Packaging Perfection: Creating Memorable Mockups with DesignMocker
When you’ve secured a meeting with a major client, the last thing you want is to wait six weeks for professional packaging. That’s why most companies, agencies, or even individuals opt for packaging mockup-free tools, which provide a proof of concept early on, saving you valuable time and keeping your operations efficient.
Packaging mockups (or prototypes) represent your final packaging as it will look when produced. The proper mockup will excite potential buyers as they test how your product fits into their planograms and decide whether they would like to range it.
Fast-moving consumer goods. So, your packaging mockups need to move even faster. When in a hurry, you can start with a free mockup online packaging tool and upgrade your product packaging before your next meeting. Read on, and we will show you how with some fantastic use cases of online packaging mockup free toll – we’ll even show you!
What Are Packaging Mockups?
Companies use packaging mockups as samples that show a real-world version of the final packaging design. Think of a packaging mockup as a step beyond a digital design file. While it won’t have the look and polish of finished product packaging, mockups let you hold packaging in your hands and make intelligent design choices for future versions.
Packaging mockups can be made using various materials such as wood, plastic, foam board, metal, and paper. Each material offers unique benefits. For instance, wood can provide a sturdy and natural look, while plastic can offer a sleek and modern appearance. Consider the precision and usefulness you want for your mockup when choosing the material.
If you have an idea for your product packaging, you can draw a sketch or build a basic prototype. You can then take this to a packaging company as a starting point. Mockups help many people involved, including your marketing and sales teams. Ask for input from various groups to maintain brand consistency and look at several design choices before total production.
A well-made packaging mockup can impress buyers before they even look at your product. Are You Losing Time & Money With Your Packaging Supplier? DesignMocker – A free packaging mockup tool is available at your fingertips.
Why Do You Need a Packaging Mockup?
Packaging mockups help teams stay on the same page, ensuring the design is consistent and works well. Everyone from marketers to manufacturers and product designers counts on mockup tools to fine-tune design elements before production. Here’s why you might need a packaging mockup:
Refining Design – Send mockups to your marketing team so they can aesthetically and structurally optimize the design. Use excellent graphics, cohesive branding, and typography to drive new sales. What are your graphics saying? How does your product stand out on the shelf? Mockups allow you to see and feel a 3D version of your product packaging, instilling confidence in your final design.
Presentation – Demonstrate your product with flair using mockups. Share with your internal team, clients, and even potential investors. Demonstrate a proof-of-concept and wow different stakeholders with better packaging.
Marketing and Advertising – Provide your ad department with mockup packaging. Marketers use product packaging to extend ad campaigns, so ensure you’re all aligned. Collect data and see how packaging looks in online photos and on store shelves. Good packaging will grab attention across all marketing channels.
Manufacturing – Use packaging mockups to run feasibility tests with manufacturers and see how practical your packaging is at scale. Work with a qualified packaging manufacturer to determine areas for improvement without committing to a complete run of packaging. Avoid costly mistakes and delays by optimizing packaging before it hits shelves.
Packaging mockups are helpful as you test and refine your product packaging and get it ready for market. Take advantage of this opportunity to develop aesthetically pleasing, cost-effective product packaging.
Packaging Mockup vs. Packaging Sample: What's the Difference?
Making packaging mockups by hand can be helpful early in the design process, but experienced packaging suppliers can provide a more professional, cost-effective option. Packaging mockups are more accurate representations because suppliers can access high-quality tools like CAD Cutting machines and large-format printing capabilities. Enlist a packaging company and use technological advances for higher-quality packaging mockups.
Renderings or 3D Digital Mockups – Cutting-edge 3D modeling and rendering software simplifies the design process so you can make informed decisions. Accurately depict large final products like pallet displays and explore different iterations with the click of a button.
Digital packaging mockups make it easy to share designs with different teams and offices worldwide. They are much faster and more cost-effective than physical mockups, although making decisions based on visuals and texture is more challenging. Advancements in technology allow designers to simulate lighting and other design elements and even create an augmented reality environment.
Package development typically utilizes cut and printed XY (or CAD) table samples. This technology allows a printed substrate, such as a corrugated board, to be cut with the die drawing of your package. It also allows you, for example, to view the shelf impact of a printed folded carton your buyer is looking at purchasing.
Especially if you’re not ready with graphics, getting a dieline is an excellent first step in packaging design. You can quickly drop your graphics into your packaging mockup once your graphics are done. From there, when you have your design where you want it, you can order an all-white or kraft sample to ensure everything looks as it should.
This is why we suggest working with a packaging company that has an in-house CAD table. They can design and engineer quickly, saving you time and ensuring a high-quality mockup. Their expertise can guide you through the design process, from creating a dieline to producing a final mockup that accurately represents your product.
The final packaging choice is a big decision – not to be taken lightly. All of the possibilities can be mind-boggling, which is why you must make the right choice. But, with some careful thought (and maybe a shedload of expert advice), you’ll get there. One thing plastic packaging specialists will agree on is thermal or vacuum-formed trays could work for your product.
Final Takeaway
The importance of genuinely professional, eye-catching, shelf-ready packaging design cannot be overstated. Investing wisely in packaging will pay dividends in the future, giving you a sense of security in your product’s presentation.
Get a printed mockup or use a mockup design tool to prove you’re serious to potential customers, and own your packaging vision. Without doing so, the chances of succeeding in a pitch or communicating what you need between all the different moving parts are slim. Start with these mockup tools and get your professional product packaging solid!
DesignMocker Team
Written by the DesignMocker Team, your friendly design wizards. We're here to make your creative journey fun, easy, and packed with pro-level tips
