Luxury Packaging: Extravagant yet Refined

Luxury Packaging: Extravagant yet Refined

Back in 1926, Coco Chanel designed a Little Black Dress (LBD) for Vogue magazine. This wardrobe staple wasn’t a showy number, its appeal stemmed from its subtle simplicity and attention to detail. Designers of luxury packaging can learn from such classics.

Coco’s dress offered stylish women a flattering, versatile and timeless fashion. It could be dressed up for the most glamourous nights out, or worn with casual accessories for informal occasions.

A similar approach can be applied to luxury packaging design; a relatively simply box can be ‘dressed up’ with professional print and a few special details.

Luxury Packaging Design

When designing for the luxury packaging market, there is often the temptation to use colour, pattern and imagery to create a statement. Is this the best approach?

There are many examples of where colourful, eye catching design has been used effectively; as an example, Pukka Tea printed cardboard cartons are delightful and tempting. This works well against a backdrop of relatively plain tea packaging, but it would be overwhelming if all tea manufacturers opted for highly patterned design.

Sometimes the best approach is an understated design that focuses on quality materials and finish. The weight of the packaging, the texture and the shape can all deliver a perception of luxury that can stand the test of time. In this respect, we can learn a lot from design classics such as the LBD, where the weight of the fabric, the texture of the material and a flattering shape all contributed to its success.

Attention to Detail

Luxury is also communicated in the attention to detail. If a customer was to approach Aylesbury Box Company with a requirement for high end retail packaging, we might recommend:

• Embossed Cartons
• Rigid, Laminated Craft Boxes
• Foil Blocking
• Printed Interiors & Inserts
• Spot Varnishing (varying the texture & finish)

What’s interesting is that, despite the industry’s focus on shelf appeal, the customer’s perception of quality can be influenced by the inside of the box.

Luxury Packaging Experiment – Inside the Box

At the end of 2017, packing company Celloglas worked with the Retail Institute on an experiment. The aim was to see what impact the packaging interior would have on the perception of price and value.

The same products were placed in identical packaging, with the exception of the interior print. One box was left plain, a shiny gold finish was applied to the second and a matt black print was used on the third.

The product in the black and gold internally printed packaging was perceived as having greater value than the plain box. What’s more, this experiment suggested that optimised packaging design could yield a 2.5x return on investment. In short, a subtle, yet sophisticated print can enhance brand value.

Aylesbury Box Company has supported many customers to make an impression by providing flood printing or integral printed inserts for luxury goods packaging. If you have an idea to showcase your brand, get in touch to discuss the options.