Food Packaging Design for Businesses: What to Consider
Posted:
By:
Joe Sizeland
Posted:
The way your food is packed says a lot before anyone takes a bite. For bakeries, food trucks, takeaways and festival vendors, food packaging design plays a role far beyond protection and portability - it reflects your brand, influences how your product is perceived and helps you stand out in a crowded and competitive industry.
Whether you're packing up warm pastries at a deli counter or serving street food at a festival, your packaging has to do a job. But it can also make a statement. A clever fold, a subtle colour choice or a custom logo stamp can give your product a unique look, increase its prestige and make your customer feel like they’ve bought something special - even if it’s eaten from a box while standing in a muddy field.
Here, the team at iKrafts explains what you should be thinking about when designing or selecting your product packaging.
If you sell burgers or hot wraps, your outer packaging must hold heat, resist grease and be easy to handle. For sweet goods or pasta dishes, it needs to retain structure and keep contents looking good in transit. Stalls, vans and busy service counters benefit from packaging that’s quick to close, easy to stack and fits different form factors - small, large or combo.
Food packaging ideas for small businesses don’t need to be extravagant. A kraft snack tray with a greaseproof liner looks simple, but when printed with your logo and packed properly, it speaks volumes about your brand’s attention to detail. Meanwhile, deli counters can use clear PLA sandwich bags that are compostable but still give the customer's eye full visibility of the product - important in competitive store settings.
Use colour wisely. If your brand has bold tones, carry them through to packaging - even if it's just the lid or inner wrap. Vintage design elements can help small bakeries or family-run businesses express tradition, while minimal styles work for health-conscious or premium offers.
Think about shape too. A tuck-top box with a curved edge or cut-out lid adds dimension and lifts the pack off a sea of standard rectangles. Adding a window - like in many of iKrafts’ cake and sandwich boxes - shows the quality of what’s inside and makes the product feel more immediate.
Not every business has a design studio on standby. But that doesn’t mean you can’t create memorable packaging. A bit of thought goes further than a big spend.
Custom bags, cardboard cups and stamped sleeves are all simple ways to brand packaging without committing to full printing runs. You can also build a range of packaging around a single recognisable element - such as colour, sticker placement or format - to tie together your presentation without redesigning everything.
If you're watching your budget, consider focusing design investment on your bestsellers or photographed items - the packaging most likely to appear on your website, in reviews or on social media. These are the images that potential customers will see first, so they carry more weight.
Design can be clever without being complicated. Look at examples from the Dieline Awards , and you’ll see that many standout projects aren’t flashy – they’re just well thought out.
In the takeaway food industry, a lid that doubles as a serving tray, a sandwich wedge with built-in sauce space, or a wrap pack that unfolds cleanly all create a smoother customer experience. These ideas often start as a student project or test run, but quickly prove their worth in practice.
A box that stacks properly or a wrap that stays closed in a rucksack adds real-life value. These are the kind of packaging touches that turn first-time buyers into repeat customers.
Design is often improved by service feedback. If staff struggle to fold a carton quickly during a lunch rush, it's not going to last. If customers love a pack but say it’s hard to recycle or make a mess, it’s worth adapting. Practical tweaks - like switching to a fold-in tab, adding vent holes or changing lid style - can make your product far more appealing and practical.
It's worth noting that design decisions often overlap with material choices. Packs that use recycled materials, avoid plastic or are clearly marked for disposal are more likely to fit future regulations and meet customer expectations.
There’s also growing interest in biodegradable packaging that solves more than one problem. For example, a compostable chip cornet with a paper-based liner might reduce mess, cut weight and support your brand's environmental goals - all in one move.
Today, your packaging isn’t just seen in person - it’s shared, rated and reviewed. This means your design needs to hold up not just on the shelf, but in an online gallery.
A takeaway dessert in a flimsy container may taste great, but if it looks flattened in a photo, it hurts your brand. A bottle with a unique silhouette or a crisp logo stamp on a kraft lid can catch attention - and generate real online visibility.
Think of packaging as a bridge between product and perception. Done right, it’s one of the most consistent parts of your customer’s experience.
For small and growing food businesses, food packaging design is one of the most flexible tools available to shape how your product is received.
From the choice of pack and colour, to how it handles heat, fits your logo or aligns with your message, your packaging should be something you can stand behind.
At iKrafts, we supply food packaging built for service - whether you’re running a food truck, bakery, market stall or quick-service restaurant. Our trays, wraps, boxes, cups and containers are designed to hold up in real environments while supporting the style and presentation that today’s customers expect.
We stock products made from recycled materials, offer practical sizes and formats across our range, and make it easy to find options that support your setup - all with fast UK delivery and trade-friendly pricing.
Browse our range today and find packaging that works for your product, your brand and your business.
