90 Ideas to Spruce Up Your Holiday Packaging Design

Black Friday will be here before you know it, and with it comes a bunch of first-time customers to impress. We start thinking about holiday every July, because the holiday rush hits manufacturers a bit earlier than it hits the final consumer.

To give you some inspiration for a festive unboxing, we rounded up 90 ideas to help you deliver a gift-worthy holiday packaging experience. Want to redesign or restock your packaging before Black Friday? Check our holiday order deadlines.

This roundup includes inspiration from some of our favorite companies and designers around the web. Unless specified, these designs are not made by Lumi.

Flat Card

Spotlight messages that you want customers to hold onto long after an unboxing. Add your own handwritten note for that extra special touch.

Black and White

Hear us out: Black and white can be bold, classic, and just as festive as for the holidays. Buck tradition and go for this colorway — it's timeless for a reason.

Tubes

The holidays are the time to pull out all the stops. Try tubes printed with bold graphics for the ultimate stocking stuffer.

Frosted

Channel the winter with frosted inner packaging. The translucent quality of vellum or frosted bags is just the right touch of chilly elegance.

Themed Packing Tape

Holiday-themed tape is an easy update to your year-round packaging. These brands made minor updates to their designs to dial the festivities up a notch.

A Pop of Red

Ok, so it doesn't have to be red, but picking a holiday color for your brand goes a long way. Use it selectively or all over, but stake your claim on a new swatch for your holiday packaging. 

Stickers

A sticker or seal is not only a branding opportunity, but it really upgrades the giftability factor — especially in gold.

Die cut

Designing a box that's truly one of a kind is a sure way to deliver a special experience to giftees and a great way to market to gifters. Play with die cuts on your box to discover clever ways to unveil your product.

Holiday Design

You could always add some holiday pizazz to your logo or other branding elements. Add string lights, snowflakes, or just a holiday-themed bit of copy to let customers know that you're really in the spirit.

Printed Paper

Printed tissue and butcher paper were made for the holidays. Use paper to wrap apparel or rigid object inside boxes and seal it with a sticker or bit of ribbon.

Cloth Bags

Talk about the gift that keeps on giving. Custom cotton bags are like a bonus gift and wrapping paper all in one. They're also great for kits and subscription boxes.

Custom Box Inserts

When you ship your products in a box insert, they arrive just the way they were when you shipped them. Try custom inserts for a real "wow" effect on your unboxing. 

Foil Stamp

You just can't beat fancy feel of a foil stamp, especially during the holidays. They're often metallic, but also come in white or black and they definitely take your brand mark up a notch. 

Inner Boxes

The holidays are the perfect time to think about inner boxes. Rather than putting your product directly into a box or a mailer, an additional inner box gives your customers the opportunity for easier gifting or shipping it directly to the recipient. 

Inside-the-Box Copy

When all of your brand new customers are unboxing their holiday goods, say hello. Use your printed boxes as an opportunity to really speak for your brand and make the best impression.

Labels

These really big stickers can dress up an array of box sizes, blank or printed. They're perfect for fast, easy customization amidst the holiday crunch time.

Metallics

Foil isn't your only option for metallics. Stickers and plastic shipping bags can also get jazzed up with a touch of shine.

Hang Tags

It's a small thing, but a hang tag with a handwritten note really gives your product a human touch that goes a long way for that holiday special feel.