Action figures represent people’s passions and interests in life. They are as unique as the people who love them. So why should your action figure packaging design be anything but unique? Sure you can create an average looking action figure package design to sell your action figures but the more attention you pay to your action figure packaging design, the more your customers will pay attention to your product. Personalized Action figure boxes after all contain their hopes and dreams. Are you stumped over how to properly design an action figure package? We’re here to help. If you’re an action figure designer or manufacturer read on below to find some inspiration for your action figure box design.
How Do You Package An Action Figure?
Before we proceed to why action figure packaging design matters for your brand, a note on your action figure packaging itself. Why? Because your box matters. How you package an action figure will strongly impact your end product and your sales in turn. You can easily find several ready-made boxes for your action figures. However, we strongly recommend going for custom action figure packaging. Here’s why:
- Custom packaging means that your product will look unique, which in turn will help with brand recognition.
- Custom packaging will ensure that your action figure sits just right inside the box.
- Custom packaging will protect your action figure from damage during transportation as it will fit snugly inside the box.
- Custom packaging allows for more creative freedom. If you’re the creative type and looking for DIY action figure packaging ideas, a custom box will suit you.
- A custom package can help differentiate your brand from the others and make it stand out.
- A quality custom package adds to the value of the product. Many action figure aficionados believe that action figures are worth more in the box. A quality custom box will preserve the action figures inside and keep them in mint condition.
Pro tip: Before you finalize your custom action figure packaging, preview the action figure box mock-up to see how it will look.
The Importance of Your Action Figure Packaging Design for Your Business
Your package design matters. Always. Here’s why.
First Impressions
Imagine that it’s your birthday and someone handed you this box as a present.
Your reaction? “Meh”. You’re not excited. You probably don’t even want to open it because you have a feeling that the gift isn’t going to be great.
Now if someone handed you something like this…
You’re excited, right? You feel that your friend put some effort into your gift. You already expect that the gift will be something good.
So you see first impressions matter. It doesn’t even matter what the content of the box is, you’ll automatically be attracted to the one with a better presentation.
Now think from the perspective of your potential customer. If there are lots of action figure boxes on a shelf, won’t they be attracted to the one with the best design?
Brand Identity
The distinctive Coca-Cola bottle, the triangular Toblerone bar, the minimalist iPhone box… What’s common about all these iconic products is their unique packaging design. Your product’s design is what builds your brand identity. People begin to associate the quality of your design with the quality of your product. With so many action figures available out there, think about how you can elevate your brand above the rest. Your action figure box design will go a long way in creating your unique brand identity and hence brand recognition.
Design Communicates
With the creative use of words and images, your packaging design communicates with the customers. It’s a way for you to tell your customers about your product. In the case of action figures, you can communicate action figure specifications with your potential customers. In this sense, your product copy also plays a big role. A well-written copy conveys the quality of the product inside and convinces the viewer to make a purchase.
Packaging Design Matters for Your Customers
Customers will always appreciate good packaging and design. They notice every little detail of their favorite action figure along with box design and they will share their enthusiasm for good design with others!
On the other hand, some fans face the dilemma of ruining good design by opening their action figure boxes.
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Design Considerations: What to Include When Designing an Action Figure Package
You’ve put in a lot of effort to make your action figure look great and you’ve chosen the right packaging to fit the action figure. Now it’s time for you to ask yourself, how to display action figure in box. Consider your package design a silent advertisement for your brand. Whether it’s displayed in a retail action figure shop or posted online in an eCommerce shop, your design is the first thing people notice. And it’s competing with all the other action figure boxes around it. So your design must be just right. But how do you design an action figure package? Here are some design considerations to keep in mind plus our tips for designing your action figure packages.
Target Specific Branding
The first thing to consider when you begin the design work is to consider your target customer. Who are you selling to? What is the target demographic? What will be appealing to your target customer? Your target customer profile should dictate your design. For example, if your action figures are cartoon characters, your design should appeal to kids. If it’s for a mature audience the design should be reflective of that.
