On a supermarket shelf your product has about two seconds. In that time the shopper decides whether to pick it up. Everything that works in those two seconds is packaging design. Let us see what it costs and what exactly you pay for.
Packaging design prices in 2026
| Task | Timeline | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One item (1 SKU), logo exists | 3–4 weeks | from 480,000 ₸ |
| Range of 3–5 SKUs | 5–8 weeks | from 900,000 ₸ |
| Packaging + logo from scratch | 6–8 weeks | from 1,100,000 ₸ |
| Redesign of existing packaging | 3–5 weeks | from 420,000 ₸ |
BrainTeam prices for packaging design include shelf analysis, 3 concepts, adaptation to the die-line, print preparation and author supervision of the print run. Printing and the packaging itself are paid to the printer separately.
What you pay for
Shelf analysis
We go to the store, photograph the category, sort competitors by colour, shape and price signal. The goal is to find a free zone: something the shelf lacks and the shopper will read as "this is different".
Concepts
Three directions, each tested on the shelf in a mock-up among real neighbours, not on a white background.
Technical work
Die-line layout, bleeds, colour profiles for the specific print technology (flexo, offset, digital), varnish and foil as separate layers. A mistake here means a ruined print run.
Supervision
We check the colour proof and the first run. What looked juicy on screen can turn muddy on kraft.
Seven signs of packaging that sells
- Readable from two metres. Category and name in a second, the rest up close.
- One main element. Colour, shape or image — one thing that sets it apart from the neighbours.
- The price is clear. Packaging "promises" a segment: kraft and minimalism — above average, bright and busy — mass market. The promise and the price tag must match.
- The range reads as a family. Flavours distinguishable, brand unified.
- Works in delivery apps. More and more purchases happen in an app: a tiny thumbnail must still read.
- Honest textures. A photorealistic product on the pack sells better than an illustration, if the product is beautiful.
- There is a "second second". A detail found once in hand: a story, ingredients, humour.
What we have done
Svetilo and Zheltaya Polyana oils, OMG Energy for the US market, Nano Factory collagen, Zhake & Sake qurt — all cases with the shelf and the result are in the packaging portfolio.
Typical client mistakes
- Saving on design but printing a large run. Better the other way round.
- Making packaging "like the leader's". You will stand next to them and lose, because they have the distribution.
- Approving the layout on screen. Only a printed colour proof.
