Feature-Creep: Preventing the Temptation to Dilute your Packaging’s Core Message
Picture yourself in the thick of a packaging design project. This is your big chance to showcase your brand or new product to the world in all its mind-blowing glory. Consumers’ heads are going to explode, you say! But then the question pops up: what do we actually need to say to grab their attention? If you’re like most brand managers, the instinct is to say it all—to load up every feature, benefit, and unique detail you can think of. After all, your designers are geniuses; they’ll make it work, right? But here’s a reality check: the more you try to cram into the design, the less your message will stand out. Around here, we have a saying: If you try to say everything, you end up saying nothing. Enter stage left: Feature-Creep.
In this article I’m going to address:
- What is Feature-Creep
- Why Feature-Creep happens in packaging design
- The impact Feature-Creep has on brand and packaging communication
- How to prevent the slow but fatal Feature-Creep takeover
What Is Feature-Creep?
Feature-Creep is the gradual, almost sneaky addition of “nice-to-have” elements that weren’t in the original plan and most importantly, work against clear communication of features and benefits that will actually resonate with consumers. It starts innocently enough: a small badge here, a tiny description there—what could it hurt? But before you know it, the clean, focused design you began with is now a collage of extra features, benefits, and calls-to-action. It’s a slippery slope that, if unchecked, can turn your streamlined message into a chaotic jumble.
Feature-Creep doesn’t happen overnight. It’s more like a slow drip. One day, you’re adding a “New and Improved!” burst, and the next thing you know, you’re trying to explain the molecular composition of the product on the front of the box. The result? You have a package that says a lot but communicates very little. Think of it like a billboard crammed with paragraphs of text. It’s hard to read, and most people will drive right by.
Why Feature-Creep Happens in Packaging Design
Feature-Creep sneaks in for a few reasons. If you’ve worked on any packaging project, you know the thrill of wanting to tell consumers everything about what makes your product unique. After all, each feature has a purpose and every claim seems essential. Why wouldn’t we want to showcase all the incredible details?
1. FOLO - Fear of Leaving Out
There’s an underlying fear and anxiety that if we don’t include every detail, consumers might miss out on something crucial and sales could suffer. We worry they won’t understand all the ways our product is different, better, smarter, or healthier. This is where that insidious “just one more thing” mentality comes in, leading us down the path to feature overload.
2. Internal Stakeholder Input
Every team member and stakeholder has their own idea of what’s essential to include. Marketing wants to emphasize benefits, product development wants technical specs, and sales wants persuasive claims. The result is often a Frankenstein’s monster of everyone’s ideas that gets stitched together, piece by piece, until you’ve lost the simplicity you started with.
3. Pressure to Compete
When you’re up against other brands, the instinct can be to match them feature-for-feature. If they’ve got a badge highlighting “organic,” we feel we need to do the same. If they have five bullet points, maybe we need six. It’s easy to get caught in a game of one-upmanship, trying to outdo the competition by piling on the features, all the while ignoring wether consumers really care about all that communication.
The Impact of Feature-Creep on Brand and Packaging Communication
So, why is Feature-Creep one of the deadly sins of packaging communication? Let’s break it down.
1. It Dilutes Your Message
Think of your packaging as a billboard. People have a split second to understand what your product is and why they should care. When you overstuff the design, it’s like trying to read a novel in a single glance. All the essential selling points get drowned out by the noise, and the core message—the one thing that would make them pick up your product—gets lost. Remember, clarity is king.
2. It Confuses and Overwhelms Consumers
Consumers are looking for quick solutions. If they pick up your package and see a long list of features and descriptions, they may put it back out of sheer overwhelm. In a world where time is precious and attention spans are shrinking, packaging that tries to say too much can actually push people away. Remember: If you confuse them, you lose them.
3. It Weakens Brand Consistency and Perceived Value
When every feature or benefit gets its own badge, icon, or callout, the cohesive look of your brand begins to fragment. Instead of a unified, instantly recognizable design, your packaging starts to look cluttered and inconsistent. This visual noise not only makes it harder for consumers to identify your product on the shelf, but it can also undermine trust. A strong brand should communicate with one clear, confident voice. But when Feature-Creep takes over, your packaging may look as though it’s struggling to decide what it stands for, which can dilute perceived value and weaken overall appeal.
How to Prevent the Slow But Fatal Feature-Creep Takeover
Now that we know the dangers, how can we keep Feature-Creep in check? Here are some practical steps to avoid stay focused on your core messaging.
1. Start with a Clear Hierarchy of Messaging
Before you even begin the design process, a brand strategy analysis should be completed. This is where you distill competitive insights, target audience behaviors and product features and benefits down to one key “core” message your packaging needs to communicate. From there, identify one or two secondary points that can support this primary message without overwhelming it. Anything beyond this should be scrutinized for true value. Ask yourself: does this element reinforce the core message, or is it just noise? Establishing this hierarchy early on ensures that everyone—from design to marketing—aligns with a clear, focused vision, minimizing the risk of Feature-Creep from the outset.
2. Set Guardrails for Stakeholder Input
When involving different departments, set clear guidelines on what’s relevant for the packaging. This can mean limiting the number of features or benefits that can be highlighted, or creating a hierarchy for what types of information belong where. Setting these parameters early on helps avoid endless rounds of “just one more thing” from every direction.
3. Benchmark Your Competition, But Don’t Copy
It’s natural to look at competitors for inspiration, but it’s crucial to maintain your own identity. Instead of feeling pressured to match every feature they list, focus on what makes your product distinct and communicate that clearly. Sometimes, less truly is more, and a clean, straightforward design can stand out more than a package overwhelmed with text.
4. Test and Get Feedback
Testing your packaging with real consumers can help you understand what resonates and what falls flat. Run an A/B test with different designs—parsing apart important messaging variables —and see which one’s promote the most engagement. But beware, testing and research should not steer you towards tactics irrelevant to your overall brand and product strategies.
5. Trust the Power of Simplicity
At the end of the day, simplicity can be your brand’s greatest asset. Consumers are bombarded with choices and are drawn to packaging that is clear and easy to understand. Trust that a strong, simple message is enough, and that leaving some details off the front isn’t a missed opportunity—it’s a deliberate decision to focus on what matters most.
6. Utilize Supplementary Panels
Don’t overlook the valuable real estate your packaging offers beyond the front panel. While the face panel should be clear and succinct to capture attention, other panels provide the perfect space for additional details. Here, you can highlight those extra features, benefits, and stories without overwhelming the front. Think of it as a strategic approach to organization: the front grabs attention, and the sides and back build the story.
7. Try to Trust Your Designers’ Expertise
Trust can be hard to give, especially when it’s your brand on the line. But trusting your designers’ expertise may be the key to achieving a powerful, cohesive design. Think of it like hiring a plumber. You wouldn’t stand over them questioning each wrench they choose or the exact placement of every pipe. You trust their experience to know what tools will get the job done right.
Your designers are no different; they’re equipped with the skills to communicate effectively through visuals, balancing messaging and brand cohesion without clutter. Give them the freedom to apply their craft, because this trust may ultimately make or break the final design. The result? Packaging that stands out with clarity and confidence, not bogged down by unnecessary details.
Conclusion
Feature-creep is tempting; we’ve all felt the urge to add “just one more thing.” But the more you pack into your packaging, the less impact your core message has. By setting clear priorities, trusting your designers, and embracing simplicity, you allow your product to speak powerfully and directly to consumers. Remember, if you overload your message with unnecessary details, you risk diluting your brand’s true value. In packaging, clarity isn’t just an asset—it’s essential.
Patrick Gorman
