How I brief a packaging project
Process
A useful packaging brief starts with the product, the shelf and the person holding it. The visual references come later.
Before I draw a label, I ask the client to send the actual product. A bag of coffee tells me things a slide deck cannot: how it feels in the hand, where the seams sit and how much space the essential information needs. I put it beside its neighbours and look at it from a few steps away.
Start with the practical questions
We talk about who buys it, where they buy it and what they need to understand first. Then we map the range, including products that do not exist yet. A system for three blends should still make sense when the roaster adds a seasonal coffee or a smaller bag.
I also bring the printer into the conversation early. Minimum runs, available materials and colour limits belong in the brief, not in an apologetic email after the design is approved. Working with those facts leaves more time to make the important decisions carefully.
Agree on what success looks like
The final brief is short enough to use at every review. It names the primary audience, the information hierarchy and the production constraints, then describes the change we want to see. If a customer can find their blend quickly and recognise the roaster without reading the name, the design is doing its job.