Shelf Life 096: Why Packaging Design Is Worth the Early Spend
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There are a lot of LinkedIn haters out there. And I get it. People post the classic humble brag or advice that feels ripped from the Tony Robbins playbook. But I still often scroll because I love discovering posts that dive into branding and design.
This past week, Molly Fedick, founder of the non-alcoholic brand Buzzkill Wines, offered a reflection warning founders against spending too much money early on branding and packaging, especially with a “fancy agency.” The takeaway was for founders to save their funds and prove demand first.
Fedick shared that she hired a branding agency early on, before Buzzkill Wines had real market validation. The result was packaging that looked polished but didn’t reflect the brand she was actually trying to build, or resonate with the audience she eventually found. She was left with a hard lesson that even beautiful branding can still be the wrong branding when you don’t yet know who you’re for.
1 response to “Shelf Life 096: Why Packaging Design Is Worth the Early Spend”
I wonder what the creative brief that guided this project read like. Why didn’t the “fancy agency” challenge her assumptions at this stage in the process? Timely clarity and alignment are paramount.
Unfortunately, a very expensive lesson for her but the agency involved also bears responsibility for the outcome.