When a brand has several products, the packaging has to solve two tasks at once. The packs have to belong together, so shoppers can see from afar that they come from the same brand, and they have to differ too, so that standing in front of the shelf a shopper quickly finds the flavour or pack size they are looking for.
Product family design sorts out this double role. The shared elements, for example the position of the logo, the typeface, the structure of the pack and the graphic style, are the same on every product. The changing elements, typically the colour or the illustration, differ from product to product and change according to a logic, for example by strength of flavour or product type.
When choosing colours we take the shelf environment into account as well. If every competitor in the category uses green or brown, a different base colour makes the series stand out from afar, and the shades changing from product to product help shoppers find their way within it.
A well-built system forms a block on the shelf. Several products side by side create a larger, unified surface that can be seen from further away than a single box, and on the second purchase shoppers already find their way by the system.
What to think about in advance
- How many products there are now, and how many may come later
- What shoppers choose by, flavour, strength, size or use
- Which element always stays in the same place, and which can change
- How the system works in the webshop, at a small size too
The system of the texts is part of the product family as well. If the product name and the flavour appear in the same place and in the same order on every product, shoppers compare them at a glance and do not have to pick up every box. Meanwhile the logo and the base colours tie the series to the brand's other surfaces, and the packaging adds the guidance needed on the shelf.
Room to grow is the most important consideration. When a new product launches, the whole family does not have to be redesigned, it is enough to make the new version by the rules of the system, so the new product appears on the shelf as part of the series from day one.
