What's new in the 2024 packaging standards?
As global awareness of environmental issues rises, the packaging industry is experiencing a wave of new regulations aimed at reducing waste,...
Are you an emerging graphic packaging designer seeking the best software for crafting packaging designs? Or perhaps a brand manager overseeing product packaging in marketing management, in search of software that streamlines the management, review, and storage of your packaging artworks? Or maybe an engineer in the carton industry scouting for software to materialize your upcoming packaging concept?
Table of Contents
In case the mentioned software is not already in your toolkit, you're likely to search for it. However, product packaging means different things to different people, even in the more narrow formulation – product packaging in marketing management. You'll soon find a multitude of varying information concerning what product packaging software represents to different individuals and enterprises.
Seems baffling… Let’s clarify this.
Multiple terminologies exist for software dedicated to the creation and upkeep of packaging designs (pertaining to both the graphic designs and the actual packaging). A search for product packaging software will likely yield results that encompass all these terminologies.
Let's explore the unique functions and what you can anticipate from each to find the best fit for your requirements.
These solutions assist packaging experts in designing packages, concentrating visually but primarily focusing on aspects like cartonization, pallet loading etc. The software should be proficient in executing these computations and offering a comprehensive packaging strategy.
Facilitates the management of a complete array of management operations, ranging from supply chain management, resources, to financials within substrate creation or acquisition and corresponding packaging. Expect the system to be more than merely an accounting platform; it should be dedicated to addressing the specific challenges prevalent in your industry.
Illustrating the established norm – the Adobe suite emerges as an indispensable asset for generating graphic designs. The suite, although intensive to learn, is essential for designers who are serious about realizing their creative visions.
Various standards exist ranging from rudimentary that automatically configure 3D visuals from artworks, to advanced solutions, with the choice dependent on the desired quality. More advanced options produce close to anything, while auto generation results in rather square and simple packshots.
A system specializing in the consolidation, management, and collaboration of all artworks and projects, allowing storage/library, projects, review and approval, emphasizing a seamless work process and collaborative environment for designers, artwork partners, internal and external reviewers, printers etc.
Articles featuring "top software" lists can be insightful, offering a condensed view of available options, including the author's own products. However, it's beneficial to approach these lists with an open mind while cross-referencing information to ensure a comprehensive view of each software's capabilities.
While universal tools like Illustrator are widely recognized for packaging design, broadening your search can uncover a variety of solutions. This may include innovative artwork management systems and applications offering specialized functionalities for various design tasks beyond traditional packaging, such as web and social media graphics.
Platforms like Gartner’s Capterra can provide a starting point for your research into product packaging software, presenting a wide-ranging view under the umbrella of "Packaging software." These insights span across numerous applications from logistics solutions to design and workflow management systems, catering to various aspects of packaging.
Ultimately, a tailored understanding of your specific needs and challenges is essential when selecting product packaging software. By doing so, you can better navigate the range of features offered and align them with your project goals.
Anticipating the future of product packaging in marketing management unveils possibilities of technological advancements enhancing the evolutionary pace of packaging production.
AI has the potential to revolutionize both packaging design and artworks. Today, all but the simplest packaging is created and implemented by graphics creatives. Tomorrow it seems like a natural step for AI to create and place graphics in an artwork template, thus creating whole assortments based on a few master designs. That would e.g. allow for packaging workflow software to include AI generated artworks that can be reviewed and corrected in the software by the brand owner, without the graphics creator in between.
Packaging workflow software, of which the better part is primarily rooted in the prepress and print industry, is evolving to better assist brand teams with their daily challenges. It's transitioning towards streamlining processes and projects, making them quicker, more secure, and easier to manage. This includes incorporating more copy-related functions and synchronizing with other Product Information Management (PIM) systems to collect pertinent data. This enhancement could facilitate artwork production by reducing the necessity for numerous reviews and approvals, thus significantly accelerating the artwork management process and reducing the time to market.
Product packaging software embodies a variety of software applied in the realms of packaging and on-pack designs, spanning from package construction, ERP systems, to graphic design and visualization software. Furthermore, packaging workflow software emerges as an instrumental tool for brand owners to organize, manage, and collaborate on their artworks. Cway is a notable packaging workflow software, managing the artwork assortment for major brands in Scandinavia, adhering to industry best practices. Cway offers both software and experts in graphics, management and print, facilitating a complete best practice artwork management service.
I hope this information illuminates your search and guides you towards what you are seeking. For a more informed decision in your search, consider exploring software suppliers whose current customers resemble your company's profile and challenges. This can ensure that the software is utilized by companies facing similar challenges. You might also want to reach out to these customers for software reviews and insights. Additionally, keep in mind that "free" software is rarely entirely free or sufficiently efficient for your needs. Ultimately, the value of software is reflected in its performance and the fulfillment of its promises. In other words, you get what you pay for.
Designers primarily use Adobe Illustrator for packaging design, complemented by Adobe Photoshop for image support. For managing artwork projects, packaging workflow software like Cway is utilized. Cway assists in planning, storing, managing, reviewing, approving, and sharing artworks. It also facilitates graphics management, and experts in the field use it to manage artwork assortments for clients according to industry best practices.
Examples of artwork management processes:
Updating current artwork:
Creating new artwork from master design:
The predominant product packaging software within design creation is Adobe Illustrator, often complemented by Adobe Photoshop for image support. These programs facilitate the creation of both vector and pixel graphics and offer extensive flexibility in text management.
Here is a workflow commonly used by packaging designers in Illustrator:
An assortment design typically includes:
As global awareness of environmental issues rises, the packaging industry is experiencing a wave of new regulations aimed at reducing waste,...
The Packaging industry is currently navigating through various challenges, including evolving government regulations, shifting consumer trends,...
Getting your creative work approved on time is like hitting a moving target. But without a streamlined approval process, you risk delays,...