New Packaging Trends: White Printing on Kraft Packaging

Whether it’s shoes, clothes, food (or any other number of topics), trends come and trends go. They quickly prove they have staying power, or they fall to the wayside and are best left forgotten. The same is said of packaging trends, too. If you’re an unboxing experience, you’ve proven your worth and won’t be leaving anytime soon. If you’re a QR code on a piece of packaging, well, it was fun while it lasted for you. We’re big fans of this newest of packaging trends: white printing on kraft coloured packaging. And we’d like to share with you why so many customers and brands alike are giving serious though to this interesting packaging design choice.

So, what exactly is this packaging trend?

It’s the appealing act of printing white ink onto kraft coloured packaging like corrugated boxes or kraft packing tape. It feels very much like a refinement of the choices your packaging designers can make when creating custom branded packaging. As a relatively new trend and design choice, it stands out immediately, giving your brand’s unboxing experience a different feeling. In terms of both technical details and creative choices, it’s a tricky thing to do right, but certainly not impossible to pull off.

What’s so good about this packaging trend?

White itself always looks clean and fresh. When printed on kraft coloured packaging, it lends a clean, contemporary look. It’s proving to be a sharp choice for nearly any application—nature-based products, upscale brands, exclusive promotions, gift boxes or feminine marketing.

Unquestionably, your brand will stand out. Not only is it high contrast, surprisingly vibrant and easy to see, your packaging will carry a more natural look to it. Even in a sea of brightly coloured custom branded packaging, white on kraft will be unique enough to catch the eye.

From a design standpoint, restricting your efforts to a simple white and kraft colour scheme will reveal some of the most interesting and unexpected creative solutions. You’ll have to find ways to make certain elements stand out while still being part of a whole, and still satisfying your brand identity. That’s what makes this one of today’s best packaging trends.

What’s potentially not-so-good about this packaging trend?

As with all popular and successful trends, more brands will jump on the bandwagon as time goes by. That means your packaging will likely have to work harder to be noticed—then again, plenty of brands merely jump on packaging trends without a strategy and fall off the bandwagon quickly. Since you’re in it for the long haul, your efforts will pay off in time.

The quality and opacity of the ink you use will determine the final printed look. Kraft colouring is strong and can, to a degree, show through your white printing. Kraft paper itself is also porous and can change the look and quality of your printing efforts. Simply put, logos and graphics don’t always pop as well on kraft coloured packaging.

Then again, depending on your packaging goals and your design intentions, these potential cons can actually be potential benefits. As long as you plan well, you can take advantage of any minuses and pluses as you see fit.

White printing on kraft coloured packaging is one of our favourite new packaging trends. We’ve had the pleasure of helping our customers try their hand at it, and they’ve used it to great packaging success. If you’re interested in trying out the benefits of white on kraft, The Packaging Company is here to help you execute your packaging design. We’re your e-commerce partner.

Sources: Pinterest, Good Design Makes Me Happy