Product Packaging Design Trends: 2018 Forecast

As 2018 begins, many in the packaging industry are wondering what retail packaging trends are set to be popular this year, and equally, what trends we’ll be saying goodbye to in 2018.

There’s a multitude of innovative new packaging designs that are sure to become household names sooner rather than later, and the product packaging they’re replacing is just as numerous. But when it comes to staying ahead of the curve, what should we be watching for?

Sustainability has been a hot topic in the packaging world for a number of years now, and in 2018 it will be more significant than ever, as consumer attitudes toward retail packaging continue to drive up the value of a brands’ sustainability and environmental impact. We’re sure to see more package designs that utilize innovative, eco-friendly materials and a less-is-more approach to material use. Cheap materials are quickly being replaced by biodegradable materials like paper, hemp, starch and cellulose; along with more easily up-cycled materials like glass and bamboo.

In the past we’ve seen that recreating the familiar has been a strong trend in packaging design. However, as more inventive designs enter the landscape, the more traditional, expected, product packaging seems to be taking a back seat.

Instead, we’re seeing designers take bigger creative risks with innovative and unusual packaging solutions, pushing the limits and taking product packaging design into uncharted waters.

The idea of “familiar design” is losing its place in the packaging world, and instead, in 2018, it’s the unfamiliar and unexpected that’s defining package design.

It’s the typical, the customary, the stagnant packaging solutions, unwilling to innovate, that will be pushed out of the limelight in 2018. Their more inventive, forward-thinking competitors will leave behind companies that are reluctant to stand out from the crowd.

As we move deeper into the future of packaging and an increasingly global, demanding marketplace, consumers are demanding new approaches to retail packaging that are both convenient and ecologically friendly. Brands looking to stay ahead of the trends will need to be willing to step away from the status quo and toward a new approach if they are going to survive in this rapidly changing landscape.

An experienced packaging partner that understands the changing market and can help you make big changes to stay relevant in 2018 is not just a good idea, it’s a requirement.

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