Set the price band first
Packaging cost must match the price. For a ten-yuan product, packaging must stay a small share of cost; for a premium gift box, packaging is part of the product. Fix price band, channel and target customer before discussing material. Packaging is part of pricing, not a separate art project.
Quality does not come from expensive material
Quality comes from proportion, white space, typography and print precision. The same white card looks more premium with a clean layout, proper letter spacing and stable printing than with busy foil stamping. Conversely, expensive material with a crowded layout and muddy colour looks cheap. Spend on print precision and structural detail — the two things customers perceive most directly.
Few processes, used precisely
Processes are a bonus, not a necessity. Foil, UV, embossing and windows all at once raise cost and destroy focus. Choose one or two brand-relevant processes, placed where customers see them when picking up the pack. Consider mass-production stability: some processes work in small batches and fail at scale.
Spend budget at the touchpoints
Customers meet packaging in sequence: see it from a distance, pick it up, read it, open it, use it. Distance relies on colour blocks and shape; picking up relies on material feel; reading relies on hierarchy; opening relies on structure. Spend first on the first two touchpoints. Also budget for transport damage: run a drop test, because savings on the carton can be lost to returns.
