30 golden packaging principles from Nestlé

I got these 30 principles in autumn 2005 from a packaging training by Lars Wallentin, former Senior Executive Packaging & Training, Nestlé (Switzerland). There’s no structure, but it's a useful shortlist of your possibilities.

Here they come:
1. Use all the tools available: graphics (lay-out), material, shape (form), illustration (photo, drawing, and window), copy (words), touch, sound and symbolism. Always keep the 5 senses in mind.
2. Strengthen the brand and make the brand more interesting.
3. Fight over-communication! Keep it simple!
4. Facilitate handling.
5. Emotional advantages stimulate trial purchase, functional ones to re-purchase.
6. Don't be modest, be generous.
7. Improve constantly. Competition does. So store-check ofte!
8. Be unique. Try to surprise.
9. Communicate… don’t just inform.
10. Make the tray and the shipper sell!
11. Without taste appeal, who wants to taste it? Make it look good!
12. Design for the consumer, not for your management.
13. Treat side panels as front panels.
14. Call it service panel, not back panel and amplify important information.
15. Ecology: neither negative nor boring if seen from a marketing point of view.
16. Packaging is advertising and always includes some sort of “call-to-action”.
17. Don’t believe all what you’re told… There are exceptions to most rules.
18. Never change all variables at the same time!
19. Events, seasons, holidays, etc. offer opportunities. Develop special editions (cf. Coca Cola, Toblerone)
20. Don’t loose your common sense. Therefore ask questions.
21. If something looks interesting, new or different, it will be READ.
22. If we concentrate (on the essential), it will be easier to read.
23. If we highlight a service, the consumer will use it.
24. Without a clear positioning you achieve nothing.
25. A question mark makes us curious!
26. Headlines provoke interest.
27. Print clear opening instructions and verify if they work.
28. Use all space available (inside, top, bottom, sides, flaps, etc.)
29. Make the nutrition information understandable.
30. Cross advertise … it costs you nothing.

I would like to add 4 extra important points:
31. Clearly visualize your key benefit. Make it self explanatory.
32. Brand: the larger your branding the better you will be seen (attention).
33. But make it “truly” branded: if the packaging had no branding, the consumer must immediately know what brand this is.
34. Make your product accessible for 50+: readable copy (large typo with good contrast), right place in shelf (not too high or too low).