Investing In Inclusive Design: How Brands Are Changing The Tides With Their Packaging

Inclusivity in business is a non-negotiable element of company success. To stand apart, brands should do everything possible to appeal to all potential clients and ambassadors. The most common ways for companies to do this tend to be through inclusivity policies and more diverse employment drives. Recently, brand packaging has also come under increasing fire from an inclusivity standpoint. 

Even if they’ve taken steps to appeal to as wide an audience as possible, countless companies have simply failed to consider the literal accessibility of their products before now, preferring to stick with packaging that’s notoriously difficult for individuals living with a wide range of disabilities to navigate.

Luckily, more and more brands are beginning to realise that the best product packaging should be considered by every user. This has led to a rise in the prevalence of the inclusive packaging we’ve already seen from iconic brands like Coca-Cola. The question is, what is inclusive packaging, and how are brands using it to ditch tokenism and embrace true inclusivity at last?

What is Inclusive Packaging?

As the name suggests, the term inclusive packaging simply refers to packaging that’s designed in mind of maximizing efficiency for everyone, regardless of their abilities, age, or cultural backgrounds. In an ideal world, this focus should ensure packages that are easy for everyone to open, without the need for special tools or someone else’s help. 

As well as referring to the practical functions of packaging (e.g. how easy a package is to open), inclusive packaging should incorporate designs that meet a range of sensory needs, as well as avoiding any cultural offence. 

Some examples of inclusive packaging features might include – 

The Best Brand Examples of Inclusive Packaging

Some of our best known brands are currently realising the importance of inclusive packaging, and top brand examples of this priority in action right now include – 

Understanding the Importance of Inclusive Packaging

Ultimately, the importance of inclusive packaging speaks for itself, but these aesthetic adjustments become even more essential when you consider the facts. 

According to research conducted by Arthritis Australia, around 92% of consumers with arthritis or other disabilities have split or damaged a product while trying to open the packaging. 44% of people report experiencing difficulties like these daily, while 65% have been left with no choice but to wait for someone else to open packaging for them. Unsurprisingly, 89% of these individuals feel frustrated by these experiences. More worryingly, around 1 in 2 Australians have received injuries while struggling to open their packaging. 

In other words, poor packaging practices are both discriminatory and potentially dangerous. But, how can brands overcome these challenges and truly embrace inclusive design?

The Secret to Successful Inclusive Packaging

In reality, there are plenty of things brands can do right now to ensure inclusive packaging across their product ranges moving forward. The top considerations to take into account during this process include – 

# 1 – Accessibility Across Every Packaging Element

To be truly inclusive, packaging needs to be accessible to everyone, regardless of their physical abilities. To ensure this benefit, brands should consider exclusivity across all elements of their packaging, from opening mechanisms to text and even colour choice. 

The best way to do this is to choose custom packaging with the help of brands like Ozpack. This ensures that brands are in full control of packaging priorities that should incorporate plenty of visual and sensory elements to keep inclusivity in mind. 

# 2 – Testing on Real Users

Testing package design with real users is always key, and that’s particularly the case with inclusive packaging. These designs should undergo vigorous testing, particularly amongst diverse groups of individuals to whom this packaging is most relevant. 

Gathering feedback from these diverse groups of testers is the best way to understand whether packaging is truly inclusive, or whether designs require tweaking before they’re considered accessible. 

# 3 – Ongoing Iterations

Developments including QR codes, NaviLens, and Susie Script have already changed the face of packaging accessibility, and similar developments will continue to bring inclusivity within reach. 

To ensure the best possible packaging for diverse clients, brands should continue to assess and develop different iterations of their packaging with new technologies or capabilities in mind. These ensure that packaging is always as accessible as possible, depending on what modern audiences can rightly expect from the brands they know and trust.

Takeaway

Every consumer deserves easy access to the products they buy without needing to ask for help or risk injury just by opening a package. Finally, well-known brands like Dove and Coca-Cola are paying attention to this basic right, but companies still have a long way to go before they can truly tick packaging off their inclusivity checklists. 

This is especially true as technologies like NaviLens continue to come to the fore, highlighting just how simple it is to make packaging that works for everyone. As well as considering basic opening mechanisms, modern brands could benefit from incorporating everything from braille sensory additions to multilingual labels, and even culturally sensitive colour choices. 

What’s more, these concerns aren’t one-time solutions. Inclusive packaging should be an ongoing brand priority, which includes rigorous testing and cutting-edge technologies to help every consumer get into and get on board with everyday products. Only then can brands truly expect consumers to put full trust in inclusivity drives that, at least where packaging is concerned, have seemed a lot like tokenism until now.