How to Design a Box Packaging Template in Minutes

Branded packaging is a great way to elevate your brand’s shipping and unboxing quality. Sleek, beautiful boxes give your products a sense of luxury and enhance the customer experience, leading to increased sales, engagement, and awareness for brands. But custom packaging comes with challenges, from complex designs to lengthy delivery timelines. Fortunately, a box packaging template from Box Genie can help you create beautiful packaging quickly and affordably.

What Is a Box Packaging Template?

A box packaging template is a flat paper or cardboard base that can be folded into a box or mailer used for packaging or shipping a brand’s products. For young brands or small businesses, a box packaging template can take some of the guesswork out of packaging and help the brand make an impact from the very first shipment.

For established businesses, box packaging templates are a great way to elevate your packaging and grow your business. Upgrading your packaging provides a sleeker, more cohesive unboxing experience for customers that takes your brand to the next level.

Step-by-Step Guide to Designing a Template in Minutes

Whether you’re a small brand designing your packaging for the first time or a growing business looking to elevate your packaging and unboxing experience, Box Genie can get you on your way in a few simple steps.

1. Choose a Size and Style

Before you can get to the design and branding, you need to choose the size and style of box you’ll be designing. While many packaging designers offer a selection of standardized sizes, Box Genie is able to fully customize your packaging.

Choose from four box styles: mailer boxes for small item shipments, shipping boxes for heavy or bulky shipments, triangle mailers for safe document mailing, or one-piece folders for flat shipments like books or artwork. Once you’ve selected your packaging type, input your own custom dimensions for the perfect fit for your products.

2. Select a Paper Type

Box Genie offers three paper types perfectly suited for any branding. Our Kraft paper gives your branding an organic edge and makes dark colors look striking. The Essential White paper gives your branding a soft appearance, with a smooth matte finish that perfectly marries cost-effectiveness and aesthetic. Our Magic White paper takes your branding to the next level. HD printing makes colors pop brilliantly against the bright white background, finished with a sleek semi-gloss for a touch of luxury.

3. Customize Branding Elements

Once your size, style, and finish are selected, it's time to create your dieline. A dieline is a type of template for boxes and packaging that shows not only how the design will line up, but also where and how to fold and seal the box.

For beginners, we recommend uploading your dieline to our built-in 3D Design Studio to ensure everything is lined up perfectly.

If you already have experience with another design software, you can also upload an external design. When you finish selecting your dimensions and paper, press “Order Now” to have upload instructions emailed, or select “Design Online” to download a template you can use to guide your design and upload it directly.

We also support design submission through live chat or email with one of our dedicated Box Genie representatives. This is a great solution for first-timers or those who might want a little extra guidance on their designs.

Custom Packaging Tools & Resources

If you’re new to packaging design or just want to up your game, Box Genie has a wide selection of tools and resources to help you make your packaging pop. Our built-in 3D Design Studio has a wide selection of shapes, fonts, and backgrounds to help you create. 

We also offer a selection of free templates (linked below) to inspire you and help you design. You can also reach out to our team of packaging experts for advice and best practices to help you get started.

Tips for Professional Packaging

If you want to take your packaging from standard to stunning, there are a few pro-tips to follow. First, make sure that any images or graphics you use are high-resolution to keep your lines crisp and smooth.

Try to keep your branding consistent across all your packaging and marketing materials. Use the same core colors, logos, and type fonts to tie your products together and create a sense of recognition for customers. Some brands even put together a reference guide with their colors, logos, fonts, and other marketing guidelines to use when designing.

Finally, order a sample or test print for all of your packaging and marketing materials. The way a product looks on a screen can sometimes vary from the real-life product. A test print ensures that the item looks exactly the way you want it to before you commit to a full order.

For more tips and tricks to get your design just right, check out our Box Genie design guidelines. 

Design the Perfect Packaging With Box Genie

If you’re ready to elevate your brand’s packaging, download our free box packaging templates above now to get started. Or start designing with our easy-to-use design tool to make a perfectly aligned template for all your boxing needs.