So you make top-quality cannabis pre-rolls? Great! But you’re not the only company making great pre-rolls. There are hundreds of other companies doing the same. And when you have such competition how can you make sure your pre-rolls attract customers? Pay attention to your pre-roll packaging design. If you design pre-roll packaging right you can get ahead of the competition by conveying your product excellence. In this article, we’ll discuss our top tips for good custom pre-roll packaging designs.
Why Good Pre-Roll Packaging Design Matters
Packaging design is all about creating attractive product packages that appeal to consumers. It involves choosing the right colors, fonts, materials, and images. All the various design elements together create the brand identity while also creating packaging that is practical for the product. Good packaging adds to the product’s visual appeal which is a very important factor when it comes to consumers’ purchase decisions.
As much as we like to believe we are all rational creatures who make decisions based on logic and rational thinking, the truth is our consumer behavior is affected strongly by visuals. That’s right. Human beings are visual creatures drawn to colors, patterns, and images. It only takes a few seconds for our brains to decide if we’re attracted to a particular product based on its packaging.
So when a customer sees your pre-roll box in a dispensary or e-commerce store, the best pre-roll packaging design determines whether they will consider buying your pre-rolls or not. It may very well be a subconscious split-second choice.
Elements of Effective Pre-Roll Packaging Design
Good packaging design is tailored for the target customer. It appeals to their sensibilities and preferences, captures their attention, elicits an emotional response, and allows them to connect with the brand. All this happens in the first few seconds the customer lays eyes on your pre-roll product. Now it might seem like a tall order for the packaging design department but successful brands know that their packaging design is the key to unlocking their sales. Your pre-roll packaging design can mean the difference between success and failure.
Let’s take a look at the elements of good design and how your pre-roll packing can incorporate them.
Attractiveness
Is your pre-roll packaging attractive enough for the customer? What makes a design attractive? The answer depends on the type of product and the target audience. Your pre-roll packaging must draw the eye to itself on the shelf or online.
Multiple factors can combine to create attractive packaging. For example, the creative use of graphics, colors, and typography can go a long way in making your final product appealing. You can experiment with bright colors, funky graphics, and elegant fonts to see what works best for your brand identity.
Clarity
Your pre-roll packaging must clearly communicate your product and your brand. It might seem simple but you’ll be surprised at how many products fail to communicate that clearly on their packaging. Customers won’t buy your product if they don’t know what it’s for. Successful product packaging always clearly indicates the product content, usage, and brand identity.
Simplicity
“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication,” said Leonardo Da Vinci. There is beauty in simplicity. And sometimes when you’re designing your product packaging less is more. Think of the simple yet elegant packaging for iPhone which conveys luxury. You can try a simple pre-roll packaging design to convey a luxury feel for your premium pre-rolls.
Honesty
Imagine you bought a box of chocolate chip cookies inspired by the packaging that promised loads of chocolate chips only to find that the actual cookie contains very few chocolate chips. You’ll be disappointed right? And you’ll probably never buy it again. So one essential yet underrated aspect of good design is honesty. Sure, you can add attractive pictures of your product but keep it as close to real as possible. Customers value simple design so be honest about your product.
Uniqueness
Customers’ eyes will glaze over similar-looking pre-roll boxes on a shelf. A unique design will make your product stand out and demand attention. Look at your competitors’ designs and do something unique. If everyone else is selling square pre-roll boxes, perhaps you can try an oval box. If everyone else has dark colored boxes maybe you can try bright colors. If others are using vertical layouts, try horizontal layouts. The idea is to give your customers a unique experience that they cannot get from other brands.
You can also customize your pre-roll packaging with specialized finishing using gold foiling, embossing, debossing, glossy, or matte finish.
Authenticity
There are no set rules on being authentic. Look deeper into your brand philosophy, and your brand story, then try to convey it in a way that’s original and unique. Be bold and creative when telling your brand story. Make your customers care about your brand, and convince them to support your brand by making a purchase.
Shelf Impact
Shelf impact is the product’s appeal and visibility when the product is placed on a retail shelf. It’s no surprise that a product’s shelf impact influences product sales. When you’re designing your display boxes for pre-roll, make sure you test their shelf appeal. You can try and imitate a retail shelf by placing lots of products in rows and then see if your packaging stands out. Sometimes it’s the simple designs that have the best shelf impact. Once you test your packaging you can modify it for better visual appeal.
Extensibility
Your best pre-roll packaging design should be able to accommodate any extension in your product line in the future. Maybe you start out with Sativa or indica strains of cannabis pre-rolls and in the future, you will sell both strains and hybrid varieties. When you finalize a pre-roll packaging design make sure it will be easy to extend your product line without losing the design’s attractiveness.
Highlight Benefits & Features
It always helps to highlight your product benefits and features in your packaging design. You can focus on the benefits of your particular pre-roll strain and your brand values. If you use sustainable or biodegradable packaging be sure to mention it clearly on the label. It adds to your product appeal.
Tailored for Target Audience
Good packaging is always tailored to the target audience. Kid’s products will always be designed in a colorful style while seniors’ products will make use of mellow color tones. So think about who is your target audience. Your packaging will vary for medicinal marijuana or recreational pre-rolls and for various strains. If your strain targets sleep issues it’s best to use calming shades of blue and purple. If it’s for a boost in energy you might consider brighter shades of green or orange. Be sure to customize your pre-roll packaging for your target audience.
Stir Emotions
The right use of colors, fonts, and layouts can elicit an emotional response in your potential customer, prompting them to make a purchase. Your branding can stir different emotions. For example, a retro layout may spark nostalgia and bright happy colors may invite joy. Make sure the overall emotional appeal aligns with your brand identity.
Practicality & Effectiveness
This aspect is more about the packaging style you choose for your pre-rolls. When you’re designing your pre-roll packaging you have the opportunity to choose something that’s not only attractive but also practical for the user. Practicality always trumps uniqueness in the long run. So make sure your packaging allows easy use and storage of pre-rolls for the customers.
Wrapping it Up
Pre-roll packing design is a key factor that determines the success of your pre-roll brand. Companies that ensure their pre-roll packaging design meets all the requirements of good design find an edge over competitors and establish a strong brand identity. Your pre-roll packaging must be attractive enough to speak to the potential customer about your brand’s quality and values. Designing is an opportunity for you to establish your brand and build a loyal customer base. We hope our tips and examples shared above will help you create an effective pre-roll packaging design for your brand.
