The Impact of Packaging Design on the Functional and Aesthetic Performance of Locally Packaged Herbal Products in Aswan Governorate

The Aswan region's herbal products represent one of the key components of its economy, as it is distinguished by high-growing customer demand for its natural remedies with unique therapeutic and preventive properties. Therefore, effective packaging with a suitable design has become an essential requirement for preserving products, ensuring their integrity across all stages of the supply chain, and meeting the increasing consumer expectations for better quality and shelf life for these products. Packaging also acts as a critical marketing tool to attract consumers and boost the competitiveness of products in both local and international markets. However, the Aswan’s herbal products sector is facing various challenges, especially regarding the low packaging quality and the weak design performance. This has led to an urgent need for developing innovative packaging design solutions for Aswan’s herbal products that preserve product quality and shelf stability while achieving modern visual design, cost efficiency, and aesthetic appeal. Therefore, this research aims to establish a connection between packaging design and modern design trends while integrating the cultural and heritage elements of Aswan’s civilization as a fundamental tool for packaging development. This integration plays a significant role in enhancing the product's cultural identity and market performance, while simultaneously contributing to the economic and social well-being of the governorate. In this study, descriptive-analytical and applied methodologies were adopted. New structural and graphic designs for the packages were proposed based on a conducted questionnaire and compared to local packages in the Egyptian market. This adopted approach addresses the current weaknesses in the Egyptian market and leverages the Aswan region's unique strengths to create a powerful and desirable product experience. Research Problem: The research problem lies in the insufficient quality and design of packaging for herbal products in Aswan Governorate, which negatively affects both the visual appearance of the packages and their efficiency in protecting the contents during transportation and storage. Consequently, this deficiency reduces the products’ competitiveness in local and regional markets. Research Aims.: The research aims to propose packaging cost-effective design solutions, including both structural and graphic, for Aswan's herbal products. These solutions seek to enhance consumer trust, increase market value, and strengthen the product’s competitiveness in the domestic market by achieving functional protection, visual appeal, and the reflection of local cultural identity. Research Methodology:The study adopts a descriptive, analytical, and applied methodology. A questionnaire was developed to explore consumer opinions regarding the packaging of herbal products from Aswan Governorate. The collected data were analyzed to identify flaws in the current packaging procedures. New structural and graphic design models were then proposed using the findings, and were subsequently compared with already available local packaging in the Egyptian market in terms of structural form, graphic presentation, and material selection.