The Value of a Packaging Prototype – and How to Get One Fast

 

Reading Time: 6 Minutes

Packaging and labeling have a lot of power to market your message, shape consumers’ buying decisions, and improve the customer experience. Moreover, packaging carries the weight of making a first impression, whether on buyers at the shelf or investors at the table.

Whether you’re launching a new product, designing a new package, or even making small changes to an existing design, it’s crucial to get your package right the first time.

That’s where packaging prototypes—high-quality mockups that replicate the functional package—come in. Offering you the opportunity to bring your design to life before a full production run, prototypes can make all the difference in your project’s (or product’s) success.

Why create a packaging prototype?

Prototypes provide a critical opportunity to touch, feel and visualize how your new package will look from every angle. While digital proofs offer a view of the end package, the visualization is one-dimensional and limiting, requiring you to imagine the three-dimensional, constructed package. Prototypes give you the chance to hold the printed package in your hands and understand what it truly looks and feels like. This ability to “preview” the physical package is just as crucial as the visual design, and much harder to predict from a visual proof alone.

Creating a prototype allows you to further enhance your design, spot and address any flaws, or leverage the package in presentations before it ramps up to full production. In short, prototyping helps you impress your customers and ensure a successful, seamless product launch.

When should you get a packaging prototype?

Having a prototype is useful in countless scenarios, from tradeshows to packaging redesigns. Some packagers use prototypes to assess a new graphic design, package size, or style. A prototype is especially valuable when it comes to new product launches, presentations to potential investors, and time-sensitive demonstrations to retailers. In these scenarios, prototypes not only help you visualize the packaging, but also influence key decision-makers. Using a prototype, you can showcase features including dual finishes, dynamic color schemes, as well as tear notch closures and hang holes.

For entrepreneurs and startups, prototypes help investors and retailers see your product come to life—with a prototype, your product evolves from concept to reality. Industries with rapidly changing consumer expectations, such as pet food, nutraceuticals, and coffee companies can also benefit from prototypes. Consumers in these industries increasingly expect premium features, complex visual designs, tactile components, and closures to help signal premium packaging (and products). A prototype allows you to see these features in practice before you make the investment.

How to Get a Prototype—Fast

Prototypes have clear benefits, but one of the barriers to prototyping is speed. Once you’ve decided you want a prototype, talk to your packaging supplier about their process and turnaround time. At Belmark, we know the value of a prototype, which is why we work to turn around your prototype in 5–7 business days after proof approval. That way, you can be on your way to wow your next retailer, investor, or tradeshow attendee without having to wait on your packaging.

Scale Your Business With Launch™ Prototypes

Belmark’s Launch™ Prototype program gives you the opportunity to see how your product will appear on the shelf with high-quality, handmade mockups by our packaging experts. Our Launch™ Prototype team is committed to quality and confidentiality. They will handle your project with care and produce a production-quality, visually appealing design that you can use to grow your business. Once you need a full run, it’s easy to scale—we can move your mockup seamlessly into full production.