My name is Soumyadeep Bhowmick, Packaging Designer, 10 years across food, cosmetics and product packaging.
Most packaging projects don’t go wrong because the designer can’t make something look good.
They go wrong because important decisions were left until too late.
I’ve seen packaging projects start with a clear brief, attractive references and an approved budget, only to become complicated when the actual production requirements arrive.
The printer asks for a dieline.
The client discovers there are six product variants instead of one.
The regulatory information isn’t final.
The bottle supplier changes the available label area.
Someone assumes the designer is responsible for compliance.
Suddenly, the packaging that looked straightforward at the beginning needs multiple rounds of revisions.
These problems are avoidable.
After working across food, cosmetics and product packaging, I’ve found that the same issues come up repeatedly. They’re rarely dramatic mistakes at the beginning. They’re small assumptions that become expensive later.
Here are the ones I would address before commissioning your next packaging project.
Table of Contents
1. The Dieline Doesn’t Exist Yet
One of the biggest mistakes is starting the design before the physical packaging structure is properly defined.
A dieline is essentially the technical template showing where the packaging will be cut, folded, glued or formed.
For a box, that could include panels, folds, flaps, bleed areas and glue zones.
For a label, it determines the actual printable area and shape.
I’ve seen clients start with a designer’s approximate dimensions because the final dieline wasn’t available yet.
The design looks perfect on screen.
Then the manufacturer sends the actual dieline.
Now the artwork has to move.
Text shifts.
The logo needs repositioning.
Important information falls too close to a fold.
The barcode no longer fits comfortably.
Sometimes the entire composition needs to be redesigned.
The fix: Get the manufacturer’s latest approved dieline before final artwork begins.
If it isn’t available, clearly mark the first design as conceptual rather than production-ready.
2. Nobody Decides Who Owns Compliance
This is particularly important for food, cosmetics and regulated products.
Clients sometimes assume:
“The packaging designer will take care of the legal information.”
That’s a dangerous assumption.
A designer can structure information, create hierarchy and make required content readable.
But the designer should not automatically become responsible for confirming whether every regulatory statement, ingredient declaration, warning, claim, licence number or measurement is legally correct.
That responsibility needs to be assigned.
For example, depending on the product and market, packaging may require information such as:
- Ingredients
- Net quantity
- Manufacturer details
- Importer details
- Batch information
- MRP
- Manufacturing/expiry information
- Customer care details
- Applicable certification or licence information
- Usage instructions
- Warnings
- Barcode information
The exact requirements depend on the product, jurisdiction and sales channel.
The important question is:
Who is approving the final legal copy?
The brand owner, regulatory consultant, manufacturer or another qualified party should own that decision.
The designer should work from approved information.
Otherwise, a packaging revision can turn into a regulatory argument halfway through production.
3. Product Variations Are Treated Like One Design
This is one of the biggest budgeting mistakes I see.
A client says:
“We have one product.”
Then the details arrive.
Five flavours.
Three sizes.
Two fragrances.
Different ingredients.
Different claims.
Different colours.
Different regulatory information.
Suddenly, the project isn’t one packaging design.
It’s a packaging system.
The master design may be shared, but each variation still requires production artwork, checking and sometimes layout adjustments.
This is where variation costs get underestimated.
Before approving a quotation, identify:
- Number of SKUs
- Number of sizes
- Number of flavours/variants
- Number of packaging formats
- Front/back variations
- Regional versions
- Language variations
Then ask whether the designer’s fee includes adaptations for each variation.
Don’t wait until artwork production to discover that “one packaging design” actually means fifteen final artworks.
4. The Physical Packaging Is Changed Mid-Project
This happens more often than people expect.
The original bottle is unavailable.
The supplier recommends another container.
The box dimensions change to reduce shipping costs.
The label material changes.
The client moves from one packaging vendor to another.
All of these can affect the artwork.
A new bottle can change the label dimensions.
A different box can change the dieline.
A new material can affect colour reproduction and finishing.
That’s why I recommend freezing the physical packaging specification before final artwork.
If the structure changes after approval, treat it as a production change—not a simple revision.
5. Too Much Information Is Added After Design Approval
Packaging has limited physical space.
But stakeholders often treat that space as unlimited.
After the front panel is approved, someone remembers:
“Can we also add our website?”
Then:
“Add Instagram.”
Then:
“Add three more product benefits.”
Then:
“Can we make the ingredients larger?”
Then:
“Let’s add another certification.”
Each addition seems small.
Collectively, they can destroy the hierarchy.
Good packaging isn’t about fitting everything onto the pack.
It’s about deciding what deserves attention first.
Before design begins, collect as much final content as possible.
At minimum, establish:
- Product name
- Product description
- Claims
- Ingredients
- Net quantity
- Usage information
- Brand information
- Manufacturer details
- Contact information
- Legal/regulatory information
- Barcode
- Required symbols
- Website/social details
Final copy dramatically reduces avoidable layout changes.
