1. The business
The product
What it is, what it does, what is in it, how it is used and what it costs. Include samples if you have them. The physical product often decides the pack: a powder, a liquid and a chilled product carry very different constraints.
The audience
Who buys it and why, and whether the buyer is also the user. A supplement bought by a parent for a child, or a treat bought by an owner for a dog, needs to speak to the person holding the wallet.
The positioning
Where it sits against the alternatives: price tier, the main reason to choose it, and the one thing a shopper should understand in a few seconds. One clear sentence here does more for the design than a page of adjectives.
2. The shelf
Sales channels
Where it will sell: online only, independents, Coles and Woolworths, pharmacy, pet specialty, export. Each channel changes what the pack has to do. A supermarket shelf is read from a few metres away; an online listing is read as a thumbnail; a pharmacy wall is a wall of near-identical boxes.
Competitors
The three or four packs you will sit next to, ideally as photos from the actual shelf. This is how a designer finds the space you can own: a colour nobody uses, a structure nobody has, a tone nobody takes.
3. The pack
The range
How many products, flavours, sizes or variants now, and how many you expect in the next two years. Designing for three products when there will be fifteen leads to a system that breaks. This is where range architecture comes in: how variants are told apart and how they build one brand block on shelf.
Packaging formats
Pouch, carton, jar, bottle, label, sleeve, tin, outer carton. Each format has a different print process and different limits on colour and finish. If the format is not decided yet, say so; it can be part of the recommendation.
Dielines
The flat template from your printer or packaging supplier showing where the pack is cut, folded and glued. Final artwork has to be built on the printer's dieline, so it helps to know early who your printer is. If you do not have one yet, the design can start on a standard template and move to the final dieline before artwork.
Supplied copy
Product names, descriptions, claims, directions and any copy that has to appear. Final, approved copy is one of the most common reasons a project slows down at artwork, so it is worth knowing who writes it and who signs it off.
Mandatory information
Ingredients, allergens, nutrition panel, net quantity, country of origin, warnings, regulatory numbers and barcodes, depending on the category. The designer lays this out so it is compliant and legible, but the facts, and the regulatory sign-off, come from you or your regulatory adviser. If you are unsure what applies, the category guides on this website are a good starting point.
4. The project
Budget
A range is fine. It lets a designer recommend the right scope instead of guessing, and it avoids a proposal that is too big or too small for what you need. The cost estimator on this website gives a starting range in under a minute.
Timing
The date that matters and why: a retailer range review, a launch, a trade show, a print slot. Work backwards from that date, allowing time for print and delivery after artwork is signed off.
Deliverables
What you need at the end: print-ready artwork per product, 3D renders for retailers or online listings, a brand guide, files for the website. Agreeing this up front stops surprises at the end.
The checklist on one page
| Item | What to give | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Product | What it is, ingredients, use, price, samples | Sets the physical and regulatory constraints |
| Audience | Who buys it, who uses it, why | Decides tone and what the pack leads with |
| Positioning | Price tier and the one reason to choose it | Decides hierarchy and what goes on the front |
| Sales channels | Where it will sell | Decides how far away the pack must read and which specs apply |
| Competitors | Three or four shelf neighbours, with photos | Shows the space you can own |
| Range | Products and variants, now and planned | Decides the system and how variants are told apart |
| Formats | Pack types per product | Sets print process, colour and finish limits |
| Dielines | Printer's templates, or who the printer is | Final artwork must fit them exactly |
| Copy | Names, claims, directions, who signs off | A common cause of delays at artwork |
| Mandatory information | Regulatory facts and who approves them | Must be compliant and legible |
| Budget | A range | Sets the right scope |
| Timing | The date that matters and why | Sets the schedule and print plan |
| Deliverables | Artwork, renders, guides, files | Avoids surprises at the end |
If you have most of this, you have a better brief than many. If you have a few of these, that is a perfectly good place to start a conversation.
Questions people ask
The product, the audience, the positioning, the sales channels, the main competitors, the range and pack formats, dielines, supplied copy, mandatory information, budget, timing and deliverables. You do not need all of it to start; a designer will help fill the gaps.
No. A short description of the product, where it will sell, how many products and pack types, and the timing is enough for a first conversation. Writing the full brief can be the first stage of the project.
From your printer or packaging supplier, for the exact pack size and format. If you have not chosen a printer yet, design can start on a standard template and move to the final dieline before artwork.
The brand owner. The designer lays it out so it is legible and meets the format rules, but the facts and the regulatory sign-off come from the client or their regulatory adviser.
Yes, even as a range. It lets the designer recommend a scope that fits, rather than guessing. The estimator on morice.co gives a starting range.
Want a second pair of eyes on your artwork?
Morice has spent 20+ years getting packs through print, compliance and onto shelf at Coles, Woolworths, Chemist Warehouse and more. Tell us about your project and we will come back with a fixed written scope, with a proposal within five working days.
Sources
Published . Last reviewed . Next scheduled review . Regulatory content is re-checked against the primary sources above at each review. See our editorial standards.
