The ultimate digital detox... and other unexpected benefits of packaging
In an age dominated by screens, packaging offers brands a rare moment of real-world connection; a tangible touchpoint that builds trust and recognition. Adam Swan, Creative Partner at Derek&Eric makes the case that packaging isn’t an afterthought, but the most powerful expression of a brand’s identity in the physical world.
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In a world that feels permanently online, concentrating on in-store packaging can almost feel like a relic from the past.
Brands born in the digital space sometimes see it as an afterthought – a final touch once the social strategy, motion assets and e-commerce templates are in place.
Holding a product, feeling its weight or the texture of an emboss, sends a subconscious message of quality and care.
But for all the sophistication of digital marketing, the pack remains one of the most powerful brand tools there is. It’s the only medium that people can actually hold, keep and experience on their own terms.
We spend close to fourteen hours a day looking at screens, flicking through endless content and ads that are supposedly personalised but often just feel intrusive.
The idea of a digital detox has been around for years, but for most it never really happens. We spend close to fourteen hours a day looking at screens, flicking through endless content and ads that are supposedly personalised but often just feel intrusive. When you walk into a shop, that relationship changes. You pick things up, you compare them, you decide. Shopping in a physical space is one of the few moments that still pulls us away from the digital world. And we shift from feeling like we’re being chased by brands to actively engaging with them, to choosing them – even if the retailer has done the selection first – rather than the algorithm telling us what to buy.
Long after an ad disappears from the feed, the product often remains in view: on a kitchen counter, in a bathroom cabinet, or on a shelf at home.
Packaging is an important part of this: in a world where audiences are increasingly cynical about what they see on a screen – thanks to deepfakes, AI and algorithmic manipulation – the tangible object has almost become a proof point. It says, this brand exists.
That tangibility creates trust. Holding a product, feeling its weight or the texture of an emboss, sends a subconscious message of quality and care. It’s why premium brands obsess over finishes – heavier papers, tactile varnishes, foil details – because these things make quality felt as well as seen.
Packaging also endures. Long after an ad disappears from the feed, the product often remains in view: on a kitchen counter, in a bathroom cabinet, or on a shelf at home. It quietly builds familiarity and association through repetition. The brands people choose to keep in sight say something about who they are. It’s why the right tin of beans, jar of olives or bottle of oil can feel like a small act of self-expression.
The right tin of beans, jar of olives or bottle of oil can feel like a small act of self-expression.
From feed to shelf
If brands want to be remembered, to be bought, getting the packaging right is crucial. For brands that started online, this often comes as a surprise. A pack that works brilliantly in a scrolling, animated environment can look lost when it’s still on a shelf. The sleek, minimal aesthetic that photographs beautifully but vanishes in real life. The digital world lets you explain yourself – you can move, talk, and contextualise. In store, everything has to be summed up in a glance.
Huel is a good example of what happens when brands recognise that difference. Its early black-and-white identity stood out online for its simplicity. But when the product hit supermarket shelves, the minimalism became a weakness. Surrounded by colour and appetite cues, it looked cold. Huel quickly evolved its packaging, adding sweeps of illustration while keeping the core idea intact. The result feels more flavourful and more likely to catch someone’s eye as they walk past.
A pack doesn’t get the benefit of motion or sound. Its job is to cut through that visual crowd, to signal what it is and why it matters in two seconds flat.
Similar tensions apply in many categories. Skin + Me built its success as a personalised direct-to-consumer skincare brand, sending tailored treatments with each customer’s name printed on the packaging. When it expanded into shops, it faced a challenge: you can’t print everyone’s name in Boots. The brand introduced clear colour coding and simplified navigation to help people understand the range quickly. In this way, the in-store experience acts as a doorway: a way to attract new customers into a more personalised digital journey later.
This is the reality of modern branding: most audiences move fluidly between physical and digital, and packaging regularly has to work across both. But the in-store environment is particularly demanding. It’s noisy, competitive and static. A pack doesn’t get the benefit of motion or sound. Its job is to cut through that visual crowd, to signal what it is and why it matters in two seconds flat.
The sleek, minimal packaging aesthetic that photographs beautifully for socials can often get lost on the shelves.
Designing for the moment of choice
This requires a different kind of thinking. Start with context, not artwork. Too often, packaging is treated as a self-contained design exercise, briefed separately from the brand world and handed to a specialist agency once everything else is done. But a pack is not just a container; it’s the brand in its purest, most concentrated form. It needs to carry the same idea, the same confidence and the same tone as every other touchpoint.
Hierarchy is crucial. Brand sits at the top of the pyramid, but key benefits cannot be underplayed. Building a visual identity with distinctive assets from typography and colour to illustration and tone of voice allows every level of information to play its part, whilst supporting the whole. It’s a balance: enough clarity to be understood instantly, enough character to be remembered.
Packaging shows how you show up in the real world. In an era where so much of life feels intangible, that matters more than ever.
Tactility also deserves more attention. It’s not just a finishing flourish; it’s a sensory signal. A heavier bottle or a textured label can make a product feel more substantial, even when the contents are identical. The pack justifies its premium by embodying it. It says “this is worth paying more for”.
Perhaps the biggest risk for brands that neglect packaging is invisibility. You can have the best product and a brilliant digital strategy, but if your pack disappears in store, you’ve lost the moment of choice. On the flip side, when you get it right, the benefits go far beyond the shelf. Physical presence builds credibility. It’s why so many brands still invest in pop-ups and travel retail experiences. Putting something in someone’s hand has more impact than any ad can buy.
Ultimately, packaging is more than a design discipline; it’s a brand behaviour. It shows how you show up in the real world. In an era where so much of life feels intangible, that matters more than ever.
