Custom Packaging For Your Businesses

Increasing sales growth via quality packaging is quickly becoming a priority for many businesses big and small, however, it is true that this is more important for smaller brands that are trying to accelerate brand recognition by using attractive custom packaging. More and more, we see our clients invest in custom boxes, packaging sleeves, custom labels, and even personalized inserts to elevate their customer’s experiences.

Surveys and studies will tell you one thing — branded packaging brings big value for your business. But just to give you an idea:

• 72% of American consumers say that packaging design influences their purchasing decision. (Ipsos)

• 71% of American consumers say they are more likely to buy products in paper or cardboard packaging. (Ipsos)

• 60% of online shoppers say that branded or gift-like packaging gets them excited about receiving the package. (Dotcom Distribution)

• 50% of online shoppers say they are more likely to recommend products to friends if they came in branded or gift-like packaging. (Dotcom Distribution)

According to a study by Statista, a leading provider of market and consumer data, e-commerce growth is projected to hit a whopping 6.54 trillion US dollars in 2022. With the market growing, we can expect more brands to further saturate different industries; and with that, there will be a pressing need for you to stand out from the rest.

This where branded packaging comes into play, and here are effective ways small businesses are making sure they stay on top of their packaging game.

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Customize Your Design With Your Brand in Mind

Branded packaging encourages the customer to remember you after their purchase. Well-planned and executed packaging design can turn first-time buyers into repeat customers, and if your packaging design resonates with them, they will become your brand advocates, too.

Taking your product packaging to the next level does not mean you need to have custom shipping boxes. There are factors to consider, such as your product itself not needing it, or your price point now allowing the increase in cost.

Don’t worry - you can make small and meaningful investments into upgrading your product packaging.

Read more about How Can Branding Costs Be Capitalized

Custom Packing Tape

By far the most budget friendly option, the personalized packing tape option is the best option for growing businesses. Besides being a cost-effective way to customize your packages, it can also be an opportunity to include a discount code or more information about your brand as well as advertise any additional items available in your shop.

Custom Packing Labels

Packing labels are usually applied to a simple box where the product is stored. These custom box labels are great to display your branding such as logo, colors, and tag lines or your social media handles. It’s another easy and affordable way to personalize your packaging.

Pro Tip: Hire a product packaging designer

Custom Packing Sleeves

Packing sleeves are often used on small items that are packaged in small boxes where a sleeve can be placed. Besides the visual component, your branded packaging design should be functional. After all, it will hold your product securely in place during transit.

Custom Tissue Paper

Customized tissue or packing paper is primarily used for apparel, however, it does not have to be! This option is again another way to keep your branding costs down. Tissue paper with your brand on it can be printed by your local merch printer or screen printer, or if you’re looking for a more DIY option, you can purchase a stamp of your logo and stamp the paper as you go!

Custom Packing Inserts

Packing inserts compared to the top suggestions may cost a bit more depending on the type of paper (you will want to use a thick card) and the type of print such as gloss or matt. Insert cards give you a little more flexibility as to how much information about the brand you can include due to the size (assuming your box is big enough to fit an 4x6 card).

Adding a discount card can make for a wonderful surprise treat and are a great way to encourage repeat sales.

You can also add thank you notes and other personalized messages that allow them to inform, engage, and ultimately, build a relationship with their clients.

Author: Irene Floridia - Content Creator

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Do you have more questions about packaging design and printing?

send us an e-mail at quotes@familyindustriesla.com, or give us a call at 323.227.1547 and we'd be happy to help.

Our showroom at 2755 Fruitdale Street, Los Angeles, CA 90039 is open by appointment only from 10 am - 4 pm Monday through Friday.

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For any inquiries, send us a message!

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Wearing Who You Are: How To Start A Clothing Business in 2023

Author: Irene Floridia

Our clothing doesn’t just cover us up, it showcases who we are. For many of us, the brands we choose to support align directly with our personalities. Clothing brands aren’t just started to make money, they’re founded on the idea of self-expression. For many of us, what we wear is an essential part of our identity. It’s the brands that are able to tap into that identity who stand the test of time.

In the fast-paced, internet-driven world we live in today; starting a successful clothing brand has become more challenging than ever, but it’s also the most exciting time to jump into the game. That’s why we’re here to help you in your quest to bring your new clothing brand to life.

5 Essential Steps Before Starting your Business

Besides the obvious actions you will need to take when contemplating starting your own business, there are preliminary steps you should take before spending money on merchandise or other services such as screen printing t-shirts. When starting your own brand, you will want to follow these steps as a guide to ensuring you have a successful launch.

