Bhavika Shah shares insights on packaging design

Beyondesign, a women-only, Mumbai-based design studio, was founded by Bhavika Shah in 2006. With around 20 years of experience in design, Bhavika shares, “Many challenges in packaging are less about what is seen and more about how it is used.”

Quality packaging design is not merely about functionality and aesthetics; the trick lies in asking the right questions, as Bhavika mentions, “Will the consumer instinctively know how to open the packaging? Will it survive travel, weather, and repeated handling? Will it still look good two weeks after being bought?”

Packaging as an experience
Beyond functionality, packaging can be turned into an experience. Bhavika shares insights about a project that highlighted the unpackaging experience with a surprise element in the form of printed personal affirmations on the inside flap of the packaging.

Bhavika mentions that subtle cues must be given consideration, such as “How premium the product feels without being excessive, or how tone of voice can shift perceptions of trust.” She continues, “A space we are exploring is sustainable packaging — not just ones that use the word. This space is sensitive, and we are working toward it.” 

We asked Bhavika about a project that she enjoyed working on: “We worked on a wellness brand in the nutrition space called Nutrova, which we had originally designed 10 years ago.” She adds, “We were brought back to reimagine and refine the packaging system with the brief to evolve with the brand: to feel simplified and aligned with its growing audience.” 

The brief was implemented by removing excess and making communication intuitive. She adds, “It was a full-circle moment and proof that great packaging is not static; it needs to grow with the brand, the consumer, and the context in which it lives.”

Brand identity and production
Building on the idea of evolving with a brand's needs, according to Bhavika, ensuring packaging designs look good and contribute to a brand’s overall goals begins with clarity on what the brand wants to achieve, not just how it wants to look. She says, “This means helping a product stand out in a crowded category, repositioning it to feel premium, or even communicating function to a new audience.” She adds, “From there, we design elements with intent—structure, layout, tone, and finish. Whether it is a gifting-led food brand, a beauty line, or a capsule-based supplement, we make sure the design works on shelf, in-hand, and online.”

Packaging design extends to the practicalities of production, printing. Bhavika remarks, “We stay aligned with print partners to check material compatibility and ink retention. We create packaging within the constraints of automated lines and standard tooling, resulting in minimal friction in scaling.”

She adds, “The idea is simple: a great design should look as good in your hand as it did on screen. Vendors are a big part of the process, and after over 20 years in the space, we have realised that it is if they are involved on day zero.”

Sustainability at the forefront
WhatPackaging? discusses Bhavika’s approach to sustainable and green material sourcing: “In the short term, we encourage brands to switch to recyclable, locally sourced, and mono-material solutions—small steps that can be realistically implemented.” She continues, “For the long term, we are excited about working with emerging materials and reusable formats, as well as designing systems where the packaging can adapt to new, greener substrates without losing its identity.”

She says that sustainability has to be honest, scalable, and baked into the brand’s makeup, adding that Beyondesign has found a partner. “We are excited to get into the details of ink and how it is sustainable,” she says.

Future challenges and opportunities
On future opportunities and challenges in the packaging design industry, Bhavika notes, “There’s growing demand for brands to be transparent, eco-conscious, and emotionally resonant. Designers will need to find smarter ways to use fewer materials, tell stories, and build packaging that invites engagement, not just admiration.” She adds, “It will be important to reduce packaging whilst keeping it relevant.”

We asked Bhavika if there is an industry she especially enjoys designing packaging for. She says, “Wellness and food brands — they allow us to bring together design, storytelling, and consumer behaviour.” 

Bhavika mentions that virtual tools and systems, which were in use during the pandemic, have enhanced the quality and consistency of the output: “Digital mockups, virtual proofing, and collaborative review systems are now part of our everyday process.” She adds, “They have helped us move faster, reduce waste, and collaborate with clients, vendors, and printers across different locations.”

She shares a valuable lesson learnt from a packaging mentor: “Design for the journey, not the moment. A packaging idea should not just work on day one; it must endure across logistics, weather, handling, and the full consumer experience.” This mindset, she adds, helps in designing beyond aesthetics and helps create for real-world relevance across formats and channels.

Finally, we asked Bhavika for advice for aspiring packaging designers: “Design with empathy. Ask how your design will be held, stored, reused, or even disposed of. Think about the consumer’s moment of interaction and what they’ll remember.”

She concludes, “If your pack can spark a feeling, tell a story, be easy to use, and good for the planet, you have created something meaningful.”