The Problem: Many SKUs, High Costs, and Inconsistent Artworks
Anyone managing a brand with a wide range of products knows the challenge: countless packages need to be designed, adapted, and produced. The difficulty lies not only in creating an artwork for each product within the same packaging design but also in maintaining design consistency and quality.
For brands handling hundreds or thousands of SKUs, designing each package individually is an enormous task. Without a clear system for scaling the design, inconsistencies emerge that dilute the brand’s identity. In practice, we often see packaging designs that differ in proportions, spacing, or logo placement—even typography and product names may vary.
These inconsistencies not only create visual disharmony but also increase design time and costs. If every artwork must be built from scratch, production costs rise, and avoidable interpretation errors lead to unnecessary correction cycles. Many brands struggle with these issues and seek ways to optimize their design processes while maintaining brand identity.
The Solution: Scalable Design as the Key to Efficiency
The solution lies in a scalable design approach that allows up to 80% of artworks to be standardized. This approach not only improves consistency but also significantly reduces design time and production costs. But why is an 80% standardization enough to solve most design challenges?
1. 80% Standardization for Consistency and Efficiency: A well-structured system ensures that 80% of artworks can be standardized using templates and clear design guidelines. This standardization covers everything from typography and font size to layout, spacing, and logo placement. A structured design system ensures that all packaging within a portfolio maintains the same visual language, strengthening brand identity and creating high brand recognition.
2. Reducing Design Time by up to 50%: By using templates and predefined design rules, design teams can reduce the time spent on artwork creation by up to 50%. Instead of building each design from scratch, designers can rely on predefined elements that only need minor adjustments to fit specific product requirements. This significantly reduces time and costs in the design process.
3. Handling Special Cases and Extreme Formats Quickly and Efficiently: Why is it not possible to standardize 100% of artworks? The answer lies in special cases: Some packaging formats require custom adaptations due to size, shape, or function. For instance, very small formats or niche product packaging cannot always follow a one-size-fits-all standard, as the cost of adaptation would outweigh the benefits. Despite these exceptions, a clear system with simple rules ensures that even extreme variations can be quickly and efficiently resolved. A structured design system provides logical guidelines, making it easier to handle special cases without sacrificing brand consistency or design quality.
4. Scalability for Future Growth: Another major advantage of scalable design is its applicability to future growth. As new products or marketsemerge, the existing design system can be easily extended to accommodate these changes without having to create each artwork from scratch. This simplifies market expansion and ensures that the brand remains consistent across a growing portfolio.
Conclusion
Scalable packaging design is a powerful solution for companies managing large numbers of SKUs while prioritizing consistency and efficiency. Standardizing 80% of artworks not only reduces design time and costs but also ensures brand identity remains consistent. Even special cases and extreme formats can be handled efficiently within a clear system.
A well-thought-out, scalable design system is not just beneficial for current production but also provides a solid foundation for future growth. Brands that adopt this approach can manage large product assortments efficiently while preserving design quality and brand recognition across all packaging formats.
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