1. Do your research

   Market research is important when looking for the right product or the right look for your brand. You will want to ask yourself if there is enough of a demand for the product you would like to sell and identify who you want to market to. How to evaluate a business idea before taking the plunge.

2. Design

   A well-thought-out design with unique elements that will best set you apart from the competition is critical. Having a brand identity can help you set yourself apart and the more creative the better! Check out 5 Steps to Building a Strong Brand Identity.

3. Create A Mockup

   As you narrow down your design and create a brand identity, you will want to make sure that your design looks good on clothing. T-shirt mock-ups allow you to see what the finished product will look like and it also allows you to edit your work before you submit it to a printer. Plan out your design with these 19 Ready-To-Use Online T-Shirt Templates and Mockups.

4. Source Your Products

   From personalized thank you notes to branded packaging, you will want to source the best materials to create trust with your customer. Sourcing the best materials will not only ensure quality but will ensure that the buyer will come back for more. At Family Industries we work with the best apparel brands to bring quality to your apparel. We also provide finishing services such as tags, packaging, and stickers.

5. Fulfillment

   Packaging and shipping can be a stressful task, that’s why most businesses implement a shipping software like ShipStation to help them print labels and automate some of those tedious steps when shipping a product. If the time and labor required to get this done is too much, Family Industries also provides a fulfillment option for those that don’t have the time for manual labor and want to focus on the big stuff.

… but why work with Family Industries?

Family Industries does not only guarantee quality prints, we also offer branding services which include a team of graphic designers to help you with your logo or t-shirt design. We also offer white-labeling fulfillment which includes branded packaging, branded garment tags, stickers, tote bags… you name it, we print it! At Family Industries, we treat your brand as our own; quality assurance and A-to-Z guided support to help you succeed.

• Quality

  Because Family Industries takes such pride in the work that we do, we guarantee top-notch quality prints. We offer top of the line apparel along with inks such as plastisol, discharge, and waterbased inks as well as foils and metallics. We also use the latest printing, embroidery, and heat press equipment to get the job done and ensure customer satisfaction.

• Options

  Because we are a full-service print shop, we have several options for applications such as screen printing, DTG, sublimation, embroidery, heatpress, transfers, and vinyl. Our wide variety of application techniques allow us to also offer high-quality merchandise such as t-shirts, flat stock, hats, tote bags, stickers, and other promotional items.

• Branding

  Branding is everything - When starting your own clothing brand you need your tags to have your logo or your tag line, at Family Industries we understand the importance of branding and this is why we offer custom hang tags, woven hem, and neck tags as well as branded packaging.

• Fulfillment

  Because sorting through orders, packing, and driving to the post office to drop off your packages can be so time-consuming we also offer fulfillment options that include your product with branded tags, branded shipping labels, and packaging.

Author: Irene Floridia - Content Creator

Do you have a lot of ideas for your own clothing brand but don’t know where to start? Our team of graphic designers would love to help you get started. Send us a message!

Art & Healing with Rachel Howe of Small Spells

Photo by Chloe Jarnac

Continuing our series for Women’s History Month, we interviewed Rachel Howe. Rachel is the brain and talent behind @SmallSpells, a multi-dimensional brand, joining healing and the arts. We chat with Rachel about her process and about how she approached her unique business idea.

Illustrations for horoscope playlists on Spotify by Small Spells and curated by astrologer Chani Nicholas

Who is Rachel Howe?

Rachel is a Los Angeles-based illustrator, reiki healer, stick and poke tattoo artist, a potter, a tarot card reader, and a writer - she is basically the definition of creativity.

Rachel created her brand Small Spells by channeling her many talents and healing work into one creative output. Her work is oftentimes all-encompassing by creating visuals for her writing and vice versa. Her passion for creating art is incessant and the driving force behind her successful business.

Small Spells offers a variety of services which include, tarot readings and healing, Reiki sessions, stick and poke tattoo as well as workshops centered around tarot card reading. Her illustration work has been featured on the Spotify platform and other collaborations with both physical and virtual publications as well as collaborations with clothing and jewelry brands.

Zodiac illustrations by Small Spells for jewelry brand Venyx World

Rache’s Background

Rachel is originally from New Jersey but spent most of the life in New York City after she attended college at Parsons School of Design where she studied Fine Arts with a focus on drawing. While she attended Parsons and after she attended college, she worked within the fine art world at galleries and for art dealers around NYC, at which point she began to feel discouraged by the business of fine art. She then decided to focus on carving her own path by creating functional products, and that is how she began making ceramic pieces. During this time, she was able to quit her job and focused on pottery full-time.