6. The Barcode Is Treated Like Decoration
A barcode isn’t simply another graphic element.
Its placement, size, contrast and surrounding space can affect whether it scans correctly.
I’ve seen barcodes placed too close to other design elements because someone wanted to make the back panel look more balanced.
That isn’t a design improvement if the barcode stops scanning reliably.
The barcode should be supplied correctly and positioned according to the relevant production requirements.
Don’t manually redraw or distort it just to make it fit the composition.
7. Finishing Is Discussed Too Late
Foil.
Embossing.
Spot UV.
Matte laminate.
Gloss laminate.
Special papers.
Metallic substrates.
These aren’t just production decisions that happen after design.
They can affect the design itself.
A logo intended for foil stamping may need different treatment from a logo printed normally.
A dark background with a specific finish may reproduce very differently from what you see on a standard monitor.
If premium finishing is part of the project, discuss it before the visual direction is locked.
The designer needs to know what the physical product is supposed to achieve.
8. Everyone Assumes Someone Else Is Checking the Artwork
This is one of the most expensive problems because it often appears right at the end.
The designer thinks the client is checking the copy.
The client thinks the designer is checking everything.
The printer assumes the supplied artwork is approved.
Then production starts.
A typo is discovered.
A product weight is wrong.
The phone number has changed.
The barcode is incorrect.
The ingredient list has been updated.
The wrong variant was sent to the printer.
At this stage, correcting the file is easy.
Correcting thousands of printed packages isn’t.
I recommend a formal final approval stage.
Before production, someone on the client side should explicitly approve:
Content + design + technical artwork + variant + quantity.
That approval should be documented.
9. Print Specifications Are Ignored Until the End
Packaging isn’t displayed only on a screen.
The final result depends on:
- Printing process
- Substrate
- Ink
- Colour profile
- Finishing
- Material
- Printer capabilities
- Minimum line/detail requirements
A design can look excellent digitally and still need adjustments for physical production.
This is why your packaging designer and printer should not work in completely separate worlds.
The designer needs the printer’s technical requirements.
The printer needs the designer’s final production artwork.
That communication should happen before—not after—the artwork is finished.
10. The Budget Covers “Design” but Not the Actual Project
This is where clients often get surprised.
The initial quotation may cover one packaging concept.
But the final project might involve:
- Multiple SKUs
- Multiple sizes
- Dieline adaptations
- Artwork adaptations
- Regulatory copy revisions
- Print-ready exports
- Mockups
- Printer corrections
- Additional revision rounds
- Multiple packaging formats
These aren’t necessarily unreasonable charges.
They’re simply parts of the project that weren’t defined initially.
Before approving a packaging quotation, ask:
How many concepts?
How many revision rounds?
How many SKUs are included?
Are adaptations included?
Who supplies the dielines?
Who approves compliance copy?
Are print-ready files included?
Are printer corrections included?
Those questions can prevent a surprisingly large number of disagreements later.
The Packaging Project Checklist I Actually Recommend
Before the first design concept is created, I would want these decisions documented:
Structure
- Final packaging format selected
- Manufacturer confirmed
- Latest dieline received
- Dimensions confirmed
- Printable area confirmed
- Material/substrate confirmed
Content
- Product name approved
- Product claims approved
- Ingredients/content information approved
- Product quantity confirmed
- Manufacturer information confirmed
- Contact information confirmed
- Barcode supplied
- Required legal information supplied
Responsibility
- Compliance owner identified
- Final copy approver identified
- Printer identified
- Technical specifications received
- Final production approval process agreed
Scope
- Number of SKUs defined
- Number of sizes defined
- Number of variations defined
- Revision rounds defined
- Artwork adaptation costs defined
- Print-ready deliverables defined
Production
- Colour requirements confirmed
- Bleed requirements confirmed
- Finishing confirmed
- Barcode requirements confirmed
- Final artwork approval documented
This may feel like administrative work before the exciting part begins.
It isn’t.
It’s what prevents the exciting part from becoming expensive rework.
The Best Packaging Projects Are Decided Before Design Starts
The biggest lesson I’ve learned from packaging projects is that most production problems aren’t caused by a lack of creativity.
They’re caused by missing information.
A designer can create an excellent visual direction.
But if the dieline changes, the content changes, the bottle changes and six new SKUs appear, the project will change with them.
That’s why I don’t recommend asking only:
“Can you design our packaging?”
Ask:
“What do you need from us before production-ready design begins?”
A good packaging designer should be able to identify those requirements early.
The goal isn’t simply to produce attractive packaging.
The goal is to produce packaging that can actually be manufactured, approved, reproduced across variations and used in the real world without a chain of expensive surprises.
