Brand strategy and all about packaging design

The Indian Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF), in its October 2025 update, noted that the packaging industry had grown to USD 86-billion as of September 2024, placing India as the world’s third-largest packaging market. Many factors are driving this growth, including the growing middle-class population, urbanisation, the expansion of eCommerce and quick commerce, and the emergence of new players and startups.

These factors indicate and also necessitate a shift in packaging and packaging design. With consumers favouring sustainable packaging, and Gen Z consumers in particular favouring aesthetic and trendy packaging, the packaging industry has reached a new age.

In this new age, packaging design needs to look good, be functional, while also contributing to the brand’s objectives and enhance the consumer experience. There are too many boxes to check, and the checklist is almost never-ending.

Packaging strategy

For Kinnari Gala, founder of All About Packaging, strategy comes before design. Gala shares, “We believe packaging must do more than just look good; it has to emotionally connect with consumers while aligning with the brand’s larger purpose.”

Gala and her team treat clients as partners to ensure this connection. Their approach is founded on understanding the client’s long-term vision, product purpose, and the specific problem it solves for the consumer. Once the strategy is defined, translating it into influential design and communication becomes seamless. For them, the ultimate goal is earning consumer loyalty, not just a single purchase — a feat Gala believes is achieved through strategy-built packaging.

Gala highlights a critical, often invisible, challenge in the field: the gap between digital design and real-world function. She observes, “On a computer, everything appears flawless, but the true test is when the pack is printed, held in hand and placed on a crowded shelf among competitors. That is where its real appeal is measured.”

She explains, “Shoppers scan dozens of products within seconds, so packaging has to connect emotionally and instantly. And here’s the truth: it is not about what the client or the designer likes, it is about what the consumer connects with and chooses to buy because it solves a need for them.”

Advising aspiring packaging designers to know their audience, she elucidates, “Once you understand them — how they think, what they value, and what influences their choices — every strategy and design decision will carry deeper meaning and create real value, both for the brand and consumers.”

She asserts, “One of the biggest lessons I have learned is that strategy is everything; it makes up at least 60% of the project.” She continues, “Understanding human psychology, how people behave, and what makes them tick is crucial. Design then becomes the medium, the other 40% that conveys this strategy.”

Highlighting the importance of partnering with clients and engaging with them in deeper discussions beyond the design stage, she remarks, “That is where the magic happens, because packaging is not just about sketches or working on design software, it is about real-life experiences, connections, and creating something that influences consumers.”

She remarks that while aesthetics are important, the real challenge is designing beyond aesthetics; the challenge lies in creating packaging that earns trust, stands out, and ultimately drives purchase. Gala sheds light on a packaging innovation that caught her eye: ID’s Butter Stick. “It is a true game changer that makes buttering hassle-free, solves a real consumer problem, and even comes with a refillable format that reduces waste,” she says.

Dubai Chocolate Chai

Gala highlights a packaging project that All About Packaging worked on this year. The company worked on designing packaging for the US-based brand Chaiwala’s for a new flavour, Dubai Chocolate Chai.

Gala remarks, “The moment I heard the name, I knew this was not going to be another regular tea pack.” She added, “It was a concept bursting with scope for creativity; a story of luxury, culture, indulgence, and the trend of Kunafa-inspired chocolate twisted beautifully into a chai.”

All About Packaging built on Chaiwala’s core identity, elevating it with design elements that reflected Dubai’s opulence and the richness of chocolate. The packaging design and aesthetic were established by a deep regal green, accented with delicate gold touches to mirror Dubai’s grandeur. Instead of going for solid chocolate bars, the design team opted for a melted, drip-style design to make the packaging look inviting and tempting.

Gala observes, “Our goal was clear: when a consumer sees the pack, they should not only notice it, they should crave it.” She continued, “This project gave us the rare opportunity to push creative boundaries because the concept itself was refreshing, new, and perfectly aligned with global trends such as the rising popularity of Kunafa chocolate.”

She shares that with its blend of innovation and indulgence, Dubai Chocolate Chai is creating waves in the market.

Translating to print-production

Gala asserts that design is just one part of the packaging process. “The real test lies in how it translates during printing and production,” she affirms.

She explains that All About Packaging is constantly updated on manufacturing practices — the team works closely with vendors, many of whom they have partnered with for nearly a decade. She observes, “Over the years, this has created a strong sense of mutual understanding, where they not only share their SOPs with us but also participate in discussions on innovations, print enhancements, and material choices.”

With automated packaging lines and high-end finishing machines, the quality and performance of packaging have improved. She asserts, “We follow our partners’ and vendors’ SOPs diligently to ensure accuracy and efficiency, while collaborating with them to explore what is possible; a special finish, a lighter material, or a new print technique.”

This partnership approach helps All About Packaging bridge the gap between design and execution, ensuring that the final product is visually compelling, manufacturable, durable, and market-ready.

Creativity and connection

Gala sheds light on a design project that All About Packaging undertook last year in the wellness category — a category that the team enjoys designing packaging for. She alludes, “We worked with one of the leading incense stick brands, and their new product was more than an incense stick pack; it was a holistic experience.”

The design conceptualised the packaging as an affirmation kit, which included incense sticks, crystals, and affirmation cards. “Right from naming the product to shaping how the buyer would experience it, the project allowed us to blend design with emotion and purpose,” she observes.

Within the wellness category, there is significant scope for experimentation with innovative materials, textures, and print enhancements to create a design that is both visually striking and experientially rich. She explains that for All About Packaging, what makes the wellness category appealing is the emotional depth and creative freedom it offers.

She remarks, “These products are rooted in wellbeing and connection, which means the packaging has to feel inspiring, uplifting, and authentic.” She continues, “It is a space where creativity and consumer connection naturally go hand in hand, which is why it excites us the most.”

Automation and efficiency

Gala highlights one of the biggest challenges for packaging designers in the coming years: the need to constantly create strategic and innovative solutions that help brands stand out in an FMCG market growing at an unprecedented pace. She notes that these challenges come with immense opportunities.

“The rise of AI and advanced design and print technologies will enable smarter, faster turnarounds, giving designers the ability to experiment more and bring ideas to market quicker,” she says. She explains that with the FMCG sector expanding, the demand for packaging that is beautiful as well as strategic, sustainable, and consumer-driven will grow — creating room for designers who can blend creativity with innovation to shape the future.

During the pandemic, the design industry deployed design tools and software for virtual proofing, monitoring, and evaluation systems. She shares that these virtual tools have made processes faster, more collaborative, and efficient.

She asserts, however, “Packaging is ultimately a physical product, and certain aspects like the personal touch of holding a mock-up, experiencing the texture, or the unboxing moment can never be fully replaced by digital.” She adds, “Those elements still need to happen in person.”

The takeaway here is that while virtual systems have streamlined approvals and communication, the final packaging experience requires a touch-and-feel connection.