Many game enthusiasts are willing to pay a significant amount of money on premium shipping for ease of mind.
It is important that your game box is well designed to ensure that the merchandise will arrive in good condition for your customers.
Coming up with functional, protective, and well-designed packaging for collectibles is always a challenge.
This is the case even for companies that manufacture simple card and board games.
Packaging now plays a big role in the success of a game venture as it is the deciding point for consumers to purchase your game.
We created a list of the most important factors that you need to know and consider:
The Type of Game
You need to plan the packaging of your card or board game according to the size of the cards or boards as well as the number of game pieces that will be placed inside the box.
Standard Paperboard for Card Games
Standard paperboard boxes are ideal for card games without dice or other pieces. There are a lot of paperboard materials available to choose from according to your budget and requirements.
Paperboard boxes are cost-effective, customizable, and can be printed using any technique.
Here is an example that we did for Brink.
Go Premium For Multiple Game Pieces
By choosing premium rigid packaging, you’re sure that the cards are not only well-protected, but the packaging is also visually appealing.
There are many ways to give buyers a fantastic customer experience through product packaging.
Creating striking designs can be achieved by using a mixture of colors, pull-up inserts, and even stickers.
The Structure & Material
Before deciding which structure and material to use for your packaging, conduct research on the box size of other games that are of the same theme as yours.
Retailers love categorizing the games and stacking them together to save space. If the size of your game box differs from other games in the same genre, retailers may place your product on a different shelf.
But, be careful not to try and forcibly fit the game pieces inside a box that’s too small.
Remember, the goal is to make sure that the game pieces are well-protected, and not crammed up.
Also, keep in mind that people who bought the games are going to share them with their friends or take them to other places, so don’t make the game box too big.
Gamers don’t appreciate a huge box containing a few game items and fresh air.
In terms of packaging materials, you can decide whether you want cardboard boxes, plastic, or wood.
Almost all game manufacturers choose cardboard boxes, but some also prefer using plastic so people can use reuse and repurpose the packaging. Wood is also utilized depending on the theme of the game
Designing Game Box Packaging
The design of your packaging should catch the attention of buyers and entice them to read on to know how the game works.
Striking designs with big headlines and witty taglines can influence people and push them to buy the game.
The front side of the box should contain information about the number of players required, the age range, as well as the manufacturer’s logo.
If all these don’t fit on the front side of the box, you can also place them on the side where people can see them if they are stacked side by side.
Also, don’t forget to add the required legal information and symbols at the back of the box.
You can consult legal professionals if you’re not sure what to include in the game packaging.
Remember, there are regulatory bodies that provide rules that game manufacturers need to comply with.
Those who don’t comply cannot use or add the logos of these regulatory bodies in their packaging.
Depth
You have to carefully plan the depth of the game box and avoid making it too thin or too tall.
If the depth isn’t properly planned, stacking the game will be challenging for retailers, and the game box might fall off the shelves repeatedly.
Inside Box
Some game manufacturers opt to have plain inside boxes for added protection and to provide a better unboxing experience.
Inserts
Cardboard, plastic, or foam inserts can be used to create a partition and to prevent items from moving inside the game box.
By placing inserts, people can also sort out game pieces before storing them. Inserts also ensure game items are protected and won’t bump into each other.
Special Print Ad-Ons
Embellishments can add value and enhance your packaging. You should choose print finishes that complement the overall design of the game box packaging and boost its aesthetic and haptic appeal.
It’s easy to think that you’re going overboard, especially because there are a lot of embellishment options available now.
Keep in mind that a lot of people don’t need to buy the game, so you have to make your packaging convince them to do so.
Here are some print finishes commonly used by game manufacturers:
Spot UV: This finishing technique adds a clear, shiny coating to specific areas of the game box to create an eye-catching contrast.
It also adds a smooth touch to the surface where it was applied, giving the packaging both aesthetic and haptic appeal.
Foil stamping: Foil stamping is a machine-based print finishing technique where a metallic or pigmented foil is applied to the surface using heated dye.
It’s widely used for card games, but game board manufacturers also use this technique because it adds a luxurious effect to the packaging.
Modern coating techniques for game boxes:
There are other modern coating techniques that enhance the look of game boxes. Gloss and matte lamination is also becoming increasingly popular as they have the ability to put emphasis on the colors for better contrast or make them look muted.
Soft touch coating has the ability to add a luxurious, tactile feel to the game box packaging. It is a popular choice for game manufacturers.
Shipping Game Boxes
After the tedious process of designing your game’s packaging, now comes the shipment.
Shipping out your board and card games can be challenging. With the tips provided below, you’ll surely beat the odds of having the merchandise damaged in transit.
Choose the Right Type of Box for Shipment
You need to ensure that you use durable and appropriately-sized boxes. This is crucial, especially when delivering your games in bulk.
Don’t fit too many items in one box and leave at least 1” gap on all corners.
Use Bubble Wrap
The games should be surrounded by compressible and lightweight materials, such as bubble wrap, to protect them.
Cushions can also be added between the game boxes for extra security. This will ensure that the paint materials on the packaging don’t stick to the surface of other game boxes.
Use Shrink Wrap or Plastic Bags to Prevent Water Damage
The weather can be unpredictable.
Using shrink wrap or plastic bags is recommended to package your game box from potential damage.
Put a Fragile Sign on the Box
Doing so will alert shipping personnel and prevent them from manhandling the shipment boxes.
Packaging designs for the card and board games are less complicated in the sense that manufacturers’ main focus is geared toward making people understand how the game works.
But, the proper size and structure of the packaging should also be given the attention they require.
Your packaging may catch the attention of the buyers, but if it does not function correctly or does not protect the game items, then you might get frustrated gamers who won’t think twice about leaving a bad review for your game.
