During your packaging journey you will need a certain set of software tools to help you along the way. Whilst most of your artwork design may be done by an external source such as a graphic designer or agency, there are some tools you’ll need that will help you to make the most of the process.
The same goes for marketing your product. You may want to shout about your new resealable bags or maybe you decided to go with our Ready2Recycle bags and want to share the benefits with your customers. Sustainability is a hot topic at the moment, so getting the word out on social media is something every brand should be doing.
As a brand, it’s important to have someone in your team who has knowledge in at least one of these programs. Amongst the competition, having fine-tuned skills and becoming competent in the software is ideal if you want your design and marketing to stand out from the rest. Whether this is outsourced or in-house is entirely up to you but making sure you have someone in place will put you in the prime position to start.
Some of our customers may not have the budget for a whole new team member, but we do recommend getting someone experienced to look over your designs to get them print ready before sending them to us. If you need any advice regarding setting up a design, please let us know. Note: some of these programs have a free trial then may require a subscription.
Photoshop
If you’re new to Photoshop, it’s quite easy to get started just by watching a few of Adobe’s tutorials specifically for beginners.
With Photoshop, the options, tools and techniques you can use are practically endless which means the scope of creative potential expands. As you get to know your way around the features, you will recognise how to fine-tune your designs until they meet industry standards.
Photoshop is also used as a photo editing software, probably more than it is used for graphics. So it may help when editing any images you want to be included.
Illustrator
In a similar vein to Photoshop, Illustrator goes deeper in terms of graphic design. Creating vectors is important when designing packaging. Logos and any illustrations will need to be outlined before they can be printed and this software is perfect for doing just that.
Adobe Illustrator is the industry-standard design app that lets you capture your creative vision with shapes, colour, effects, and typography. Graphic Designers will usually recommend this software first and foremost so make sure you take tutorials and classes to find out how exactly this software can work for you.
Canva
Canva is an incredibly popular app amongst those in the industry and across social media. It allows you to create social media posts from a huge library of templates. All you need to do is change the text, colour and images into something more suitable for your brand, download and post. It is really that easy.
Using platforms like this can save your business time and money in the long run. Marketing is powerful, and getting the word out about your product is invaluable, especially when done in a beautiful way!
Word
Word is a great tool for writing down the copy you’d like on your bags. Reading and proofreading your copy is vital to getting your company ethos across to your customers. Copy usually includes nutritional values, company information and unique selling points.
Hootsuite
Hootsuite is a social media platform. You can use this as part of your marketing tools to schedule posts to Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and more.
It’s a great tool for both beginners and professionals. You could share your insights about your commitment to sustainability, show some quick previews or sneak peeks of your new bags, or explain the reasons behind why you’ve decided on a rebrand. Customers will love to see a behind-the-scenes look into your business and being completely transparent with them on social media can boost loyalty.
These are just a few of the programs that are used on a daily basis throughout the industries we serve. Whether you’re in pet food, sports nutrition, food, construction or non-food industries, these tools can help with designing, writing your copy and promoting your product. As stated before, it is recommended you have an experienced graphic designer look over your designs before printing. We can issue guidelines and help with any queries so please just ask.
If your brand is looking to invest in quality packaging, we will guide you through the entire print process. Providing recommendations along the way to improve efficiency, reduce costs and add untold value to the end product.
