Tilda Eriksson
Packaging programs rarely fail because the design is weak. They fail because decisions come too late, the right people are involved too late, and production risks are found too late. This article explains what a packaging strategy is, when you need one, and what we have learned at Collabra since 2003.
Key takeaways
- A packaging strategy is the plan behind your packaging: how it is structured, managed, produced and changed over time.
- Most packaging programs fail because of unclear decisions, late involvement and hidden production risks, not because of creativity.
- A good packaging strategy covers process, design architecture, guidelines and the resources needed to deliver.
- The best time to bring in strategy support is before a redesign, a new market launch or a period of fast growth.
- A good packaging strategy partner understands the whole chain, from business goals to print.
What is a packaging strategy?
A packaging strategy is the plan that decides how a brand's packaging is structured, created, managed and updated. It connects business goals, brand design and production into one clear direction.
A packaging strategy answers questions such as:
- How is our assortment structured, and how should it look in five years?
- Which design rules apply across all products and markets?
- Who does what in our packaging process, inside the company and with partners?
- How do we launch, adapt and update packaging without losing control?
Many brands have a strong brand strategy but no clear packaging strategy. Packaging decisions are then made project by project, and the portfolio slowly becomes harder to manage.
Why do packaging programs fail?
Packaging programs fail because of unclear decisions, late involvement and hidden production risks. In our experience, creativity is almost never the main problem.
Unclear decisions. Nobody has decided how the assortment should be structured, which elements are fixed and who approves what. Every project starts by solving the same questions again.
Late involvement. Artwork, print and regulatory experts are brought in after the design is chosen. By then, problems are expensive to fix.
Hidden production risks. A design looks right on screen but behaves differently on real materials, pack sizes or printing presses. The problem is found at proof stage, or on the shelf.
These three issues are strategic, not creative. They are solved by structure and planning before the design work starts.
What does a packaging strategy include?
A packaging strategy usually includes four areas. Together, they create the foundation that design and production work on.
| Area | Key question | Typical output |
|---|---|---|
| Business analysis & process | How does packaging work flow through the organisation? | Process map, roles, improvement plan |
| Assortment overview | How is the portfolio structured today? | Assortment map, complexity hotspots |
| Design analysis & guidelines | Which design rules must hold across all products and markets? | Design architecture, packaging guidelines |
| Resources & coordination | Who will deliver the work, especially in busy periods? | Project plan, roles, extra capacity where needed |
A strategy does not have to be a large document. What matters is that the key decisions are made, written down and shared before the work begins.
When should a brand invest in packaging strategy?
A brand should invest in packaging strategy before a big change, not after problems appear. Typical moments include:
- Before a redesign. A redesign is the best time to set a clear design architecture, instead of repeating old problems in a new look.
- Before entering new markets. A clear structure makes local adaptation faster and keeps the brand consistent.
- When the assortment grows fast. New variants, pack sizes and channels add complexity that needs a plan.
- When the same errors keep coming back. Repeated problems usually point to a process issue, not a people issue.
- When the team lacks capacity. Large projects often need more coordination than an in-house team can give on top of daily work.
If your portfolio has already become hard to control, our article on SKU proliferation shows how complexity builds up and where to start.
What makes a good packaging strategy partner?
A good packaging strategy partner understands the whole journey of a pack, from business goals to the printed product on the shelf. Strategy that ignores production often fails in practice.
When you choose a partner, look for these qualities:
- Knowledge of the whole chain. The partner should understand strategy, design, artwork, print and changes after launch, not only one part of it.
- Early involvement. Good partners join before decisions are locked, when changes are still cheap.
- Structure, not only ideas. Recommendations should turn into processes, guidelines and plans your team can actually use.
- Print and production experience. Many packaging problems are only visible to people who know how designs behave on real materials.
- Working with your team. The goal is to strengthen your organisation, not to create a dependency.
- Independence from tools. Strategy should come before software. The process decides what technology is needed, not the other way round.
What we have learned since 2003
Collabra was founded in 2003 in Gothenburg, Sweden. Since then, we have worked with FMCG brands across 600+ artwork programs and portfolios with thousands of articles. Our name comes from collaboration, which is still how we work: closely with brand owners, agencies, printers and suppliers.
Over these years, a few lessons have come back again and again.
Plan before production
For Santa Maria, a project with more than 600 artworks across markets, suppliers and printers, we designed a clear artwork architecture and planning logic before production started. Most issues were solved before artwork work even began. The result was an average of 1.5 revisions per artwork and predictable timelines.
Design for print, not only for the screen
For Arla, a vanilla yoghurt was being mistaken for strawberry because of how the colour looked in print. Our print manager adjusted the colour values to the real printing process and brought print expertise into the design discussions. The lesson: production knowledge belongs in the design phase.
Build a system, not a one-off
For Apoteksgruppen, we did not treat the modernisation of a large private-label range as a single redesign. We created a design architecture that defines how categories align and differ, plus guidelines and toolkits for future projects. This made later redesigns step by step, cost-efficient and predictable.
Test the process, not just the design
For Kavli, a single cross-market adaptation project became the foundation for long-term artwork control. The key was testing not only the execution but also the process and approval logic, and involving design and artwork vendors early.
Set clear rules for small formats
For Estrella, we created simple rules for how brand, product name and claims should appear at small sizes in mobile e-commerce. Clear rules made the whole product family easier to recognise and easier to manage.
You can read more about these projects on our work page.
How Collabra supports packaging strategy
Collabra is a packaging agency that combines strategy, design and production under one roof. This means our strategic advice is always tested against how packaging is actually designed, produced and printed.
Our packaging strategy consultancy covers three main areas:
- Business analysis and process. We analyse how your organisation works with packaging, find where processes conflict or slow things down, and develop processes that support your team instead of blocking it.
- Design analysis and guidelines. We support redesign projects with a full overview of your assortment and create structured design guidelines that help local and remote teams keep packaging consistent and compliant across markets.
- Consultancy services. When a large project needs extra coordination, we provide experienced project managers and coordinators who already know your brand. They can work in-house or remotely, to the degree you need.
Our goal is simple: to let brand owners focus on building their brands, while we make sure the packaging behind them is structured, consistent and ready to scale. You can read more about who we are in our story.
