How to Brief a Designer for Supplement Packaging Artwork
Designers produce non-compliant artwork because nobody tells them which elements are legally fixed. A good brief separates the creative space from the mandatory elements. Without that separation, declarations get resized for balance and the pack goes to print with problems.
Why Artwork Goes Wrong
This guide is for brand owners and marketing teams commissioning packaging artwork for Indian supplement, Ayurvedic and herbal products.
A designer’s job is to make the pack work visually. If they are handed copy and a pack size with no indication of which elements are mandatory, they will treat all text as adjustable, because that is normal design practice.
The result is familiar: declarations reduced to a size that is technically present but not readable, mandatory information moved to a panel where it competes with the barcode, and marketing copy sharpened into claims that cannot be made. None of this is the designer’s fault. It is a briefing failure.
What the Brief Must Contain
Include all of these.
- The approved claim set, with a clear statement that no additional claims may be introduced in headlines or callouts.
- The list of mandatory declarations, marked as fixed elements with minimum legible size.
- The exact composition panel text, as final copy to be reproduced without editing.
- Accurate dielines for the actual pack, obtained from the packaging supplier.
- Print process and any colour limitations.
- Material and finish, since these affect legibility and colour reproduction.
- Where the batch, manufacture and expiry fields will be printed, and how.
- Barcode placement and quiet zone requirements.
- Any required marks or logos, with confirmation of entitlement to use them.
- Brand guidelines for the creative space.
- A note that imagery implying health outcomes is not permitted.
Fixed Versus Creative
Make the distinction explicit in the brief.
| Fixed Elements | Creative Space |
|---|---|
| Product name as approved | Typography and layout of the name |
| Composition panel text | Panel styling within legibility limits |
| Net quantity declaration | Placement within permitted options |
| Manufacturer and address details | Styling, not content |
| Batch, manufacture and expiry fields | Field position within constraints |
| Required warnings or statements | Styling, not wording |
| Consumer care details | Styling, not content |
| Approved claim wording | Hierarchy and emphasis, not rewording |
| Entitled marks and logos | Placement within rules |
| — | Colour, imagery, pattern, illustration, finish |
The single most useful instruction: mandatory text may be styled but not reworded, resized below the stated minimum, or relocated to another panel without approval.
The Revision Trap
Artwork problems often enter during revisions rather than at first draft.
Late Copy Additions
A marketing headline added at round three, after the compliance review of round one. Re-review after every copy change.
Space Pressure
When something is added, something gets smaller, and it is usually the mandatory text. Watch for this specifically.
Imagery Changes
A new product shot or lifestyle image can introduce an implied claim that the copy does not make.
Approval Confusion
Multiple reviewers approving different versions. Keep one version-controlled master and one named approver.
Review the final file that will actually go to print, not an earlier approved version.
Process Checklist
Follow in this order.
- Write the claim set before briefing.
- Obtain accurate dielines from the packaging supplier.
- Finalise the composition panel text against the actual formulation.
- Brief creative space and fixed elements separately.
- State minimum legible sizes for mandatory text.
- Review at first draft for both design and compliance.
- Re-review after every copy or imagery change.
- Check legibility at actual print size, not on screen.
- Keep one version-controlled master and one named approver.
- Have the final print-ready file reviewed for compliance.
- Archive the approved file and the review record in the product file.
Want Artwork Checked Before Print?
Share your draft artwork and formulation and our team will flag declaration and claim issues before you commit to a run.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do designers produce non-compliant artwork?
Because they are usually not told which elements are legally fixed. Standard design practice treats all text as adjustable for balance, so declarations get resized or relocated unless the brief states explicitly that they cannot be.
What should a packaging brief contain?
The approved claim set, the mandatory declarations marked as fixed with minimum legible sizes, final composition panel text, accurate dielines from the packaging supplier, print process and material details, barcode requirements, entitled marks, and brand guidelines for the creative space.
What is the single most useful instruction to give?
That mandatory text may be styled but not reworded, resized below a stated minimum, or relocated to another panel without approval. This one instruction prevents most common artwork compliance problems.
When do artwork problems usually enter?
During revisions rather than at first draft. Late marketing copy added after a compliance review, space pressure shrinking mandatory text, and new imagery introducing implied claims are the common routes. Re-review after every change.
What should be reviewed before printing?
The final print-ready file that will actually go to press, not an earlier approved version, checked at actual print size rather than on screen, and including imagery and anything behind a QR code or link.