As her schedule became more flexible, Rachel took an interest in Astrology and healing modalities which led her to energy work such as Reiki. This is when she began learning techniques to channel energy for healing purposes. Shortly thereafter she began learning tarot card reading and started proving energy healing sessions. Rachel quickly and serendipitously began to gain momentum on social media and began posting horoscope-related content along with her ceramics which is what lead her to other opportunities such as creating her own tarot card deck and working with other brands.

“drawing on the imagery of cartoons, tattoos, handmade illustrations and low-fi graphic design, I’ve found a voice that is both accessible and aspirational. Whether through energy work, a hand-poked tattoo, or a t-shirt, the aim is always to lift up those around me, to raise the level of communication and self-awareness, and to enable personal healing and growth to occur.”

— Rachel Howe, Small Spells

Sticker for “The Bumper Sticker Show” by Small Spells

10 Questions with Rachel Howe

Small Spells is such a unique and dynamic concept that it has caught the attention of many publications and other businesses looking to collaborate with artists. We asked Rachel about what inspires her and how she combines her healing work with her art.

Q: What inspires you to make art?

Rachel: I've always made art since I was a child. I am a visual person, and an emotional person and art to me is a way to translate feelings into something that can visually express those felt emotions, so they can be shared with others. I love looking at all kinds of art, craft, and design for inspiration, and even more when they are combined in unconventional ways. I especially love drawing, as I feel it's something everyone can do in an interesting way, and it's the most direct expression from the brain to the hand.

Q: Is there a woman in history or in your life that has had an influence on your art?

Rachel: I don't know if there is one woman I can name, but I am definitely inspired by all the women I know who make things, design things, or have a small business. Actually, my high school photography teacher, who was also a family friend, was pretty influential on me when I was younger. She was very head-strong, committed to her documentary photography work, and always reminded me that being interesting was more important than being popular.

Q: How did you come up with the concept for your business/brand?

Rachel: My brand came about pretty organically, I didn't really set out to have a business. So much of how I run my business was learned on the fly. And it has kept evolving over time. But, I guess I did have an idea that I wanted to do things my way, and I wanted to make things accessible, both in pricing and in my messaging. I actually came up with the name, Small Spells, before I even had a business!

Q: What do you hope to achieve with the work that you have not yet achieved?

Rachel: The work of mine that I consider most successful feels purposeful and functional, while still being visually interesting. I always want, especially with the more esoteric or spiritual work, to make things accessible and understandable to everyone. I like to create art that also teaches, or helps people. I want to keep making things that open people's minds, allow them to connect with themselves, and teach them new information. I have some future projects in mind that continue to combine illustrations and writings.

Q: What is the connection between your healing work and astrology?

Rachel: My approach to healing is really about self-understanding, and the healing that we can do for ourselves, once we have a fuller awareness of our whole being. So my work as a healer is to guide others to see themselves more clearly. Astrology has always been used as a tool to know oneself, even the parts that we can't see objectively on our own. Both the natal chart and daily horoscopes are used to gain insight into our natural tendencies, our desires and motivations, our blocks and wounds, and to learn how to work with them.

Q: What motivated you to begin printing your designs on apparel and creating your own Tarot cards?

Rachel: My business really started and took off when I was making ceramics. I got really into making functional objects out of clay, but it is very time-consuming and labor-intensive, and I wanted a quicker and easier way to get my work out into the world. I was having fun making drawings, and putting them on t-shirts was even more fun, especially when I would see people wearing them out in the neighborhood. As I returned more to drawing and illustration, and at the same time was learning much more about Tarot, I wanted to express my deepening knowledge by creating my own deck.

Q: What got you into stick & poke tattooing?

Rachel: There was a certain amount of freedom that I felt when I was making ceramics, and working for myself. I felt more like an artist and creator of my own style, more than when I was in art school or working in the art world. So, I had the flexibility and the desire to branch out into anything that felt interesting at the time. A friend taught me how to hand-poke tattoos, and for a while, I just tattooed myself, and my friends. It really sparked my love of drawing again, after taking a break from it to work with clay, and it felt exciting to work on other people's bodies, and have that personal interaction. I've been taking a break from tattooing during the pandemic, but I can't wait to get back to it.

