Throwbacks are everywhere these days! With the popularity of #throwbackthursday posts on social media and shows like “Stranger Things,” it’s no wonder that consumers are craving more nostalgia.
Nostalgic packaging can remind consumers of their childhood and important moments in life, creating a deeper emotional connection with the product.
One of the key strengths of nostalgic packaging, also known as retro packaging, is it can feel personal and homemade, especially nowadays, when many people want something that feels more personalized. I created this feeling when I designed Tally Butter, a garlic butter inspired by my client’s Italian Grandma Tally. Both established and emerging businesses are leveraging nostalgic packaging to connect with consumers and communicate their brand heritage.
Tally Butter vintage-inspired packaging with logo over soft yellow canister and swirls and garlic clove design elements.
Introduction to Nostalgic Packaging
Nostalgic packaging design has become a powerful marketing trend in recent years, as brands look for new ways to connect with consumers on a deeper, more emotional level. By drawing inspiration from the past, companies are able to create packaging that feels both familiar and comforting, tapping into cherished memories and a collective sense of nostalgia. Retro packaging elements—like classic logos, vintage typography, and iconic color palettes—evoke feelings of warmth and trust, reminding consumers of a brand’s history and heritage.
Brands such as Pepsi have embraced this approach by redesigning their logos to reflect elements from earlier decades, instantly sparking recognition and emotional connections. This strategy not only celebrates a brand’s legacy but also creates a sense of timelessness, making products feel enduring and reliable. In a crowded market, nostalgic packaging design helps brands stand out by offering a unique blend of the past and present, effectively differentiating them from competitors. By tapping into the power of nostalgia, companies can foster loyalty and create lasting bonds with their audience, making their products more memorable and meaningful.
Why use nostalgia?
The 21st century is an exciting time, but can get overwhelming for even the most motivated go-getter. Nostalgia in your product’s packaging can provide the consumer with a brief refuge from the mental chaos by bringing the imagination back to a simpler time.
How many times have you felt confident buying a product because it’s been around for a long time? If you’re a new brand, you can still add to purchasing confidence by creating a vintage look. Retro styles send signals of trustworthiness and give the impression that your product has stood the test of time, even if it’s new.
How to incorporate nostalgia into your packaging
Using classic prints, patterns, and fonts, as well as retro color schemes and layouts, can help give your product a vintage look…and create a sense of familiarity for consumers. But as with everything, balance is key. That’s how we positioned 42 Dubonnet, an art deco inspired makeup line for gals on-the-go. We used patterns and colors inspired by the 20s with a modern twist, reflecting both vintage and modern trends to give it a modern vintage feeling.
With the globalization of business, sometimes people are longing for any type of human connection. It is important to make sure you are sending a message of simplicity in your design. This is especially effective in food products, as consumers are tired of processed foods with paragraphs of unnecessary ingredients. Don’t overwhelm the eyes- keep things clean and minimal while incorporating some vintage elements. This balance can incorporate both simplicity and a personal, homemade feel. Packaging can also be redesigned to combine nostalgic and contemporary elements, reinforcing brand heritage while appealing to modern tastes.
When brands blend traditional and modern packaging techniques, the possibilities for innovative and sustainable design are endless.
Vintage Inspiration
Vintage packaging design continues to inspire modern brands, offering a rich visual language that resonates with consumers seeking authenticity and emotional connections. The use of vintage elements—such as distressed textures, classic color schemes, and retro-inspired graphics—brings a sense of nostalgia and genuine character to packaging. Brands like Coca-Cola and Pepsi have successfully incorporated these vintage touches, resulting in packaging that not only stands out on the shelf but also evokes powerful memories and feelings of the past.
Beyond aesthetics, vintage-inspired packaging can also signal a commitment to sustainability. Many consumers today are drawn to brands that prioritize eco-friendly practices, and vintage packaging often features materials like glass bottles or aluminum, which are both recyclable and timeless. The vast majority of shoppers appreciate when brands reflect their values, making vintage-inspired packaging a smart marketing strategy. By embracing the inspiration of vintage design, companies can create packaging that bridges generations, honors history, and appeals to the modern consumer’s desire for both authenticity and sustainability.
