As an online shop, your packaging is usually the first thing customers will touch from your brand. Without a bit of custom branding, you're missing an opportunity to create a memorable unboxing experience.
In the world of e-commerce, adding a personal touch is all in the packaging. Custom boxes are a good place to start, but they may not be the most economic option for everyone. That's why we've just released three types of custom tape. Along with rubber stamps, they're scalable, versatile, alternatives to stocking up on printed boxes.
Gummed Paper Tape will look familiar to anyone who has ordered from Amazon. Although it does require using a specialized dispenser to moisten the water-activated glue, it is by far the strongest way to secure packages. The kraft paper surface blends beautifully with standard corrugated boxes.
Standard packing tape is ideal if you want to work with tape guns. It's a versatile option for packing all types of boxes, and can also achieve a sophisticated look as shown in this example and the Misc Goods project below.
Finally, masking tape is a light-duty option with a natural crepe paper texture often used to seal food items like sandwiches and meats. You can also use it to pack boxes, particularly if they need to be easily opened. The residue-free adhesive makes it easy to open.
We've collected a few of our favorite packaging projects from the web that highlight the versatility of custom tape and stamps. Get your creative juices flowing and behold the packaging potential.
Quarterly Co. packaging by Oak
When you’re shipping different size items every month, you can't rely on printed boxes as a solution, but that's no reason for your packaging to be boring. Design agency Oak took this to heart with the inviting, statement packaging for Quarterly.
They went retro with bold line weights, textures and familiar silhouettes that make you nostalgic for days before e-mail. The patterned paper tape is intricate and engrossing up close and when it frames a box — it’s striking. On wrapping paper, they zoom in on these shapes and textures for a more modern perspective.
Clear is the default packing tape "color," but it's not the only option. Slightly more opaque with a similar shine, white packing tape on a white box is one of our new favorite things. This packaging from designer Tyler Debb is polished and clean. With the stacked stamps on the side of the box, he's customizing the customer experience from every angle.
Plastic packing tapes has a totally different vibe than kraft paper tape. Where paper tape blends into natural cardboard, the shine of clear tape adds an extra pop. It's worth noting that clear tape doesn't need a special dispenser, but it isn't as permanent as kraft paper tape. Oh, the subtle nuances of tape.
NL Wall Art by Pushkin Creative
A roll custom masking tape can be a roll of custom labels. Pushkin Creative created labels to seal their tubes and extend their brand through the whole customer experience. The "Pull to Open" is a really nice touch, and the stamp overlapping the label looks just like layered ink on old packaging.
There are many elements working together, and none of them are too overbearing. Don't be afraid to keep it simple.
Lulu Cake Boutique by Peck and Co.
Not all packaging has to endure being tossed from truck to truck, so for more delicate occasions of the take-out variety, masking tape is the perfect peel-away solution. In fact, it’s our favorite for food brands especially as a decorative touch like this washi-style application.
This tape collection for Lulu Cake Boutique looks like it mixes packing and masking tape. On one roll, Peck and Co. alternates icon patterns with a weighted sans serif version of the Lulu logo. The script tape shows their main logo in a fun, purely decorative way
Triticum by Lo Siento
Of course we're biased, but we truly believe that no business is too big (or small) for a rubber stamp. They're especially fun on cardboard because the extra texture leaves unique impressions on each box.
Lo Siento embraced those subtle imperfections, stamping these bakery boxes at an angle, off-center and without a solid coat of ink. It's the variation that adds some spunk to the brand and an aesthetic that works for anything rustic or handmade.
If the outside of your packaging is your storefront, then the inside of your packaging is the friendly store clerk. Subscription service Maker Monthly uses Lumi stamps throughout their entire packaging experience to make every material branded and friendly.
They alternate the placement of their two logomarks in a way that's really deliberate and creates a sort of visual rhythm that's really sophisticated.
