3 Principles for Designing Impact: Packaging That Connects, Tells, and Feels
In a marketplace crowded with products and choices, packaging remains one of the most immediate and influential brand touchpoints. But with consumer expectations rising and product categories expanding, packaging has to deliver far more than shelf appeal. For brands across sectors, from food to beauty and wellness, packaging is expected to embody purpose, express identity, and support long-term loyalty.
There’s no one-size-fits-all approach, but certain design strategies consistently push brands further. From our experience at ARD, three strategic directions stand out for their impact:
- Embedding sustainability in a way that feels real and rooted
• Reshaping category codes to help brands lead rather than follow
• Crafting multi-sensory experiences that build emotional connection beyond the shelf
Elevating Sustainability to the Next Level
Sustainability is no longer optional — it’s expected. The most effective packaging strategies go beyond recyclable materials by embedding sustainability into the brand’s DNA and expressing it through a clear, cohesive design language.
Treegether, a Swiss chocolate brand, does this differently. At its heart is a mission to highlight and honour the cocoa farmers behind each bar. Each bar introduces the people behind the cocoa, allowing consumers to support specific plantations through their purchases.
This human-centred idea shaped the design direction. The farmers’ names and their regions became central to the visual identity, adding real value and making sustainability tangible. Recyclable paper, solvent-free inks, and a custom mould further reinforce the brand’s values through every layer of the packaging.
The brand’s success and the consistent loyalty of its customers make a compelling case for sustainability as a strategic cornerstone — one that shapes everything from storytelling to material choice.
Shifting the Category Code
In every industry, certain visual cues become shorthand — signalling what a product is and who it’s for. But when categories get crowded, these cues start to blur. Brands looking to stand out need more than category compliance — they need to reshape the conversation.
The plant-based food space is a prime example. What was once a niche market defined by restriction has become a growing lifestyle choice, embraced by a broader, more flexible audience. But despite this evolution, the visual codes of the category often remain unchanged: still rooted in generic green palettes, minimal appeal, and a sense of sacrifice rather than enjoyment.
To change that, Austrian retailer Billa partnered with ARD to reposition its plant-based private label, VegaVita. The challenge was to unify a broad portfolio while making plant-based living feel joyful, modern, and full of flavour.
At the core of the new identity is a mandala — a composition made from real plant ingredients that represents balance and well-being. These ingredient mandalas became a visual signature, celebrating natural origins and bringing storytelling directly to the front of the pack.
Each product also features a high-end food shot that highlights taste and enjoyment, complemented by bright, distinctive colour palettes. Together, these elements form a flexible but instantly recognisable system — one that reframes plant-based as a vibrant, everyday choice rather than a compromise.
Multi-Sensory Experience
In today’s digitally driven world, physical experience has become a key point of difference — especially in the luxury segment, where packaging shapes perception, creates ritual, and anchors the brand experience. Every detail matters. Engaging multiple senses is essential to expressing the brand’s philosophy and building emotional connection.
Fiore, a Swiss-born perfume for food, reflects this shift. Positioned between gourmet and fragrance, the product needed packaging that could capture its sensory complexity and translate it into a refined physical experience.
Fiore’s design moves packaging beyond aesthetics into interaction and ritual. At its centre is a custom glass bottle with a precision dropper — a deliberate gesture that shapes how the product is used and perceived. Texture plays a key role: glossy glass contrasts with the soft dropper, while layered embellishments reflect the richness of the aromas.
Refillable, reusable, and recyclable, the packaging aligns with a more thoughtful consumption model — increasingly expected in the premium space.
Fiore reflects a broader shift in luxury packaging: from polished presentation to immersive experience. It invites the consumer not just to see the product, but to feel it — to engage with the brand through materials, tactile detail, and ritual-driven interaction. This is where brand connection is built: in experiences designed to be remembered, felt, and kept.
There’s no single formula for impactful packaging — every brand has its own story to tell. But with the right strategic foundation and creative direction, that story can shape perception, build emotional connection, and redefine category codes. The future of packaging is being shaped now — by brands ready to think bold and design with purpose.
Jane STRUK
Creative Director
london@ard.ch
+44 20 3773 41 70
