Recently while at the grocery store I started to take notice of how the majority of organic food packaging is beautifully designed. The bold graphics, stylish text and use of organic materials to package the products really catches the eye – all wonderful! This type of packing really makes you want to pick up the product, touch it and analyze the beauty of the packaging – and more importantly it really makes me want to purchase the product. But it also got me wondering…
Why is organic food packaging better designed than most non?
I brought up the question on Twitter to see what other designers thought of this and a few responses peaked my curiosity:
- @joshwayne: Because most organic food companies have a commitment to quality for packaging of their product as well as what’s inside.
- @iamnewmedia Because organic is typically a premium product and the target audience needs to see the difference in the purchasing experience.
- @aliveasart: Organic food isn’t exactly cheap, and people tend to pay more (than usual) for products that look nice. Just a hunch.
Why the argument could go back and forth about why, one of the more important responses I received was more focused on the effects of such beautiful design:
- @nikibrown: their packaging always makes me want to buy it just because it’s so damn pretty… and I don’t even go for that stuff.
So I leave you with the question, Why aren’t the majority of other companies using these techniques to sell their products? Not to say that other non-organic products don’t have good packaging but I would say 80 percent of organic packing has stellar designs – even their websites are beautiful. Check them out below:
Enriching Organic Company Websites & Product Designs
Check out these articles on the effects of good product design:
- How Pizza Menu Design Affects Your Sales
- Natural, organic food packagers go mainstream: increased distribution is pushing package graphics, structures and materials in consumer-attractive directions
Would love to hear your thoughts and ideas on this subject?
People that live green have a passion inside of themselves for health, fitness and over all well being. I think that the people designing anything green are really inspired to maintain that look and aspire to push the envelope of their own design to meet the fresh feeling you get when you are living green.
Generally speaking green products are newer to the market and thus reflect the most current techniques in packaging.
Products that have been in the market for years have margins and fan bases that won’t allow for upscale packaging design.
I would say that Green and Organic Product packaging is so well designed is because the people producing the products know designers like us that take the time to design. Instead of big corporate people that have legions of crappy designers churning out the lowest common denominator designs
Really nice selection of sites, I love the “Pot of..” food packaging I saw that a few months back an still remember the design.
Nice article.
I agree with Ron- it takes money to redesign a package. You also have to consider your consumer. There are a lot of different types of consumers out there and the clean and simple designs that give an upscale package don’t appeal to everyone. Not every consumer is willing to pay more, no matter what the graphics are. Not every consumer can pay more. Some packages cost more or require different types of manufacturing equipment to put the product in (for example- the Clive’s pot of in your post) and that is a significant investment for what may not be a huge return.
It also could be that they have a smaller market size so a way to get more people to notice their product is to have nice packaging. If people don’t want to consciously eat better at least they’ll give their product a second look because of the packaging.
That DUCHY one looks to me like shoeprints in the biscuit – not so attractive! But I take your point – I like organic food and I like nice (but minimalist, biodegradable) packaging.
The ironic thing about this that I think is very pertinent is that a lot of organic conscious eaters are also environmentally conscious – and most of this packaging just seems to be a turn off to me particularly because the good design actually comes off looking like excess.
Now, I appreciate the good design, and most of my brain understands that it’s not any more excess packaging than other products. The part of my brain that makes the split second choice for my poor hungry self, though, instantly looks at the little price drop with the non-flashy packaging and says “we don’t need that fancy stuff.”
You know some larger producers understand this. A lot of us designers might really appreciate the eye candy, and therefore throw out some loyalty – but I bet some people who are actually conscious of the price feel the same way I do. Some of the more minimal packaging though, I agree, is very effective. In fact, making it look stylish, but still cheaply produced (looking) has my brain thinking you are trying to save me money and be sustainable.
18 Beautiful Organic Web Design Inspiration + Discussion…
Recently store I started to take notice of how the majority of organic food packaging is beautifully designed. The bold graphics, stylish text and use of organic materials to package the products really catches the eye – all wonderful!
…
Organic and natural foods are widely purchased by gen x and gen y consumers. Gen x and especially gen y has a greater appreciation of the arts than older generations and responds to good design with their dollars. You’ll see this not only in consumer packaging but also look at furniture design. Crate & Barrel and Pottery Barn have both launched sub brands of their furniture (cb2 and west elm, respectively) which focus on design as a selling feature and are heavily marketed to and patronized by the younger generations.
I think that the extra design work that goes into organic products (packaging and marketing) may have something to do with the attitude that goes along with an organic-style of food processing. Generally there is more attention paid to quality right from the beginning of the organic food process. It would be a shame to put so much time and effort into the creation of the product and miss out on the presentation.
Heavily processed foods take the opposite approach – quick and cheap, both for the customer, and in production.
That DUCHY one looks to me like shoeprints in the biscu.I agree with it.
[...] Organic Designs are Better: Design Inspiration and Discussion [...]
I think anything that inspires passion produces great design. There are some amazing church and sports related designs as well.
Just a quick thought: Neither POM nor Izze is organic (though they’re on your list, above), but both do market to some of the same clientele as many other organic products. And there are store brands that make organic products too, but I don’t generally go looking for fine design in a store brand. So, while it’s a fun idea, I think your opening posit is a bit off.
Here’s one supportive comment, though: Organic products almost by definition are not “commodities”–they have to tell the potential buyer what *differentiates* them from all the other options (specifically: They’re organic). And once you start investing in niche marketing, you’re likely to get a higher payout if you go all the way with some good design to boot.
The use of organic materials to package the products really catches people’s eye…
they also catch my eyes~!
If people don’t want to consciously eat better at least they’ll give their product a second look because of the packaging.
The organic food is good for people health.Then I would say that Green and Organic Product packaging have driven people attention.
Real nice aritcle.
I would say that most current techniques in packaging may a bit expensive for manufacturer.So majority of other companies don’t using these techniques to sell their products
Generally there is more attention paid to quality right from the beginning of the organic food process. It would be a shame to put so much time and effort into the creation of the product and miss out on the presentation.
Nice to see some discussions on this. Paperboad – a little more sustainable, traditionally, than plastics. Sometimes it’s better to make more use of paperboard than convert plastic to bioplastics…hmm