Unbeatable Packaging Mockups

When you land a big pitch meeting, it’s important to get your hands on professional packaging with a quick turnaround. That’s why many businesses use packaging mockups to create a proof of concept before meeting with potential buyers.

Packaging mockups provide a clear approximation of your final packaging design. With a well designed mockup, you can impress prospective buyers as they review and test your packaging in their planograms and carefully consider picking up your product. 

Fast-moving consumer goods require fast-moving packaging mockups. Enlist a qualified design company and upgrade your product packaging before your next meeting. This article will provide real-world use cases and examples of stunning packaging mockups to help guide you through the process.

What Are Packaging Mockups?

Businesses use packaging mockups as prototypes that represent a tangible representation of the final packaging design. Think of a packaging mockup as a step up from a digital design file. While it won’t have the feel and sophistication of fully rendered product packaging, mockups allow you to hold packaging in your hands and make informed design decisions for future iterations.

Packaging mockups incorporate various materials like wood, plastic, foam board, metal, and paper. Choose materials based on the level of accuracy and functionality you need for your mockup. 

If you have a vision for your product packaging, feel free to make a sketch or rough prototype and bring it to a packaging company as a point of reference. Mockups serve as a useful example for numerous stakeholders, including your marketing and sales teams. Get feedback from different parties to ensure consistent branding and assess multiple design options before a full production.

With a professional packaging mockup, you can make a good impression on buyers before they even see your product. 

Why Do You Need a Packaging Mockup?

Packaging mockups can help different teams on the same page, which is a crucial part of ensuring a coherent and effective design. Everyone from marketers to manufacturers and product designers relies on mockups to optimize design elements before you start production. Here are the primary reasons why you might need a packaging mockup:

Refining design:

Send packaging mockups to your marketing team so they can improve the design and optimize it aesthetically and structurally. Use engaging graphics, cohesive branding, and eye-catching typography to encourage new sales. What are your graphics choices conveying? How does your item stand out near others on the shelf? Mockups allow you to see and feel a 3D iteration of your product packaging so you can guarantee you’re happy with the final result.

Presentation:

Showcase your merchandise with a professional flair using packaging mockups. Share your vision with your internal team, clients, and even prospective investors. Demonstrate a compelling proof-of-concept and impress different stakeholders with enhanced packaging.

Marketing and advertising:

Support your ad department with professional mockup packaging. Marketers use product packaging as an extension of ad campaigns so it’s important to make sure you’re all on the same page. Collect actionable data and see how packaging looks in online photos and on retail shelves. Well crafted packaging will attract attention across all marketing channels.

Manufacturing:

Use packaging mockups to run feasibility tests with manufacturers and see how practical your packaging is at scale. Work with a qualified packaging manufacturer to determine areas for improvement without committing to a full run of packaging. Avoid costly mistakes and delays by optimizing packaging before it hits shelves.

Packaging mockups are helpful as you test and refine your product packaging and get it ready for market. Take advantage of this opportunity to develop aesthetically pleasing, cost-effective product packaging.

Related Content: Packaging Mockup vs. Packaging Sample: What's the Difference?

Unbeatable Packaging Mockups

Making packaging mockups by hand can be useful early in the design process, but experienced packaging suppliers can usually provide a more professional, cost-effective option. Packaging mockups are more accurate representations because suppliers have access to high-quality tools like CAD Cutting machines and large format printing capabilities. Enlist a packaging company and take advantage of technological advances for higher-quality packaging mockups. 

Renderings or 3D Digital Mockups:

Cutting-edge 3D modeling and rendering software simplifies the design process so you can make informed decisions. Accurately depict large final products like pallet displays and explore different iterations with the click of a button. 

Digital packaging mockups make it easy to share designs with different teams and even different offices around the world. They are much faster and more cost-effective than physical mockups, although it’s more difficult to make decisions based on visuals and texture. Advancements in technology allow designers to simulate lighting and other design elements and even create an augmented reality environment.

CAD Sample Cutting Table

Package development usually employs cut and printed samples from an XY (or CAD) table, which allow for a printed substrate like corrugated cardboard to be cut along your packaging dieline. Help your buyer assess shelf impact with a printed folded carton. 

Especially if you’re not ready with graphics, getting a dieline is a good first step in the packaging process. As soon as the graphics are completed, you can easily add them to your packaging mockup. When you’re happy with your mockup, you can further optimize the design with a white or kraft sample.

It’s best to partner with a packaging company who offers an in-house CAD table, as this ensures efficient design and engineering for a faster turnaround time.

Takeaway

Develop your brand and shelf presence with professional packaging mockups and your final packaging design will pay dividends in the future. From 3D printed mockups to CAD table designs, there are many options to ensure you’re getting the best possible packaging. 

Make your packaging vision a reality with a printed mockup and prove your commitment to prospective buyers. Packaging mockups provide a great opportunity to succeed in pitch meetings and improve communication with different stakeholders. Use these helpful tools to build a strong foundation and optimize your professional product packaging.