Overview Packaging is your customer's first impression of your work, and what better way to woo them than to package their order as if it were a gift? The ultimate goal is to turn every customer into a returning customer, and to do so, they must fall in love with not only your product but your brand as a whole. 🙌🏻📦 Packing up the cutest little wholesale order for @valeriemckeehan's new flagship @lilyandval store ✔️ All kinds of giddy to be on those shelves 🙌🏻❤️ A post shared by DeBrosse™ (@debrosse_nyc) on Sep 26, 2016 at 5:01pm PDT Physical packaging is a very tactile way to express what your brand is about. It is an opportunity for you to impress your customer, invite them into your work, and craft an enjoyable experience for them. (This goes to Brand Image as covered in the Branding module). Below are a variety items that I recommend considering for your packaging process. Comb through with your own brand in mind, and consider how you might update existing materials or implement new ones. With time, you'll find that packaging and shipping can turn into a whirlwind of materials to organize, which is why I'll dive into my favorite ways to organize all of these assets as well. ... Stamped Logo Get your logo made into a stamp! (And support another Etsy seller in the process.) Not only is it a super fun moment for your business, but the up-front cost will go a long way to brand your content moving forward. If you can stamp it, you can now brand it! Kraft Bags Kraft bags are great for markets, and helpful to have on hand for local, in-person pickups. If you have a logo stamp, you'll be able to quickly and inexpensively brand these. Stuff them with an on-brand colored tissue paper for a professional finish. Headbands, hats 8 x 4.75 x 10.5" Chunky scarves 10 x 5 x 13" Multiple items 16 x 6 x 12" Tissue Paper Take the time to consider a different color tissue paper for your customers. What color would create the most pleasing experience for them when opening your product? Perhaps a light blush, a stripe, a textured paper, or a regal black? Tissue paper is a great opportunity to turn their purchase into a gift, and step up your game from the expectation of the everyday white. Note that tissue paper does not travel well when used in a shipping bag, so I highly recommend only using it for boxed orders. For orders sent in shipping bags, I recommend muslin bags. Muslin Bags For three years, I wrapped all my products in perfectly folded tissue paper and gently placed them in a shipping bag. One day a parcel was returned to me because of a failed address, and maybe by now you see where this is going. Tissue paper looks super cute going out, but the product actually appeared to be used and distastefully packaged after traveling through the mail. I had sent thousands of packages like that and was mortified to realize what they looked like by the time they reached my customers. So my recommendation for you is to do a shipping test. Package a common order with all your usual packaging, and then send it to a friend, your office, or to your neighbor, and see for yourself what it looks like when it arrives. Muslin bags became my new solution. They come with a price tag, but investing in your customer's experience ultimately strengthens the brand as a whole. Here are my recommended sizes: Headbands 8 x 10" Hats 10 x 16" Chunky scarves 12 x 16" Multiple pieces Multiple bags Twine Bakers twine is a cost-effective way to add nuance and thoughtfulness to your packages. A lot of makers opt for using a scrap piece of yarn, but that can often give a "bargain" or "homemade" vibe, rather than a more professional one of someone who has intentionally set aside budget for packaging. Blank Tags Etsy added an "Add gift message for free" feature at checkout, which needs to be accounted for in your packaging collection. Around Christmas, a high percentage of orders will request notes, so it's important to have a cost-effective solution on hand. Professional Hang Tags This is my go-to packaging preference. A professional hang tag goes a long way to elevate your brand credibility with your customer. I had a huge set of hang tags printed on a thick cardstock paper with a brass eyelet. On one side I included my logo and website, and the other was a bit about my work. When I had bandwidth, I would sign the back to add a personal touch into the packaging. I highly recommend Woven Labelz hang tags. If you're overwhelmed by the options like I was, these are a great option. To place an order, I recommend first sending a message detailing what you'd like (specs to include listed below). From there, they will help narrow down all the details and put together a final quote and proof for you. Tag size (custom is totally fine) Paper type (kraft vs. color, as well as weight) Corners (rounded, square, die cut) Metal eyelet or just a hole Printing (front or front and back, black or color) Quantity Will you need pins or ties with them? Care Instruction Tags Let your customers know how to care for their new goods. Printable Product Hangtags "What material is this? How do I wash it?" These hangtags will do all the heavy lifting for you. Simply print, cut, fill out + attach to your products. Add your signature + hometown for a personalized touch. Back side is blank to allow for logo stamp, sticker, or personal note.