Christmas is a fantastic time for companies both small and large to capitalise on the festive marketing fever. As December 25th rolls around, many businesses will design specialised Christmas packaging with a view to capturing the hearts and imaginations of customers new and old. 

From the bevvies of Starbucks Christmas-themed coffee cups to Coca-Cola’s amazing limited edition Christmas bow labels, many companies will go the extra mile to make the effort and stand out during the festive period. 

Getting creative around Christmas with your packaging is always a good idea, so to help give you a little inspiration, our team of helpers here at Zap! Creatives have compiled a nice list of Christmas packaging ideas to use on your backing cards, pin badges and more. 

First Things First...

Planning is paramount! It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking, “Christmas is ages away!”. Well, let us tell you, you’ll be surprised how quickly it creeps up on you. 

So many businesses fall into the trap of preparing for their festive marketing way too late, a mistake which can not only cost you in materials and money spent but also potential revenue missed out on too.

A lot of companies will start planning as early as July, while the very latest you’ll want to start getting things sorted should be September. After all, you want to be marketing in Christmas-present - not Christmas-past. 

Consider the Colours of Christmas

Perhaps without realising it, we relate many colours directly with Christmas. Using shades that are synonymous with the festive season is a fantastic way of refreshing your standard packaging, emphasising a special holiday offer or product, or simply just drawing a potential customer into an impulse buy. 

So, which Christmassy colours should you introduce into your promotional designs? 

Red & Green

The old adage “red and green should never be seen” certainly doesn’t apply when it comes to Christmas. There’s arguably no other combination which stirs up excitement and happy memories of the holiday season more than these two colours. 

From the rich green of Christmas trees to the resplendent red of Father Christmas’ famous getup, use these two colours in your packaging and you’ll be giving customers and clients a clear marketing message.

Black & Gold

If the colours of red and green are a little too kitsch for your brand’s liking, why not plump for a scheme that’s understated yet bold? 

The combination of black and gold instantly gives your packaging an elegant and luxurious look while still staying true to the stylings of Christmas. If black doesn’t quite tie in with your brand or products, mix things up! Gold also goes great with dark greens, deep reds and snowy silvers.

Pick Out Festive Patterns & Designs

Now you’ve settled on a suitably Christmassy colour scheme, it’s time to pick out a festive pattern and really give your packaging that Yuletide look. 

From the obvious to the subtle, there’s plenty of designs out there that will add some Christmas decoration to your marketing efforts. We’ve picked out just a few of our favourites to set you on your way. 

Scandanavian Sweater-style 

You’re all most likely familiar with the Scandi style; it’s that classic Christmas jumper look that’s often labelled as “ugly”, but there’s no denying that it’s undeniably festive. 

The knitted outlines of reindeer, pine trees, snowflakes and Santa embody all that is Christmas, and so incorporating this pattern into your packaging will mean that there’s no mistaking what you’re promoting,  

Rustic and Recyclable 

Brown packaging paper and Kraft papers not only have a clean and cosy aesthetic, but they’re also more eco-friendly too! Many classic Christmas wrapping papers cannot be recycled, so opting for brown paper packaging both looks great and is good for the planet at the same time. 

What’s more, if you’re worried that the natural warmth and simplicity of rustic paper is a little too minimalist, it provides a fantastic backdrop for other designs too. You can easily embellish your packaging with bows and badges, or why not make use of our amazing custom sticker printing and spruce up your paper packaging with some festive designs? 

Incorporate Christmas Characters

From Christmas elves and Frosty the Snowman to Santa and Rudolph, there are plenty of instantly recognisable Christmas characters that you can incorporate into your packaging ideas. 

Whether you create custom pin badges of your chosen characters or you feature them as a festive custom printed sticker, adding these much-loved personalities to your Christmas packaging is a surefire way to make your customers and clients all the merrier. 

If you’d like more festive inspiration and expert advice, contact our friendly team of helpers or check out our Zap blog section!