According to Point of Purchase Advertising International shopper
behaviour studies, one-third of purchase decisions are
made in-store within seconds, highlighting why clarity and shelf
differentiation matter immediately.
The client wants the product to look
premium instantly. They want it to stand out on the shelf. They want it to feel
modern but also rooted in tradition. And ideally, they want it to appeal to
everyone.
At Hashtag Designs, a Pune-based studio,
packaging projects have consistently proven to be some of the most instructive
work the team takes on. Not because packaging is the most complex discipline,
but because it forces branding into its most honest and constrained form. There
is limited space, limited time, and a user who is already in the middle of ‘planning’.
Either it works, or it does not.
“Packaging is one of the most unforgiving
design problems,” says Madhushree Kulkarni, founder of Hashtag Designs. “There
is no onboarding, no second screen, no opportunity to explain further. The
brand has to communicate everything it needs to in a single glance, while
sitting next to multiple competing products on the same shelf.”
This context removes many of the layers
that digital products often rely on. There are no progressive disclosures or
guided interactions. The design has to carry meaning immediately, without
requiring effort from the user. This makes clarity, hierarchy, and emotional
resonance critical.
The studio has worked with traditional
Indian food and confectionery brands, where the balance between heritage and
contemporary appeal becomes particularly important. These products often carry
strong cultural and emotional associations. Customers are not just evaluating
quality. They are responding to familiarity, trust, and perceived authenticity.
In such cases, design decisions become more
nuanced. A brand that leans too heavily into modern aesthetics may lose its
sense of warmth and tradition. On the other hand, a design that remains overly
traditional risks blending into a crowded shelf without differentiation.
Finding the right balance requires more
than visual judgment. It requires a clear understanding of the audience and
what they are responding to.
One such project involved redesigning the
packaging identity for a traditional mithai brand. The existing packaging
carried a sense of familiarity and warmth but lacked structure and clarity. The
revised brief introduced a subtle but important shift. The goal was not only to
improve how the product looked, but to make it feel like something worth
gifting.
This change in framing influenced every
design decision. Color choices were refined to signal both richness and
restraint. Typography was adjusted to create a stronger presence without losing
approachability. The layout introduced clearer hierarchy, allowing key
information to stand out without overwhelming the design. Even the physical
finish of the packaging was reconsidered to enhance the tactile experience.
The result was not just a visual update. It
was a more precise answer to a fundamental question: what should this brand
feel like in someone’s hands?
Madhushree notes that packaging projects
often reveal deeper branding gaps that are not immediately visible. “When you
start deciding what goes on the front of the pack, you quickly realize that the
brand itself is not fully defined. Who is this for? What should they notice
first? What matters enough to be seen in three seconds? If those answers are
unclear, the design cannot solve the problem.”
This is where Hashtag Designs approaches
packaging differently. Rather than treating it as a production task, the studio
treats it as a strategic exercise. Packaging is not just a container. It is a
moment of interaction between the brand and the user.
The weight of the box, the texture of the
material, the way it opens, and the clarity of information all contribute to
perception. Each of these elements communicates something about the brand,
whether intentionally or not.
“Physical design is very honest,”
Madhushree explains. “You cannot hide behind transitions or interactions. What
you show is what the user experiences immediately. That makes every decision
more visible and more accountable.”
The lessons from packaging extend beyond
physical products. Every interface, whether digital or physical, is a surface
where the brand makes a promise. The discipline required to design effective
packaging applies equally to websites, applications, and communication systems.
Clarity, hierarchy, and emotional
connection are not packaging-specific principles. They are fundamental to all
forms of design.
At its core, packaging reinforces a simple
truth about design.
Design is a series of promises made to the
user. And in packaging, there is no space to hide the ones that have not been
kept. Businesses
that invest in strategic packaging build stronger recall, greater trust, and
better shelf performance.
If your brand is ready to create packaging that sells while
strengthening perception, visit Hashtag Designs and discover how
design can turn attention into action.