“Make it premium.” Three words that can kill a brand.
Design
“Make it premium.”
Three words we hear in almost every packaging brief.
And every time, we take a breath before responding.
Because what the client often means is:
Make it look expensive.
Gold foil.
Dark backgrounds.
Elegant typography.
Minimal design.
Done.
But premium isn't a finish.
It isn't a colour palette.
And it isn't even a price point.
Premium is a perception.
Premium starts before the design
A truly premium brand knows exactly who it is, who it is for and what it stands for.
It has a clear point of view.
It knows what makes it different.
It understands the value it is offering and why that value deserves to command a premium.
That thinking needs to happen before a single design decision is made.
Because design doesn't create the substance of a premium brand.
It makes that substance visible.
When brands skip the thinking
When a brand jumps straight to “make it premium,” the designer is often left trying to manufacture a perception through visual cues.
So the gold foil comes out.
The dark background appears.
The typography becomes more elaborate.
The logo gets smaller.
Everything starts looking more “luxurious.”
And yet, something still feels wrong.
The pack looks dressed up.
But it doesn't necessarily feel premium.
Why?
Because consumers are remarkably good at sensing when something has style without substance.
Premium isn't about adding more signals of luxury.
It's about creating a coherent experience where everything — from the product itself to the brand story, packaging, pricing and communication — supports the same perception of value.
What actually makes packaging feel premium?
Think about the brands that genuinely feel premium.
They don't all use black.
They don't all use gold.
They don't all use minimal typography.
What they often have in common is clarity.
They know what they stand for.
They know what they refuse to compromise on.
They know who they want to attract.
They have a strong reason for existing.
And they have a point of view.
The packaging simply translates that conviction into something the consumer can see and feel.
That's why two products can use the same gold foil and completely different perceptions can emerge.
One feels premium.
The other feels like it's trying to look premium.
There's a difference.
Premium is not something you add at the end
If premium is only a visual treatment added during the packaging stage, you're already too late.
The real questions come earlier:
What makes this brand valuable?
Who is willing to pay for that value?
What do we believe that others don't?
What makes us worth choosing at this price?
Once those answers are clear, the packaging has something meaningful to express.
And that's when design becomes powerful.
So the next time you're tempted to say, “Make it premium,” pause.
Don't start with the colour palette.
Start with the brand.
Ask what you actually stand for.
Because that's where premium begins.