pivotal roles in getting the right design – design for design’s sake just won’t suffice – comprehensive, effective design is everything.

Environmentally sustainable packaging

The Neon Hive advocates design with a conscience. Dedicated to reducing the role packaging plays in environmental issues, we strive to design and produce environmentally sustainable packaging wherever possible. With the wide variety of eco-friendly options available to designers today; water based inks, water based emulsions, recycled board and corn based films to name but a few, creating 100% recycled and 100% recyclable packaging is substantially more achievable. However, recyclable does not mean sustainable.

Sustainability goes beyond recycling capabilities, it’s about taking a product’s complete packaging “life cycle” into account from the offset. Determining the origination of raw materials used to produce the packaging through to the shipping of the finished product can all impact on the environment. For example, finished product to be air freighted to another country poses a major consideration – quirky, curved cartons that don’t stack well would require more space in a pallet, and therefore more pallets, to keep them protected from damage. However, by minimising the number of shipping pallets required directly reduces greenhouse emissions. It’s a lot to think about.

But we get this and we think about this. We take all of these factors into consideration in the design process to create mighty fine packaging committed to a happier planet without compromising the overall design aesthetic.

Our expertise

The Neon Hive are specialists in FMCG packaging design. Our clients range from artisan confectionery to niche luxury goods to global skincare houses; this diversity defines our creative output enabling to apply successful techniques from one industry and innovate them for another. Adept in print and technical specifications, The Neon Hive offers a full packaging service, from source to fulfillment, meaning you can relax knowing that your project can go into production without complication.

Case Study

Montezuma’s Chocolates

Ex-lawyers turned chocolate entrepreneurs, Helen and Simon Pattinson, founded Montezuma’s in 2000 hand making their chocolate with one little machine and one shop in Brighton. Today, they take great satisfaction in the accolades and acclaim they have received in the 9 short years since founding Monty’s. Priding themselves as the most innovative chocolate makers in the UK with a reputation far wider than our Southern roots and handful of shops.

The Neon Hive have worked with Montezuma’s for just over the last 4 years, in fact, ever since Simon was actually brave enough to hand the reins over to someone else! This leap of faith stands testament to our skill and sensitivity towards delivering brand experiences.

During this time we have seen their product line, and associated packaging, grow from strength to strength. From individual “snack” bars to kilo bars to shipping outers to product placement on wholesaler’s artic lorries!

With the growth of their business comes more design considerations; products that originally only featured in their own stores now resides in pride of place alongside the likes of chocolate superbrands, Rococco and Green & Blacks. Hero products such as the 100g bars need to bear all the colourful Monty’s unique characteristics whilst standing out on supermarket isles, in a more corporate environment, competing against the superbrands. If nothing else it has kept us on our guard, ahead of the game… but we love a challenge!

Appealing to an omni-age/faith/gender/race clientele has called for creativity and innovation every step of the way and when it comes to key dates in the chocolate calendar, such as Easter and Christmas, appealing to consumers from various religious faiths can be a little tricky BUT… the increasing sales speak for themselves! Oh, and the press have had some really nice things to say too:

“Fashionably organic, amusingly packaged and of exceptionally high quality… at the chewing edge of chocolate” Elle

“Younger, funkier and no lace bows!” Country Living Magazine

Voted as one of The Guardian’s Top 10 Ethical Chocolate Companies, Monty’s HQ are dedicated to minimising their impact on the environment:

“Every day we work really hard to minimise our impact on the small world that we live in. We will try anything short of not eating chocolate. There is no escaping that chocolate comes from somewhere a long way south and uses energy to get it here, but don’t forget those packaging miles. It is estimated that about 30% of total ‘food miles’ can be attributed to the packaging.”

Helen Pattinson, The Green Goddess & Co-founder, Montezuma’s

In 2006 they were awarded Green Business of the Year in Sussex… and deservedly so.

The Neon Hive offers creative consultancy, conceptual design, prototypes and technical print artwork for all of you packaging requirements – the greener, the better! For more information, please say: hello@theneonhive.com

Looking for an eco-friendly alternative to prototypes?

Why not have your product design idea or sketch rendered into a 3D visual – our friends over at Rendo 3D will be happy to talk you through the options.