Packaging Design Cost in Australia: What Food and Beverage Brands Really Pay
You've perfected the recipe, sorted a manufacturer and lined up a printer. Then the design quotes arrive, and none of them agrees. One is a few hundred dollars, another runs to five figures, and neither explains the gap.
Packaging design costs in Australia are less mysterious than those quotes suggest and come down to a few predictable factors. Below you'll find indicative prices, what moves them, what's excluded and how a typical project runs, so you can set a realistic budget before the first concept is drawn.
How Much Does Packaging Design Cost in Australia?
Working with a specialist product packaging designer, you can expect to pay around $2,500 for a single product and around $3,500 for a range of three. Each extra variant in the same range adds roughly $500.
All figures are approximate, in Australian dollars and exclusive of GST.
Why Ranges Cost Less Per Product
The first design does the heavy lifting. Each new flavour then builds on it, so three cans cost far less per can than three separate projects. Just how much less depends on how different each variant needs to be. A colour change is quick work. New artwork for every flavour is not.
Fixed Quotes vs Day Rates
Most projects are quoted at a fixed price tailored to the brief, which gives you certainty from day one. Very niche projects, or those with lots of variables, often suit a day rate instead because the scope is harder to pin down upfront. The half-day rate of $800 is also the minimum project fee, so even the smallest job starts there.
What a Packaging Budget Looks Like in Practice
Prices make more sense when you see them applied to real scenarios. Here's roughly how the figures above combine for four common starting points.
These totals assume minimal custom illustration. If every flavour needs its own detailed artwork, expect the figures to climb.
What Affects the Cost of Packaging Design?
Two brands launching three cans can get very different quotes. Here's why.
1. Number of SKUs
More products mean a higher total, though each one becomes more cost-effective. The catch is how much each variant differs. Swapping a colour and flavour name is a small job, while a new layout or illustration for every SKU adds real design time.
2. Custom Illustration
This is the biggest variable in any packaging quote. Custom packaging illustration depends entirely on what your product needs, from a single hero image to a different scene on every pack. The more illustrations involved and the more detailed they are, the more the cost moves.
3. Revision Rounds
Fixed price quotes include three rounds of revisions during the main design process. A clear brief and consolidated feedback from one decision maker make every round count, rather than spending them on conflicting opinions.
4. Print Management
Liaising with your printer, checking technical specs and reviewing proofs all add time. It's worth it, though. Catching a dieline or colour issue at proof stage costs far less than reprinting a full run.
5. What You Already Have
Strong existing brand foundations such as a logo, fonts and colour palette keep costs down because the packaging has a foundation to build on. If the brand needs work first, brand identity design may come before packaging. Sometimes a refinement is enough. In other cases, starting from scratch is the better investment.
What's Not Included in a Packaging Design Quote?
A design fee covers the design. These costs sit alongside it and are budgeted separately:
- Print costs: Your printer quotes these based on quantity, materials and finishes.
- Copywriting: Product descriptions, flavour notes and back-of-pack copy need to be written before they can be laid out.
- Proofreading: This is a final check of every word and figure before print, since errors are expensive to fix once packaging is produced.
- Barcode (GS1) number registration: Major Australian retailers expect GS1 barcodes, which are licensed through GS1 Australia.
- Registered or subscription symbols: The Australasian Recycling Label (ARL), for example, is run by the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO) and involves joining its program.
Sorting these early spares you a last-minute scramble before print.
What the Packaging Design Process Looks Like
For a range of three cans or boxes, a typical project runs like this:
- Two design concepts: Both directions are developed on one variant and shown in realistic mock-ups, so you can see them in real life before committing.
- Three rounds of revisions: Your feedback shapes and refines the chosen design. If you have a second variant, it's brought in here to establish how each product will be differentiated.
- Range roll-out: The final design is carried across the remaining variants so the range reads as one family on shelf.
- Print-ready files: We set up artwork to your manufacturer's specifications. No nasty surprises at the printer.
- Working files: These are yours to keep for reprints, range extensions and whatever you launch next.
Keeping the working files is worth more than it sounds. When a new flavour comes along, the design system is already in place, which is exactly why each extra variant costs so much less than the first.
Ready for Packaging That Looks as Good as It Tastes?
I'm Chrysa Koukoura, a brand and packaging designer based in a studio on Victoria's Bass Coast, working with independent food, beverage, and product businesses in Melbourne and beyond. Every quote I put together is tailored to your range, and you deal with me directly from first sketch to final file. Whether it's a single label or a full range, get in touch for your quote.
Packaging Design Cost FAQs
What's the least I can spend on packaging design?
The minimum project fee is $800 + GST, which covers a half-day (4 hours) of design time. A full single-product design sits closer to $2,500.
Does the cost of packaging design include printing?
No. Design fees cover the artwork and print-ready files only. Printing is quoted separately by your printer and depends on quantity, materials and finishes.
Can I add new flavours to my range later?
Yes, and it's usually the most cost-effective part of the process. Because you keep the working files, each extra variant builds on the existing design for around $500, depending on how much it differs.
Do I need a brand identity before designing packaging?
Yes. The foundational elements of your brand identity (logo, fonts and colours) need to be in place first so the packaging can build on them. If they're missing or outdated, a refinement or new identity usually comes first.