This industry op-ed is by Johanna Augustin, CEO of Stockholm agency Pond Design.
Who would have thought that we’d see a golden era of packaging design?
Watching my Generation Alpha daughter and her friends delight in their latest haul is a joy – especially for someone like me who has long appreciated the power of great packaging, both personally and professionally. Their passion goes beyond the product; they are deeply engaged with every moment of unwrapping, unfolding and revealing, whether it’s a shiny beauty item or something as simple as make-up remover pads. It’s a level of engagement with design and detail that’s refreshing.
Where previous generations saw the pack as a mere vessel and marketers often relegated it to only an afterthought, Gen Alpha engages with it as part of the product experience itself. It’s about performance, a shareable moment, and a key factor in their purchasing decisions. Their expectations of packaging are so much more heightened. So, what can we learn from this generation’s clear passion for packaging?
The Sharing Generation
Firstly, brand managers and owners need to truly appreciate Gen Alpha’s status as the digital-first generation. For Alphas, the divide between the digital and physical realms is almost non-existent. At the same time, Alphas are overall more socially aware at a young age and become consumers more quickly (according to research by GWI).
This means they don’t just buy a product; they buy the experience. Every purchase is an opportunity for wider connection. They don’t necessarily aspire to North West-level influence, but they’re sharing with far flung grandparents, say, or a tight circle of friends.
Packaging – how it looks, how it feels in the hand, and how it plays to the camera – is a huge part of this. While Gen Alpha might discover a product online before they ever hold it in their hand, imagine their disappointment if the vibrant, punchy online object of desire is wrapped in drab, lackluster packaging when it lands on their doorstep.
Making sure that the packaging doesn’t fall flat should always be a priority for brands no matter what age the consumer. But watching how a discerning Alpha kid interacts with packaging is a timely reminder that it’s more important than ever to consider more potential layers of engagement.
Designing for Digital and IRL
Ensuring that the packaging experience matches expectations isn’t just about perfectly replicating the colours from on-screen to in-hand. It’s not about the exact colour-match between RBG and CMYK, but about conveying the vibe and the energy level that a brand embodies. It’s about knowing the red thread that runs through the brand’s world, no matter the touchpoint. KNC Beauty, for example, infuses its packaging with the same irreverent sense of fun as its products embody. With products such as undereye patches shaped like leaves and overblown lip masks, the packaging also goes big and bold through type, colour combinations, and levels of tactility.
Make it Disruptive
Designing Generation Alpha-worthy packaging is ultimately about dialing up the disruptiveness and creating something that stands out and feels unexpected. But that doesn’t always need to be all about over-the-top design. It’s about feeling fresh and different. Even minimalist packaging can be disruptive if executed cleverly – rhode’s super understated approach, for example, or the humorous line illustrations on Minor Figures cartons. Equally, when you think of the success of Alpha skincare favourite Drunk Elephant, its very name is edgy and left field.
For Gen Alpha, ever inch of packaging real estate matters.
Harness Every Detail
Another lesson from Generation Alpha: Every inch of packaging real estate matters. From the outer box to the inside flap, brands should treat packaging as an extension of storytelling possibilities. Hidden messages, playful inserts, and unexpected design elements create moments of delight that are worth sharing. In this way, the packaging can evoke a unique brand experience and convey core aspects and the purpose of the brand.
Ear piercing and jewelry brand Rowan, for example, wanted its packaging to be both innovative and sustainable as well as genderless and fun – it appeals to Gen Alpha because it veers from the norm of cutesy, overly feminine manifestations of conventional jewelry brands aimed at the younger consumer. In the UK, meanwhile, chocolate brand Chocolarder recently released three new bar flavours using food that would have been discarded to highlight the problem of food waste. The package features a collage-inspired design using environmentally friendly paper stock to appeal to a younger, environmentally aware generation.
Lean Into Collectability
Alpha’s constant desire for newness highlights the role that limited-edition packaging, seasonal designs, and playful branding can play. It’s an approach that works well for more established and mainstream brands, especially in food and beverage. Think Coca-Cola releasing Fanta Blue or the Takis Blue Heat chips—their packaging alone sparks curiosity and fuels social media buzz. Or take Lucky Charms. The cereal brand regularly delights fans with its limited editions that become objects of desire through different formats and stand-out visuals. The key here is that brands can no longer afford to remain static if they want to connect with the audiences of tomorrow.
Dial up Emotional Resonance
Just like brands have long focused on connecting through ads or experiences, now, every bit of packaging can foster connection. Gen Alpha isn’t looking for functionality alone – they crave design that sparks emotion and feels worth sharing.
So as Gen Alpha continues to redefine consumer expectations – and influence purchases in the house – brands that treat packaging as a storytelling tool will not just capture younger consumers’ attention and earn their long-term loyalty, but they will maximise the impact and value their packaging can have across all consumers.
Johanna Augustin is CEO of Pond Design, where she has spent over a decade leading its creative output – crafting award-winning designs for global brands like Absolut, Jameson, and Gant. With a background in architecture, marketing, and advertising, she blends strategic insight with creative excellence.
All imagery © Pond Design.
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