Q: Did you always intend on Small Spells being such a dynamic brand concept?

Rachel: I didn't really intend for my brand to be any sort of way at the beginning! It really just coincided with my own personal development and healing in a way where I felt able to make things that reflected my own authentic interests, no matter how diverse they were. I feel really lucky that people who support my work followed me from ceramics to astrology, to tattoos, to illustrations and clothing, and anything else I got into creating.

Q: What was the inspiration behind writing your Healing & Self-Help book?

Rachel: This book is a kind of compilation and re-write of small essays that I would post on Instagram over the last few years. I felt they were meaningful writings, but had gotten lost in the void of past posts. I also had a large collection of drawings that I hadn't used for anything yet. So I collected everything together and assembled it into a cohesive book that could offer support for people on their own healing journeys. It came out the fall before the pandemic and quarantine happened, and I think it was good timing for it since people suddenly had a lot of time to read, think, and do some self-investigation and healing.

Q: What do you enjoy the most about collaborating with other brands?

Rachel: Most people I've collaborated with have been friends, people who I know and admire, and I feel connected to their work and the way they run their businesses. It's really fun when other people make interesting things, and then invite you into their process, like with the jewelry collection I made with Tuza. It's validating as an artist when people want to share their vision and work with you, and also humbling to learn more about materials and methods that others have mastered.

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Illustrations

Small Spells has been featured in publications related to Astrology and Horoscopes, and she has also done illustrations for jewelry designers such as Tuza Jewelry, and Venyx World as well as publications and event posters. Her minimal approach to illustrations makes her work recognizable and playful.

Illustration work can be applied to anything and can feel very authentic and personal, as opposed to graphic design which leans more towards commercial use. Illustrations are more of a fine art form, in the sense that the work embodies that artist’s sensibility and style.

Illustrations are a visual way to portray or illustrate a written text and it helps to explain an idea or tell a story by providing a sort of decoration to the piece. Illustrations come in many forms both traditional and digital; and just like graphic design, illustrations can be applied to clothing, posters, and branding.

““Graphic design’s ability to deliver explicit messages makes it a major (if little recognized) force in the modern world: it is embedded in the commercial infrastructure. Illustration, on the other hand, with its woolly ambiguity and its allusive ability to convey feeling and emotion, makes it too dangerous to be allowed to enter the corporate bloodstream.””

— Adrian Shaughnessy

Apparel, Tarot Cards & Books

When Rachel began doing tarot readings and workshops she decided to illustrate her own deck along with a guidebook, which took her over a year to complete.

Her creativity goes beyond her illustrations and healing work, as she has always been a writer and often times likes to combine the two art forms. Her writing had led her to create a book of short inter-connected essays on different aspects of healing and self-help, with related illustrations throughout. You can also see the same theme of lo-fi illustrations along with her writing on her apparel line.

Using simple illustrations for apparel has become more and more popular with the rise of tattoo culture. Rachel’s love for stick and poke tattoos helped her develop her illustration style and making apparel has been another way to channel her creativity.

Check out: How To Make a Fashion illustration in Adobe Illustrator

March 19, 2021 | Author: by Irene Floridia

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Follow us on Instagram and Facebook!

For FAQ, check out our site!

For any inquiries, send us a message!

OR

send us an e-mail at quotes@familyindustriesla.com

Our showroom at 2755 Fruitdale Street, Los Angeles, CA 90039 is open by appointment only from 10 am - 4 pm Monday through Friday.

Cured in 60 Seconds: An inside look at live screen printing

Ten years ago we ventured into the unknown world of Live Screen Printing. At the time, no one was really doing it so our gauge on whether or not it would work was… well, there was no gauge. We were attempting to build an entire business around something that had zero proof it would actually be successful. All we knew was that we had a solid idea, the skills to pull it off, and the drive to make it work.

Today, a decade later, we are doing over four hundred events a year. To say we’ve been extremely fortunate is an understatement. We owe a giant debt of gratitude to all the incredible people who have supported us along the way, and all the brands we’ve been lucky enough to work with throughout the years.

As incredibly exciting as these past ten years have been, we couldn’t have gotten to this point without lots and LOTS of practice. As cliché as it is, practice really does make perfect. We’ve had to fall and pick ourselves back up more times than not, but those falls have taught us something each time. That’s why, in the spirit of learning, we wanted to show you how we make the magic happen. From prep work to the event itself, there’s a lot that goes into live screen printing.

