3 delightful examples of notable packaging design

Earlier this year, Justin Johnson, principle at the design agency More Branding, told Packaging Digest, "Shopping in a supermarket is like speed dating—it’s quick and shallow with lots of choices." We couldn’t agree more.

With thousands of products available for purchase on grocery store shelves, brands must stand out to survive via ingredient integrity, taste and, importantly, package design. But while shoppers are visually driven beings, brand managers should go beyond a product’s packaging label to woo customers. Aside from looking pretty on the shelf, designers must ask how packaging can also improve a product’s entire user experience by lengthening the shelf life, reducing waste and adding an element of customization.

These exceptional examples show how out-of-the-box packaging elevates food and beverage products for greater sales.

Slingshot Foods Strawberry

The makers of Slingshot Foods employed an innovative packaging strategy to prevent a crispy, crunchy topping from getting soggy in a drinkable yogurt. Inside each bottle is a delicious, creamy concoction of low-fat milk, milk protein concentrate, agave syrup, yogurt cultures and more; inside the plastic tube encircling the bottle, you’ll find toasted oats, chia seeds, almond bits, honey and sunflower oil. To consume, pop the bottle, pour in the topping, shake it up and sip this complete breakfast-with-a-bite.

Nona Lim Chicken Turmeric Bone Broth

Bone broth’s legendary rise in the United States is driven from a brand perspective. Sure, bone broth has great nutritional benefits such as protein and collagen, but it’s a pain to make, involving hours of simmering bones over a stove-top to extract flavor, vitamins and minerals.

Most products that offer pre-made bone broth come in multi-serve bags or boxes. Nona Lim packages its bone broth, however, in a way that encourages consumers to easily heat and sip. Perfect for the grab-and-go area of grocery stores, each microwaveable, non-BPA plastic container contains a beautiful, nourishing blend. This flavor features roasted chicken bones, carrots, organic goji berries, fresh ginger and turmeric; the 20-calorie, vegan Miso Broth contains organic tamari, organic miso, tahini, garlic, ginger, kombu and more.

Pete's Living Greens Baby Romaine

This new “Living Strips” line from the recently rebranded Pete’s Living Greens looks cool, tastes fresh and reduces food waste. Available in five lettuce mixes ranging from Upland Cress to Baby Romaine, Pete’s Living Greens are grown hydroponically, then packaged with the roots intact in a 100 percent recyclable container. The best part: because the lettuces are still growing while in the fridge, the product has an astounding 18-day shelf life.