Top 5 Package Design Sites

The way you present an item, be it on the web or in a restaurant, influences the item’s future adoption. Package design can be a very peculiar source of inspiration for web designers. Think about it. Package design deals with the relationship between a product and its consumers similarly to web design; the item’s characteristics, the environment it exists in, and the people exposed to it all interact on a subconsciously perpetual level. When you understand the way a package serves a purpose for its intended product, you can better understand the underlying purpose of a website’s design for its creator and his/her intentions. Packages are designed for a target audience the way websites are. The package speaks for and about the product it contains/displays the way a website puts its content out there in a very singular manner.

I have compiled a list of five very interesting package design related sites. I am not inferring that this is the best you will find out there since I have not seen it all. These are the best results I came across while researching.

• 1. LOVELY PACKAGE – lovelypackage.com
  

This is by far my favorite site! I frequent it as often as possible. Lovely Package features amazing package designs of products from around the world and provides brief descriptions of the designers and the package’s product. Sometimes, they fail to mention the package’s intended product which poses a problem especially when the writing on the package is in a foreign language and typography; it makes the package difficult to appreciate. They have daily additions, and keep previous ones, so for those who are new to the site, you will have hundreds of archival pages to explore. Every time I visit the site, I spend at least an hour going backwards because of the massive amount of posts that accumulate in little time.

• 2. THE DIELINE – thedieline.com
  

This site/blog provides a lot of goodies for package designers. Similarly to Lovely Package, the site features internationally innovative package designs. There is also a Directory with a useful list of package design companies, organized by country location. The Dieline also has an Awards page where the site administrators choose from package designs, and extol a select few. There is a very useful Jobs page that features an extensive list of package design jobs in North America (US/Canada). This site is quite a treat.

• 3. PACKAGE DESIGN MAGAZINE – packagedesignmag.com
  

This is perfect for those who are really into the business of package design and want to know the latest info about everything. Package Design Magazine Online is basically a hub for everything package design related. This site features articles about the Industry, design, companies, package material news, etc. The articles feature pictures related to the topics of discussion, for those of you simply looking for captivating visuals. Thankfully, the articles themselves are quite illuminating in terms of Industry trends, which can have overlapping resonance in web design trends. Their Calendar announces important package design-related events, conventions, and expos. There are podcasts and newsletters, but I must admit that I am not too fond of the site’s architecture; it could use some improving and reorganizing. This is a great site for practicing package designers and hopeful students.

• 4. DZINE – dzinebites.blogspot.com
  

I stumbled across this design blog that featured a list of cool package designs. It is a lot like Lovely Package, but of a smaller magnitude. On the right sidebar, there is an interesting list of design sites under the title ‘Inspirations.’ This means more sources to discover! I am sure there are dozens of other bloggers out there posting their favorite designs on their own personal blogs too. On DZINE I also came across another blog’s link [www.payal-shah.blogspot.com]. This blog also features pretty interesting designs and ads. I was impressed by a collection of ads, made for a clothing brand called Stori, which portrayed comic book superheroes as every-day men.

• 5. LOOKS GOOD – looks.gd
  

This is an online Design Magazine that provides resources and inspiration for designers of all types. It really is a delicious site! There are so many interesting posts to explore that feature original works in their designated fields (i.e. Advertising, Web Design, Typography, etc.). What more can I say? Go check it out for yourself!

DID I MISS SOMETHING?

I may not have mentioned some sites you may know and find important. I apologize for not knowing all the good ones, but that’s why the Comment section exists! Please share any other links you know and love so that we can all benefit from the gold mines.

By Marie-Ange Audigé

MORE LINKS

“100+ Minimal & Typographic Package Designs”

“Cool Packaging”

“25 Examples of Amazing Packaging Design”

“50+ Examples of Beautiful Packaging”

“Beautiful and Expensive Packaging Design”

A great site for Designers in general

Bittbox – A blog with a lot of useful material for designers

Design Muse – A package designer’s blog