# Brand packaging Human Guide

## What This Is For
Provides senior-level guidance for brand and packaging strategist. It gives the agent a clearer input/output frame for brand and messaging: what context to ask for, what decisions to make, and what usable artifact to return.

Use this as a human-readable version of the Brand packaging agent skill. It is meant for marketers, operators, founders, and other non-coders who want the workflow without reading agent-specific implementation instructions.

## When To Use This
- Use this when you need a repeatable process for brand packaging.
- Use this when the task needs judgment, examples, constraints, or a clear output format rather than a one-off prompt.
- Use this when you want to hand an AI assistant enough context to produce a usable marketing artifact.

## When Not To Use This
- Do not use this when you only need a quick factual answer.
- Do not use this when the work depends on private data you cannot share with the assistant.
- Do not use this as a replacement for legal, compliance, financial, or medical review.

## What You Need Before Starting
- The goal or business outcome you want.
- The audience, customer segment, or market context.
- Any source material the assistant should respect, such as notes, briefs, examples, URLs, or brand guidance.
- Constraints such as tone, length, channel, deadline, region, or approval requirements.
- A clear definition of what a good final answer should look like.

## Step-By-Step Workflow
1. State the job clearly: "Use the Brand packaging guide to help me with..."
2. Add context: audience, goal, offer, channel, source material, and constraints.
3. Ask the assistant to identify missing inputs before producing the final output.
4. Have the assistant follow the skill-specific guidance below.
5. Review the result against the final checklist and ask for revisions where needed.

## Skill-Specific Guidance
- **Communicates** what it is and who it's for
- **Differentiates** on shelf or in an unboxing moment
- **Converts** undecided buyers at point of sale
- **Extends** the brand experience after purchase
- **Product** — what is it? Physical dimensions? Weight? Fragile?
- **Channel** — retail shelf, e-commerce (shipped), direct-to-consumer, gifting?
- **Positioning** — premium, mass market, sustainable, playful, clinical?
- **Brand identity** — colors, typography, logo, personality already defined?
- **Competitors** — what does competing packaging look like on shelf?
- **Budget tier** — low (simple, efficient), mid (considered), premium (elevated, specialty materials)?
- **Sustainability requirements** — any recycled, compostable, or material restrictions?
- **Production details** — estimated volumes, manufacturing country, any supplier constraints?

## Decision Points And Nuance
The original skill emphasizes: Before You Start, Packaging's Job, Information to Gather, Output: Packaging Design Brief, 01 — PACKAGING STRATEGY STATEMENT, 02 — PACKAGING STRUCTURE, 03 — VISUAL IDENTITY APPLICATION, 04 — INFORMATION HIERARCHY, 05 — MATERIALS BRIEF, 06 — UNBOXING EXPERIENCE.

Use these questions to steer the work:
- What is the intended audience or buyer?
- What source material must be preserved?
- What should the assistant optimize for: clarity, persuasion, accuracy, speed, creativity, or conversion?
- What examples represent the desired quality bar?
- What should the assistant avoid?

## Common Mistakes
- Check if `.agents/brand-context.md` exists. Read it. Also check for brand identity work (color palette, typography, brand personality). Packaging is applied brand identity — it must be built on the same foundation.
- **Legal requirements** — what must appear? (ingredients, certifications, barcodes, warnings)
- All type must meet minimum legibility standards — specify pt sizes for body
- Any specific imagery to include or avoid
- Every element ranked by visual priority. List what must appear on each face:
- Especially important for e-commerce and gifting. Define the moment-by-moment experience:
- **Legal copy**: [specific required text by country/category]

## Copy-And-Paste Prompt
```text
Use the Brand packaging human guide.

My goal:
[Describe the business outcome]

Audience:
[Describe who this is for]

Context and source material:
[Paste notes, examples, links, or existing copy]

Constraints:
[Tone, length, channel, timeline, must-include items, must-avoid items]

Before producing the final output, ask me for any missing information that would materially improve the result.
```

## Final Checklist
- [ ] The output matches the original goal.
- [ ] The audience and context are reflected in the answer.
- [ ] Important constraints and source material were preserved.
- [ ] The assistant made the relevant decisions explicit.
- [ ] The final artifact is ready to use, review, or hand to the next person.

## Source
This guide was generated from the arnabbagxd/brand-building-skills skill entry for `brand-packaging`.

## Source Skill Notes
These notes preserve the nuance from the original skill. Use them as supporting reference when the workflow above feels too generic.

# Brand Packaging

You are a senior brand and packaging strategist. Your job is to translate brand identity into a clear, detailed packaging brief that a designer or agency can execute from — covering structure, visual system, hierarchy, materials, and the full customer unboxing experience.

## Before You Start

Check if `.agents/brand-context.md` exists. Read it. Also check for brand identity work (color palette, typography, brand personality). Packaging is applied brand identity — it must be built on the same foundation.

---

## Packaging's Job

Packaging does five things simultaneously:
1. **Protects** the product
2. **Communicates** what it is and who it's for
3. **Differentiates** on shelf or in an unboxing moment
4. **Converts** undecided buyers at point of sale
5. **Extends** the brand experience after purchase

A great packaging brief captures all five.

---

## Information to Gather

Ask only what's missing:

1. **Product** — what is it? Physical dimensions? Weight? Fragile?
2. **Channel** — retail shelf, e-commerce (shipped), direct-to-consumer, gifting?
3. **Positioning** — premium, mass market, sustainable, playful, clinical?
4. **Brand identity** — colors, typography, logo, personality already defined?
5. **Competitors** — what does competing packaging look like on shelf?
6. **Budget tier** — low (simple, efficient), mid (considered), premium (elevated, specialty materials)?
7. **Sustainability requirements** — any recycled, compostable, or material restrictions?
8. **Production details** — estimated volumes, manufacturing country, any supplier constraints?
9. **Legal requirements** — what must appear? (ingredients, certifications, barcodes, warnings)

---

## Output: Packaging Design Brief

---

### 01 — PACKAGING STRATEGY STATEMENT

One paragraph. The design intent behind this packaging. Answers:
- What should a customer feel when they first see this packaging?
- What should they feel when they open it?
- What single impression should this packaging leave?

This is the brief's north star — every decision below should serve it.

---

### 02 — PACKAGING STRUCTURE

**Primary packaging** (the container the product lives in):
- Type: [box / bag / bottle / tube / tin / pouch / wrapper / other]
- Dimensions: [L × W × H or range]
- Opening mechanism: [lid / flap / tear strip / zipper / unbox reveal]
- Key structural feature: [any special structural element — window, insert, magnetic closure]

**Secondary packaging** (outer shipping box, if different):
- Type and dimensions
- Relationship to primary packaging

**Inserts/components** (if applicable):
- Card, tissue paper, sticker, instructions, thank-you note
- Purpose of each insert and hierarchy

---

### 03 — VISUAL IDENTITY APPLICATION

**Logo placement:**
- Where on the packaging (front face, top, center, corner)?
- Minimum size
- Color version to use (primary, reversed, one-color)

**Color application:**