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Why Packaging Design Decisions Go Wrong Before They Ever Reach the Shelf (2026)

Most bad packaging decisions aren't caused by bad designers - they're caused by a decision process that was never actually designed. This piece looks at why packaging calls go wrong so often - the HiPPO effect, death by committee, familiarity bias, sunk cost on a favorite concept, and the vague 'I'll know it when I see it' brief - and then at the general principles that actually fix it: forced comparison over independent ratings, separating diagnosis from decision, and getting outside reaction before internal familiarity sets in. Not a product pitch - a close look at what's actually happening in the room, and at the well-established methods that resolve it.