Packaging Design.
Sorted designs packaging that earns its place on the shelf and in the hand. Structure, materials and graphics made with the same strategic thinking as the brand behind them. Cape Town based, producing work locally and abroad.
What is packaging design?
Packaging is the last thing between your product and the shelf, and the first thing a buyer touches. It has to protect, inform and persuade, all at the same time.
Structure
The form that holds the product.
Materials
What it is made of, and why.
Graphics
The story on the surface.
Labelling
The detail that has to be right.
Shelf impact
Standing out at a glance.
What makes packaging work?
Good packaging balances beauty with reality. It has to survive shipping, meet regulations and stay affordable to produce, all without losing the thing that makes a shopper pick it up.
Function
Protecting what is inside.
Production
Designed to actually be made.
Compliance
Meeting the rules it has to.
Sustainability
Lighter on the planet.
Unboxing
The moment after the sale.
Surface and structure, together.
Packaging is the rare piece of design people hold, turn over and keep. Get the graphics right but the structure wrong and it fails on the line. Get the structure right but the graphics flat and it disappears on the shelf. At Sorted we design both together, so the thing looks considered, survives the journey and still makes someone reach for it.
Packaging, in practice.
All work
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PeermontIllustration · Identity Design · PackagingView →
StaalgrasCreative Direction · Identity Design · PackagingView →
Jin GinIdentity Design · PackagingView →
KaapzerCreative Direction · Identity Design · PackagingView →
The ReaderIdentity Design · Brochure Design · PackagingView →
Frequently asked questions.
How much does packaging design cost?
It depends on the pack: a single label is a different job to a full structural box with a custom dieline. We give you a clear, itemised quote after a short brief call, no guessing games.
Where are you based?
We are based in Cape Town and design packaging for clients across South Africa and across the globe.
How long does a packaging project take?
A label refresh can be ready in a couple of weeks. A new structural pack with dielines, sampling and print tests takes longer. We will give you a realistic timeline once we understand the scope.
Will you work directly with our printer?
Yes. We build every file to your printer's spec, from bleed and trim to Pantone and varnish, and we are happy to liaise with them directly to check proofs before a run goes to press.
What files will we receive when the project is done?
You get print-ready artwork in the format your printer needs, usually a layered PDF or native files, plus the dieline, so you can reorder or adapt the pack later without starting from scratch.
Can you design packaging without a physical sample to work from?
Yes. We often start from a brief, reference packs or a rough prototype, and build the structural design and artwork from there, with a 3D mockup so you can see it before anything is printed.
Let's package it.
Tell us about the product you are launching, the shelf you need to win, or the packaging that is letting a good product down.