The reference library for packaging and branding in Australia.
What the retailers require, what the law says, what things cost and how the work gets made. Each guide answers one question completely, cites its sources and carries the date it was last checked. Written by the studio, for anyone who has to get a pack onto an Australian shelf.
8 guides published. New guides most weeks. Opinion and commentary live in Notes.
Retailer playbooks
What Coles, Woolworths, Chemist Warehouse, Petbarn and the rest actually require of a pack, and how to get through their processes.
- Coles packaging and artwork requirements: the complete guideWhat Coles requires of a pack before it will range it: legal labelling, barcodes, shelf-ready packaging, cartons and pallets, sustainability and the artwork approval process. Written for brand owners and designers, with sources.
- Woolworths packaging and artwork requirements: the complete guideWhat Woolworths requires before it will range and receive a product: the Packaging and Barcode Specifications, Vendor Quality Compliance at the DC, GTINs and verification reports, safe packaging rules, sustainability considerations and the artwork process.
- The retailer artwork submission checklist (Coles, Woolworths and beyond)A one-page, printable checklist of everything a pack, carton and pallet spec needs before it goes to a Coles or Woolworths range review or to the printer. Legal labelling, barcodes, shelf-ready packaging, logistics, sustainability, files. Download the PDF.
- Chemist Warehouse packaging requirements: supplements, OTC and beautyWhat a product needs before Chemist Warehouse will range it and its distribution centres will receive it: the New Line Form, GS1 barcodes on every packaging level, the human-readable carton rules, twelve months shelf life on receipt, plain pallets under 1.4 metres, and the TGA label rules that apply before any of it.
- Pet food and pet product packaging for Petbarn, Petstock and grocery: the Australian requirementsWhat a pet food or pet care pack needs in Australia: the AS 5812 labelling elements retailers expect, the ACCC claims rules that actually bite, GS1 barcodes, the retailer realities of Petbarn, Petstock and the supermarkets, and the shelf conventions worth breaking.
Compliance and labelling
Australian labelling law for food, supplements, cosmetics, pet food and alcohol, written for the people who lay out the pack.
Cost, pricing and process
What packaging design and print cost in Australia, what drives the number, and how a project actually runs.
Print and production
Dielines, print processes, substrates, colour, barcodes and pre-press. The craft of getting a design onto a pack.
- Category playbooks. The Australian shelf, category by category. Conventions, rules and whitespace in supplements, beauty, pet, beverage, bakery and chilled.
- Glossary and FAQ. Definitions and short answers to the questions people actually type into Google.
Every guide is written by Morice Kastoun, links to primary sources, shows its last-reviewed date, and is re-checked on a schedule. Read the editorial standards. Spotted an error? Tell us and we will fix it and say so.