Customer service rules or guidelines are crucial for packaging design students to learn. Here’s why.
Today, more than ever, people want to buy products that look good. Packaging design is really important as it helps to attract customers and generate sales. What are some of the features of effective packaging? Let’s find it out!
What is good packaging?
As mentioned above, today’s average buyer picks a product based mainly on the package design. So decent packaging is first about an original and memorable brand that resonates with customers. That’s why a designer’s main aim is to build brand recognition.
Next, great package design must communicate a clear message of what the product offers. It also must connect it to the target audience. All the crucial information on the packaging must be easy to interpret at a glance and quickly accessible.
Functionality is another key feature of packaging. What differentiates one brand from another? One of the most important things is the shape and material used for packaging. Often, it’s a determining factor in how successful a product is.
The visual presence of the product can attract new customers and set it apart from the competitors. Basically, packaging design represents the quality of the product.
Studying packaging design
Studying packaging design at college can be a real challenge. Nowadays, students are overloaded with the amount of work to complete. They need to attend classes almost every day, complete home assignments and pass regular exams. It may feel so burdensome for young people. That’s why they should find ways to relieve their stress from studying. It can be done by using the latest tech tools like online plagiarism checkers and automated citation generators. It’s also helpful to check the examples of papers on a topic you are studying, like argumentative essays about Rosa Parks or research papers on environment protection. Checking a sample paper before you start completing your assignment will help you produce a great work faster and more easily.
Customer service rules for designers
No matter what field you are going to work in, it’s not easy to manage a client’s expectations. Clients sometimes undervalue the creativity of designers and try to control the process. Typically, it results in a complete failure. So how to avoid it and drive your project towards success? Let’s consider some rules you should stick to.
Clear communication
Decent communication is an integral part of any successful project, no matter what you are doing. Good communication is all about simplicity. Try to share your ideas without using complicated jargon. Your clients may not be familiar with your professional terms, so do your best to avoid them. Moreover, don’t depend on words only because they may be misinterpreted. Instead, share visuals with your clients, so they can clearly see what concept you are trying to achieve.
Professional boundaries
Even if you are doing your best to meet expectations of your client, some issues will always arise. For example, your clients may request changes to your first mockup, and this is expected for successful collaboration. But if they keep asking for alternatives all the time, this may lead to huge amounts of additional work. Revising designs again and again does not only extend the deadlines, but also frustrates a lot. Of course, it’s essential to take into account your client’s feedback and meet their requirements. But don’t fall into a never-ending cycle of revisions! To avoid this, you should set clear boundaries from the very beginning. Tell your clients what you can achieve and what is impossible. Also, let them know how much time you can spend on revisions.
Set payment terms
One of the most common problems faced by designers is extended deadlines. It may happen because you need more resources to complete the project than it was expected or you have to tackle a sudden obstacle. If something like that happens, you should ask the client to cover additional expenses. It’s better to do it if your client pays in parts because you can always add payments to fill any cost gaps. To avoid misunderstandings, make sure that you state your payment terms clearly and in advance. Remember that it must be a win-win situation for both contractors.
Add details to your contract
For successful collaboration, your contract must cover not only budget and payment terms but also expected working hours, milestones and procedure for feedback and revisions. Before signing the contract, you must review it carefully and make sure your client agrees to all the details. Don’t start collaboration if you don’t have a full understanding of each contract point. First, make things clear for everybody and then get to work.
Author’s BIO
Michael Turner is a freelance writer and graphic designer. He works with the biggest US brands of clothes, creating web designs for their online stores. Michael believes that the most important thing in his work is customer satisfaction, so he does his best to reach it.