We all have a list of things that we should do…but what about a list of things that we should never do?  Chances are that if you have done even one of the items listed below, you regret it today.

Facing the Facts:
Let’s face the facts…we are all busy, right?  Some companies are understaffed, overworked, and lack the tools to do the job correctly.  New products and packaging need to be developed and there just isn’t enough time in the day to get it all done.  Whether your budget isn’t big enough or you just don’t have enough time, cutting corners could lead to an unexplainable disaster.

The  5:
I am sure that if I took a poll of the general packaging community and asked the question, “What things should you never do in packaging,” I would get a wide variety of answers.  But, after all the answers were sorted, we would have some common themes that would be similar.

Here are 5 things you should never do in packaging:

1. Make environmentally false claims on your packaging.

2. Never ship product you know is bad.

3. Never copy packaging without understanding if there are patents involved with  the current design.

4. Skip valuable steps like ship tests to meet launch dates.

5. Make material changes without informing your customer.

After reading the list, a high percentage of us will agree that the risk is not worth any short-term gain that is achieved by making an unethical decision.  Making the wrong decision can affect you personally, your company’s reputation, and the industry as a whole.

Sometimes, knowing what not to do is just as important as knowing what to do, and can certainly keep you out of imminent danger for your product and your career in packaging.

New Series Starting Next Week!
Next week I will be starting a weekly series called, “Buyers Guide to Packaging.”  Subscribe at http://www.brianpankratz.com to get it delivered directly to your email each week.