Packaging lives in the real world, but it needs to shine online too. These are the key differences — and how to design effectively for both. A colour that looks rich and saturated on screen can appear flat and dull once printed on an uncoated stock. Conversely, a metallic finish that photographs beautifully may not translate well into a digital mockup. Understanding these gaps is a fundamental part of the packaging designer’s job.
The starting point is always colour mode. Print works in CMYK, screens work in RGB, and the two do not map neatly onto each other. Certain vivid blues and greens that exist happily in RGB simply cannot be reproduced in CMYK. If you design in RGB and hand off files without converting, you will get an unpleasant surprise at the print stage. Building this awareness into your workflow from day one saves a great deal of pain later.
Resolution and file format matter just as much. Print demands high-resolution artwork — typically 300dpi minimum — while screen assets need to be optimised for fast loading without losing clarity on high-density displays. The good news is that with the right setup in your design tool of choice, switching between the two becomes second nature. The key is knowing which context you are designing for before you start, not after.