The psychology of branded packaging

Published on Tuesday, Oct 27 2015

Shapes, colours, sizes, fonts, brand name – these are all elements of packaging which our subconscious mind analyses in an instant to help our brains come to a decision whether to purchase or not. In order to get it right, you first need to analyse your audience and their buyer behaviour. This will help you to decide the best approach when designing your packaging. 

Colour

Each colour on the colour wheel is psychologically associated with a set of particular emotions, some positive and some negative. These associations may differ between people because your own personal life experiences can change your perception of a colour, however there are some generalisations of what each colour represents, for example:
 
Red (the physical colour)
Positive: Courage, strength, warmth, basic survival, masculinity, excitement
Negative: Defiance, strain, aggression
 
Blue (the intellectual colour)
Positive: Intelligence, communication, trust, logic, calm
Negative: Coldness, lack of emotion, unfriendliness
 
Yellow (the emotional colour)
Positive: Optimism, confidence, self-esteem, friendliness
Negative: Irrationality, fear, emotional fragility, depression
 
If you can discover the colours which are most appealing to your audience and most appropriate for your brand, you are sure to catch the customers’ eye. For example, more up market, luxurious brands use black and gold colours, with black being associated with sophistication and glamour, while gold is associated with triumph, prosperity and prestige. A good example of this would be the ‘Paco Rabanne 1 Million’ fragrance packaging.
 

Shape

The shape of your packaging is another factor which you should consider when trying to appeal to your audience. Like colours, different shapes are associated with different emotions and can make a real difference to buyer behaviour, for example:
 
Circular shapes
Love, friendship, tenderness, care, support, compassion, protection and affection
 
Squares and rectangles
Strength, stability, power, reliability and balance
 
Vertical shapes and lines
Masculinity, strength, aggression, courage, menacing and dominant
 
Horizontal shapes and lines
Femininity, calm, tranquil, silent, still, weak
 
Shape can also have other hidden meanings which can be quite persuasive. For example, Coke’s 250ml slim line can which was released in the UK in 2013 as a ‘healthier alternative’ to regular Coca Cola. The can contained slightly less of the drink in it but the slim shape was associated with having a slim body, targeting their audience of weight conscious people. 

Size

The size of your packaging also plays its part in a consumer’s perception of your brand. Large, bulky packaging is associated with an increased product size, leading the consumer to believe they are getting more for their money. Smaller packaging design can be associated with high quality and are also ideal when targeting people who are going to use your product ‘on the go’.
 
At Wessex Packaging, we understand how important your packaging’s appearance is and how it helps to give you brand identity, attract the right audience and represent your company as a whole. That is why we offer a bespoke packaging service to enable you to get the size, colour, shape and psychology of your packaging working for you.

Share this page