Our Innovation Analysts recently looked into emerging technologies and up-and-coming startups in the packaging industry. As there is a large number of startups working on a wide variety of solutions, we decided to share our insights with you. This time, we are taking a look at 4 promising branded packaging solutions.
Heat Map: 4 Top Branded Packaging Startups
For our 4 picks of branded packaging startups, we used a data-driven startup scouting approach to identify the most relevant solutions globally. The Global Startup Heat Map below highlights 4 interesting examples out of 428 relevant solutions. Depending on your specific needs, your top picks might look entirely different.
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FORMA – Atypical Packaging Design
Given the choice between two products with the same price, consumers will almost always choose the one with the more attractive packaging. This is why brands have to make an effort to create unique package designs, connected to the product via forms, shapes, shadows, and angles. It makes the product recognizable and increases sales. The US-based startup FORMA creates structural packaging designs that combine functionality, protection, and extraordinary intricate forms such as candy, suitcase, bag, diamond, etc. for ordinary boxes.
EKAN Concepts – Packaging For Alternative Usage
Consumers appreciate businesses that aim to minimize their carbon footprint. These companies present their products in an eco-friendly way, for examples with reusable packaging made from wood, glass, or metal. This packaging can be reused as home decor, for storing food, cosmetics, and other compact items. Canadian startup EKAN Concepts offers custom wood packaging to compliment brands for wine, spirits, specialty foods, and cosmetics. Their packaging comes in a variety of styles and their quality of wood varies from economical to premium and luxury.
DesignBro – Customized Boxes
Online sellers pack and ship orders using printed custom boxes that instantly change the unboxing experience. A fully-customized packaging program creates a memorable moment in the purchasing experience and is worth more than the just the item that’s being paid for. Dutch startup DesignBro creates custom-designed shipping boxes with thematic internal inlay and thoughtful inserts to deliver a completely branded look, which creates a unique feeling. It can be a box that looks like a suitcase, casket or chest, stubbed with soft material and hand-written notes, personal wishes or other small details — giving customers that “personal touch” they are looking for.
By Evolve – Minimalistic Packaging
Minimalistic packaging design, in contrast to its name, is a complex process. Being simple means that the overall design compiles all essential information in a concise and compact way. Communicating using only a few words, or none at all, is an art in itself. Assuming the product needs additional information, such as ingredients, warnings, or instructions, minimalist packaging compensates by providing their reading materials inside the packaging. The minimalist approach helps to spark curiosity in the buyer’s minds. A good example of minimalistic packaging is the UK startup By Evolve which packages its organic extra virgin olive oil in a cylindrical reusable bottle made from laboratory glass. It is topped with a solid brass cap, which is turned and includes a laser-etched logo. The minimalistic design and the lack of visual label messages speak to the quality of the product as the deciding characteristic of its value.
What About The Other 424 Branded Packaging Solutions?
While we believe data is key to creating insights it can be easy to be overwhelmed by it. Our ambition is to create a comprehensive overview and provide actionable innovation intelligence for your Proof of Concept (PoC), partnership, or investment targets. The 4 branded packaging startups showcased above are promising examples out of 428 we analyzed for this article. To identify the most relevant solutions based on your specific criteria and collaboration strategy, get in touch.