Things to consider before going retro
Make sure you know your target audience before incorporating nostalgic packaging. You’ll need to consider your customer’s age, mindset, and cultural dynamics to make sure it’s a good choice for your product. And “vintage” can span multiple decades…think about the era your brand would be best suited to. Many brands specifically choose a decade, such as the ’80s or ’90s, to evoke nostalgia and connect with consumers who have fond memories of that time.
It’s also important to check out your competition first. This has been a popular trend and some markets are going to be oversaturated with it. For example, Pepsi, with its “Pepsi Throwback” campaign successfully used retro packaging inspired by the 1970s and 1980s to appeal to consumers’ sense of nostalgia and differentiate itself in a crowded market. Your packaging will still need to represent an image unique to your brand.
A well-executed strategy here can make your brand shine…but just doing whatever is popular isn’t going to bring you long-term success. Make sure the elements of nostalgia you include have a personal tie to your brand story or to an individual line of products.
Unboxing and the desire for trust
Alongside this desire for a simpler time, consumers are hungry for a sense of trust in their purchase decisions. Since they often buy everything either online or from a middleman, they don’t feel as confident buying your brand when they haven’t met you in person. From this need, the now-giant world of online reviews was born.
One of the most notable trends in this area as of late is unboxing videos. An unboxing video is essentially a third-party live review. A customer purchases or is sent a product to review, and they open and critique the product on a video platform. For many, the first time they open nostalgic packaging can be a memorable experience, filled with anticipation and emotion. The smell of a product during unboxing can also evoke nostalgic memories and enhance the emotional connection. Here, other consumers can watch the unboxing to become informed about the product.
Powerful exposure for your brand and packaging
Unboxing presents a huge opportunity, and will give great exposure if you’re a new brand. It’s popular with millennials, helps a brand develop personality, and gives consumers information about a product that they otherwise wouldn’t get. This gets them excited about buying.
Insights from the popularity of unboxing videos show that consumers are highly influenced by packaging design, especially when it evokes nostalgia and emotional connections. Retailers may be more likely to feature products with nostalgic packaging due to their strong shelf appeal and the increased attention these products receive from consumers.
While typical product reviews focus primarily around the product and its function, unboxing videos make the package itself a large influencer in the purchase decision. Everything about your packaging—construction, design, copy, etc.—is front and center, and it is often the first thing commented on in the video.
Make your own videos
John Ball, partner and creative director at branding agency MiresBall, says to make your own unboxing videos if no one has made any yet. “Although still predominately user-generated, the movement has continued to grow and we now see brands catching on and creating their own unboxing videos and/or featuring the trend in their advertising to control the experience,” he says. “Samsung produced a professionally done, highly entertaining spin on the amateur unboxing video for its new Galaxy S6; Toys“R”Us recently wrote and produced its first unboxing video in a style that is the brand’s interpretation of the trend; Xbox has created its own branded videos that are very similar to what consumers are creating on their own; and Walmart has jumped on the trend by curating its own YouTube playlist of user-generated unboxing videos.”
Several brands have brought modern storytelling techniques into their nostalgic-themed unboxing content, blending contemporary appeal with retro inspiration. Others have stuck with a retro aesthetic in their video content to reinforce their nostalgic brand identity.
Untapped potential
Currently, there are close to 42 million unboxing videos available on YouTube, and the trend is only increasing. You could say it’s the virtual version of old-fashioned “word of mouth” marketing. Create great packaging for your products, and encourage consumers through your social media channels to post unboxing videos. You can offer them giveaways or discounts in exchange for reviews. And remember…both the good and bad feedback are equally valuable!
There has been a resurgence of nostalgic packaging in recent years, with brands leveraging vintage logos and retro designs to boost consumer engagement and foster emotional connections. Luxury brands, in particular, are using nostalgic packaging to evoke a sense of exclusivity and heritage, drawing on traditional craftsmanship and timeless aesthetics. Refillable and sustainable packaging practices have been used for centuries, long before modern trends, and early examples include brands like Coca-Cola adopting refillable bottles and biodegradable materials to set sustainability milestones.
The right mix of nostalgia + current trends = huge packaging success. Need help figuring out the balance for your brand? Our CPG branding agency can help.
Crème de Mint has specialized in beauty, food and supplement packaging design for more than 15 years. Our CPG branding agency knows how to create compelling, craveworthy designs that can help your brand stand out! Book a call today to chat with us about your packaging design.