· File type: PDF. Printable but not digitally editable. · Tag Size: 2.5" x 3.75" · Paper Rec: Cardstock (kraft or matte white)download now Notecards + Business Cards Including printed materials like notecard + business cards is a great way to make a further impression on your buyer. Let them know where they can find you on social, share the mission behind your work, or invite them to purchase again with a returning customer promo code. Canva offers FREE templates for both notecards + business cards (plus dozens of other items you may also be interested in). I've curated a few favorites below. Know that once you open a template, you can customize all text, colors, and backgrounds. Notecard Templates Quick note: These are technically postcards, so just delete the content on page 2 and replace it with your preferred content (a short bio, contact info, an inspiring quote, additional photos, etc.). browse gallery Business Card TemplatesQuick note: There are a lot of really cute templates that have fun patterning and/or shapes in the background artwork (like this one). Be careful not to introduce a new aesthetic on your printed stationery that your customer has not seen before. All branding should feel continuous and exist throughout your entire customer experience, from your website through to your packaging. browse gallery ... Organization Organizing your tools is a simple way to optimize your business and expand your capacity for creativity. When your tools and paperwork are in order, it frees up your mind to pursue the life-giving work of creating. Below are my favorite tools for doing just that. Sunday cleaning + fixing ALL my packaging bc of that errrrr typo a sweet customer found in my logo 🙈 Guys. Who does that?! It's so terrifying all I can do is giggle. A post shared by DeBrosse™ (@debrosse_nyc) on Sep 18, 2016 at 11:59am PDT Yarn Winder A yarn winder is a great tool for keeping your yarn stash in a manageable state. It pairs well with creating the following rule for yourself: only have one skein of a particular color open at a single time. Then, make it a habit to check your cakes before starting a new project. Storage Drawers Whether you have an office space or not, these shallow drawers go a long way to consolidate an insane amount of tools and shipping materials. I dedicate 2 drawers for tools (hooks, scissors, notebooks, needles, packaging cards), 2 drawers for muslin and shipping bags, 1 drawer for tissue paper, and a final drawer as a catch-all junk drawer (#nevertobegrammed). It has almost single-handedly served as my "office" out of my living room, so if you're in need of a space-conscious storage solution, I highly recommend this piece. Drawer Organizer It's helpful when the tools you buy to organize your space actually inspire your work. These wooden organizers house my tools in such a way that it makes me excited to use them.Additionally, customers love seeing the behind-the-scenes of maker studios. For this reason, I like to design and organize my space according to my brand. The more you can share of your business, the more connected your customers will feel to your work. A post shared by DeBrosse™ (@debrosse_nyc) on Nov 27, 2017 at 10:47am PST Cardboard Organizers These cardboard organizers are a recent addition to my collection and now I don't know how I managed before them. They are available in a variety of sizes, so take a look at your current tools and decide which proportions would work best for your storage needs. For better or for worse, these organizers have to be purchased in bulk, so consider going in on them with another maker (or use them to organize all-the-things). A post shared by DeBrosse™ (@debrosse_nyc) on Feb 15, 2018 at 10:55am PST Blanket Ladder The blanket ladder is a lovely way to store your blankets or fabrics in a way that doesn't require the prime real estate of a closet. In addition to creating extra storage space, it can actually lend itself to continued inspiration as you surround yourself with the accomplishments of your finished products (blankets are of course, a serious labor of love). A post shared by DeBrosse™ (@debrosse_nyc) on May 9, 2016 at 5:02pm PDT Underbed Storage Bins A lot of makers don't have a designated craft room, and I'm often answering DMs around how I store everything in my tiny apartment. If you're not utilizing the space under your bed, you're missing out. I have 4 underbed storage bins similar to these, and they correspond quite perfectly to the height of a skein of yarn. Additionally, I'll set aside a bin for additional shipping boxes and bags to have on hand. Record Keeping These are the perfect folders for filing away anything from tax paperwork to market booth signage. I set aside a single folder for each year of taxes, a folder for nostalgic archiving (old packaging, previous business cards, etc.), one for fabric samples, and another for market content. Just having a set of these around will inspire you to organize paperwork that would otherwise get shoved into a drawer and never seen again. Storage Couch You likely already have a couch, so carry on! But if you're in the market for a multi-functional couch that will add some yarn storage, this is the one. I use the chaise portion of the couch to store anything from yarn, to shipping materials, to finished products, to camera equipment. It has been a hack that I could not do without in my small space.