Packaging is the first “contact” with the brand. For a coffee shop or fast food, this contact often occurs on the street, in transport, at work. That is why paper cups with a logo can give an advertising effect without additional costs for the media – especially if you do branding consistently and in the same style.
People pay attention to simple things: does the cup look neat, is the logo legible, is it pleasant to hold in your hand? In the everyday scenario of “coffee in a cup and run”, design works quickly: either “it looks normal”, or “you want to take a picture of it”.
What exactly does the design of the cup “say”
Design is not just a picture. It transmits three signals: quality and neatness, the character of the brand and the consistency of the style. When these signals coincide, branded cups work as a “signature” of the brand. A person may not remember the name the first time, but he will remember the look.
Where to start if you order a design
Start with three questions: where the customer sees the glass (hall/takeaway/delivery), what mood the brand should convey, and what should be the main thing on the layout (logo, name, slogan, QR). After that, it’s easier to make a layout that doesn’t look overloaded.
Key elements that should work
The logo should be readable in real life — under different lights and in motion. The second key point is contrast: dark text on a dark background is not readable. The third is one short message: the glass should not turn into a postcard. If you plan several volumes and types of glasses, immediately check the layout on different positions from the catalog.
Typical mistakes that make a design “not sell”
The most common harms are small text, weak contrast, complex gradients, and thin lines that “disappear” in the circulation. Another mistake is when the glass exists “separately” from the brand identity.
How to test your design before a large print run
Make a test batch. Look at the glass in different lights, check the readability in the hand and in a photo, collect reactions from the team and customers. It’s cheaper than printing a large print run and then “living” with a layout that you don’t like.
In short: cups with a logo are packaging that can become part of the brand’s identity. If the design is simple, readable and consistent, it reinforces the brand in everyday scenarios.