So Simple! ---
How to Design a Minimalist Package?

How to design a minimalist package? Keep this principle in mind:

Omit needless things and focus on what is really important.

Identifying what is important and what is needless is the first step and the most critical process. Less is not really less. Simplicity is not really simple. Strategically creating every design element and word to serve an essential purpose tends to result in clean and direct visuals.

Here are minimalist design principles in each visual category:

1. LESS ELEMENTS

What are the must-have contents? Different industries have different requirements and standards. Using food products as an example, to help protect public health and safety, food labeling requirements vary in different countries by law. What is commonly required?

• Product Name - The statement of identity is the name of the food. It must appear on the front label.
• Net Weight or Volume - The net quantity of contents (net quantity statement) is the statement on the label which provides the amount of product in the container or package. It must be expressed in weight, measure or numeric count.
• Date Mark - This regulation makes it mandatory that the information about the 'Date of Manufacture or Packing' and 'Best Before' or 'Use by Date' must be mentioned on the label.
• Ingredient List - The ingredients are listed in order of predominance, with the ingredients used in the greatest amount first, and followed in descending order by those in smaller amounts. The label must list the names of any FDA-certified color additive.
• Nutrition Facts Information - The Nutrition Facts label provides consumers a quick food choice information containing serving size, calories, nutrients and percentage daily value.
• Warning or Declaration - If an advisory statement is required due to safety of using certain products like drug and chemical products, then designers should add one. "Warning" and "Declaration" should appear on the label prominently and conspicuously as compared to other words.
• Manufacturer Information - Declaration of responsibility. Name and address of manufacturer, distributor or importer.
• Country of Origin - In the United States, the USDA requires mandatory Country of Origin Labeling (COOL). All imported products must be marked with where products were manufactured, produced and grown, and it's required to clear customs.
• Storage Instructions - If a product requires specific storage instructions to remain safe, it's important to list those on the packaging label, such as "store in a cool dry place" or "keep in the fridge once opened".
• Lot or Batch Number - Lot or batch number is printed on the labels clearly at the end of the manufacturing process. It enables tracing of the product's entire manufacturing history of constituent parts or ingredients as well as labor and equipment record. It's a very important information when it comes to product recalls.

Requirements of packaging labeling in other industries and countries may be different. Besides the requirement above, there are a few other advantages that are not required that just can't be missed, such as:

• Brand Logo - Brand names influence purchase decisions. Nielsen's "Global New Product Innovation Survey" found that, more than two-thirds of developing-market respondents (68%) say they prefer to buy new products from brands they're familiar with. A 2017 survey from Luminer showed that 56% of shoppers say a recognizable logo draws their attention to a product. That's why the brand name is at the top of the design hierarchy.
• Certification Icons - USDA Organic, Fair trade, Kosher, Non GMO, FDA approved, etc. Getting certified is important. Product certification indicates this product's suitability and safety and that it has passed performance tests and quality assurance tests. Having an authorized third-party's guarantees is a word-of-mouth marketing.
• Barcode - Barcode may not be required by law, but it was commonly requested by distribution for inventory controls. A barcode is a unique identifier on retail products that helps to track sales of products.

Other content may be promotional marketing messages. Other superfluous designs to fill in the blanks for balance may help but may also be eliminated to adhere more closely to minimalist design principles.

• Advertising tagline - A successful catchy tagline grabs the target audience's attention and influences the customer's buying decision. "New!", "Sugar Free", "No Trans Fat", "100% Pure Nature", "100% Real Cheese", "World's #1", "Better Than Fresh Fruit" helps stand out from the competition but could just as easily be noise. Consumers no longer believe false advertising. Honest and transparent product information is what consumers want today.
• Calories calculation - Calorie information is usually on the nutrition label. However, to satisfying the calorie-conscious shoppers, highlighting low calorie on the front label can be advantageous. But caloric content is not essential information, and the shoppers who pay attention to calories don't represent the majority.
• Cooking Method & Time - "Ready to eat", "2 Minutes Cooking Time", "Microwavable", etc. To emphasize how quick and convenient a product is, it is moved up to the front as a product advantage to attract customers. However, cooking method and time are already part of the cooking instruction in the back panel, so this information is repeated.
• Brand's Story, Vision and Philosophy - The story of a granny's most famous recipe becoming a successful, family-owned business; milk coming from the happy cows fed with natural products; a brand's visions of focusing on saving the environment; the corporation's philosophy of believing in innovation of product development, etc. All these efforts try to persuade shoppers to trust that this brand is honest, dedicated and customer-oriented. This additional information could be "the cherries on the top" or the extra clutters that losses shoppers' attention.
• Product Series Introduction - Listing all product series, sizes, colors, flavors or related accessories on side panels is another common strategy used for marketing cross promotion. What if there are four colors in this series of product, and they are displayed next to each other on the shelves? Then, mentioning color options becomes repetitive. But what if one highly demanded color is sold out, or this store only carries certain colors? Then, shoppers could walk away with disappointment and shop elsewhere. Instead of having all versions of packaging prints, some manufacturers use one version to fit all to save costs.
• Use of Product - Another marketing promotion trick is to suggest how the product could be perfect for traveling, party, camping, picnic, etc. Consumers can use the product as they want, no need for advisement.
• Recipe - It's important to provide directions for drug and chemical products. However, cooking instruction for food may not be required but can help improve customer satisfaction. Providing a recipe may not be necessary.
• Barcodes on All Sides - Putting barcodes on all sides allows cashiers to scan on any side instead of wasting time looking for barcodes. The duplication is unnecessary, though.