Compelling Product Copy
Your product copy holds the power to capture customers’ attention. Use it wisely. Your product copy should tell a reader what the product is and why they should buy it. At the same time, it’s better to keep it simple and don’t overload the design with text.
Colors that Complement
Human beings are visual creatures. Our eyes are naturally drawn to colors. If you choose the right colors you’re more likely to entice people into making a purchase. Of course, with action figures, your design colors should match the action figure’s costumes. Comic book characters and cartoon characters are usually brightly colored with vibrant shades of red, blue, orange, and yellow. To make your characters pop, go with a neutral background with a brightly colored design on top.
Readable Fonts
You also have to pay attention to fonts. It might not seem important at first but choosing the right font will go a long way toward your branding. Again the font should go with the original character names and be appropriate for your target audience. Both the colors and font should complement the product and not be in contrast with it. Choose a font that stands out and is easily readable. If you have a variety of action figures make sure your font goes with the entire product line.
Add Logo and Branding Details
Don’t forget to add your logo, tagline, and other unique branding details. Moreover, it’s important to add necessary warnings especially if your target audience is kids.
Honest Design
One thing many action figure sellers forget is that what’s on the package design should match the product inside. Of course, you want your design to be attractive and pleasing to the eye but make sure you’re honest about your product. If the action figure inside does not match the buyer’s expectations, they’ll be disappointed and won’t buy from you again.
Pay Attention to Printing
When you’ve put all this work into designing the perfect action figure package, don’t make the mistake of ignoring the printing process. Make sure that you get the design printed with high-quality color printers to ensure that the colors and other details come out just right.
Finishing Touches
Your action figure box finishing conveys the quality of the product. There are many different finishing options available and you should choose the one that goes with your brand. You may choose from glossy, matte, and soft-touch finishes. In addition, you can opt for stamp foiling, embossing, debossing, spot UV, raised ink, and die-cut windows for some extra flourish.
Trending Designs for Action Figure Characters
Now that you understand how to properly design an action figure package, let’s look at some design inspiration from popular action figures. Ready? Let’s go!
Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff, an Avengers Character, Box Designs
Scarlet Witch aka Wanda Maximoff is one of the most popular characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Fans were uncertain about Wanda’s title of Scarlet Witch but after the release of the Marvel show Wandavision, it became apparent that Wanda transforms into Scarlet Witch when she unlocks her true powers. The Marvel film Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness further explored Scarlet Witch’s powers.
There are many different action figures available for Scarlet Witch. Notice below the difference in the packaging by Hasbro and Funko Pop respectively.
Naruto (Baryon Mode) Box Design
Naruto is a very popular Manga series with the titular character of Naruto who is a ninja. Naruto gains superior powers by transforming into Baryon mode. Manga fans love comparing the powers of their favorite characters.
Roman Reigns WWE Champion Action Figure Box Design
Wrestling fans love collecting their favorite star’s action figures. Roman Reigns is one such popular professional wrestler and former football player. We like the action figure package design of this action figure for its smart use of color, with a simple layout.
Transformers Characters Bumblebee and Optimus Prime Action Figure Box Designs
Transformers is one of the most popular science fiction franchises with multiple films and a huge fan following. Fans love collecting their favorite transformer characters which are sentient robots that can turn into vehicles.
Star Wars Characters Jyn Erso and Grogu Action Figure Box Designs
Star Wars characters’ action figures come with excellent package designs. For some inspiration check out this action figure of Jyn Erso, the protagonist of the Star Wars franchise film Rogue One.
Here is another great action figure box design for the Star Wars television series The Mandalorian Characters. The box contains both the Mandalorian and Grogu aka baby Yoda and the design is fit for both figures.
Conclusion
The popular maxim goes “Never judge a book by its cover”. But the truth is that we almost always judge things by their covers. We can’t help it. We do it subconsciously so sometimes we don’t even realize that our purchase decision was affected by packaging. And the same is true for action figures. If your action figure package design is attractive it will help improve your brand recognition and ultimately boost your bottom line. So the wise thing to do when you have an action figure to sell is to pay attention to your package design and then let it work its magic.