2. LESS WORDS

Less really is more when it comes to advertising; the same holds true with packaging. Twitter allows only 280 characters or less for each post. "Four out of five people only read the headline in an advertisement", said David Ogilvy. Keep words short and sweet to allow consumers to quickly grasp any key point. The trend of short scriptwriting from reading on a screen is the same concept as having less words on a packaging label when shopping in store. Fewer, simpler words mean easier understanding for shoppers.

How to simplify the words on packaging?

• Use the words as you say. Use simple words to communicate complex ideas. Avoid using terminology that only you know. Write like you are talking to a new friend. Don't talk down but be welcoming.
• Remove unnecessary words. Use short, punchy sentences and precise keywords. The headline on an article equals packaging's front panel. Shoppers don't have enough time to read through your long sentences when browsing the aisles at a grocery store.
• Use informational graphics to replace text. A picture says a thousand words. Infographics can more easily catch audiences' attention and increase brand awareness than text. A good icon is like a universal language that everyone can understand. This can resolve issues in foreign language translations.

3. SIMPLE LINES AND SHAPES

Minimalism derives from geometric shapes, influenced by Bauhaus, architect and product designs. Due to today's advanced technology, the definition of minimal shapes and lines remains simple but more organic and freestyle. Car shapes, for example, are now curvy rather than boxy.

Geometric shapes like squares, rectangles, triangles, circles or uniform measurement shapes don't often appear in nature. Organic shapes are un-straight, un-uniform, uneven and un-measurable shapes associated with nature. 'Organic' now is a term in modern design theory that influences all design fields including packaging. Whether designing with geometric or organic shapes and lines, keep it simple!

4. MINIMAL COLORS

Minimalist design is not about using only black and white colors; it's about simplifying color shades and palettes. When 3D technology was introduced to desktop publishing in the 80's, graphic designers loved using gradient and shadow to add the appearance of dimension. Nowadays, gradient and shadow might mean cheap or outdated if not carefully simplified. Without complex shades and messy rainbow color palettes, solid color or single-color objects easily stand out from solid backgrounds without adding any shadows when using the appropriate colors, harmony or contrast.

The trend of minimizing color is easily seen in logo development. In the standard guidelines of a corporation identity system, it is common for designers to set up standard logos with different versions: one-color, two-color full-color, and B&W. However, designers are no longer stubborn about using all colors, often choosing a single color or even going black or white. These changes are reflected in Apple's logo history.

Look at the three most popular car colors. Different brands and geographies show slightly different results, but based on overall buying behavior, the three colors that never go wrong are silver, white and black. Though the most minimal color is no color at all (e.g., black and white) that doesn't mean every product or brand needs to be black and white. If all packaging used only black and white, how would anything stand out?

Not every product is suitable for Black and white. The food industry, for example, commonly uses yummy, warm, orange tones like McDonald's. But for some restaurants and sweet brands, black and white is used to emphasize the theme of luxury. If simplicity is not simple, black and white is not just black and white. Between black and white, there are grey scales. When designers think that black is too plain and boring, they might use charcoal, an off-black, to replace black.

5. MINIMAL IMAGES

When the strategy of minimal color succeeds, photos become a stand-alone image; illustration and icon become flattened or even eliminated entirely to leave text only.

In minimalist photography, after omitting needless elements, the subject might stand alone. An eye-catching subject on a simple background gets all the attention. Thus, picking a striking and engaging subject is very important.

With the advent of cellphones, AI (Artificial Intelligence), and VR (Virtual Reality), society is flooded with technology. When everything is made by machine, people value a "human touch" more than ever. Computer lettering can't beat handwriting; machine-made can't beat handmade. Shopper likes unique and personalized items. This makes an organic style illustration with imperfect strokes and simple shading more appealing to viewers.

Icons, symbols and logos usually are already simple versions of images. The evolution of logo design is getting simpler and simpler. Minimalist symbols in an internet world are desirable.

6. MORE NEGATIVE SPACE

Negative space is the space outside of subject(s). In minimalist design, the interactions between subject (positive space) and negative space lead the viewer's eye. In Asian art theory, negative space is intentionally used for artistic mood or as a concept. An artist whose artistry lies in utilizing negative space is considered clever and superior

Leaving a blank background isn't as easy as it looks. Nor does it work on all packaging designs. Some designers feel uncomfortable leaving empty space and reluctantly add unnecessary information to fill the blanks. It becomes chaotic to look at. If the product size is large, then the front panel label could have plenty of negative space and have room to breathe, unlike on smaller labels.

Throwing subjects in the middle is a common page layout. However, center style can be unattractive and doesn't work for every project. Therefore, the most pleasing proportion from art theory's 'Golden Ratio' and from photography's 'Rule of Thirds' are more off-center and lead to more playful and interesting focal points.

(Chris Huang (August,2019), MINIMALIST PACKAGING: Enhancing Creative Concepts, P13-P23)