Here’s a little inside look into how we do what we do…

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PREPARATION IS KEY

Stagecoach 2019 Prep — Before we headed to the desert for 2019’s Stagecoach Country Music Festival, we had to prepare hundreds of pre-printed posters for the event.

Some say that “eighty percent of life is just showing up”. Unfortunately, that doesn’t really apply to live screen printing. Depending on the type of item we’re printing on, as well as the designs themselves; prep work is usually inevitable. We never want to walk into an event blindly, so we typically spend the days leading up to it practicing the activation.

Reasons for prep work ranges from types of ink we’re using to pre-printing tags and brand logos onto the items. For example, before we went to Tik Tok’s “For Black History” event in Hollywood, we pre-printed hundreds of denim jackets with the Tik Tok logo.

You may be asking yourself: “Wait. if you’re ‘live screen printing’ why are you printing stuff BEFORE you’re actually live?” That’s a solid question. What it usually comes down to is twofold: time and branding. Typically when we’re hired to work an event, a company will want their logo/branding on the items we’ll be live printing. This is completely separate from the design(s) they want to be printed live.

Whenever we’re live, we want to make sure guests of the event are given their items in a timely manner, and not wasting their time waiting in line. No one wants to wait a long time for a t-shirt when there’s food and drinks to be had! So in order to save time, we tend to pre-print any branding that the company wants on their items. That way, the items are ready to go for guests once they get to our booth. They only thing they have to worry about is choosing which design they want live printed.

Pre-printing is far from the only reason we do prep work for our live events. Sometimes we’re asked to print on an item we’ve never printed on before, and like anything you want to get good at doing: practice makes perfect.

This past April we were asked by The Fields Restaurant to do live printing on clear, PVC tote bags. While it may sound simple, printing on plastic bags can be quite tough. ESPECIALLY live. That’s why our Production Manager Mike hit the floor and practiced until we knew we could pull this off. Lucky for us, Mike is a master problem solver and came up with a system that would make this activation possible. Check out photos of the bags below!

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pack it up, pack it in…

Once we’ve got everything prepped and ready to go, it’s time for everyone’s favorite activity: PACKING! Lugging our equipment around as often as we do can be quite taxing, but practice has certainly made for a smoother operation.

Most of the events we do call for a specific type of screen printing ink. Before everything gets packed up, we need to get all those inks ready to go. Our live team will either grab something off of the ink wall that’s already prepared, or mix something up.

After the inks are ready to go, we gather all our road-ready equipment and pack it up. Depending on where the event is taking place, we either transport the equipment ourselves or ship it to the event destination.

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live from [insert location]… it’s family industries!

Stagecoach Country Music Festival 2019 - Indio, CA

Over the last ten years, we’ve been lucky enough to travel all over the country. Life on the road is a rollercoaster, but it’s like a rollercoaster in Disneyland; it never gets old, it’s always a good time, and there is very little motion sickness.

Every event is different, but load in and set up always take place before the festivities get going. After everything’s good to go, that’s when the fun begins. It can get pretty nuts whenever we’re live printing, especially at large scale music festivals like Lollapalooza and Stagecoach, but that’s kind of why we love it. We feed off the energy of the crowd, and that’s what keeps the work interesting after all these years.

Depending on the activation and item being printed, our live team can turn an item out every thirty to ninety seconds. That’s why we’ve been able to take events on like the grand opening of Toyota’s headquarters in Plano, Texas where we printed five thousand shirts in four hours. Our heads were spinning and our arms were tired, but boy did we have a great time! That’s why we’re always down for a good challenge. The more, the merrier.

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THAt’s all folks!

Bugs Ball 2019 - Warner Bros. Studio

HOPE WE SEE YOU ON THE ROAD!

For more information on Live Screen Printing and all the other awesome activations we do, head over to our website:

CONSTRUCTION UPDATE: Camp Family

As you may or may not know, we have been in the process of building our brand new facility in Frogtown, LA. We’re calling it Camp Family. There’s still quite a lot to do, but we’re too excited to keep all the updates to ourselves.

A couple weeks ago we got to witness the cement being poured onto the ground floor, and while the ground breaking had happened months prior, the cement made it all feel much more real. Then, as if that wasn’t cool enough for us, 10 days ago we got to watch the first walls go up. We know that all of this sounds way less exciting than it actually was, but watching your dream come to life in physical form is a pretty crazy thing.

Anyway, enough of the emotional blabber. Here are some pictures of the progress we’re making at Camp Family. Stay tuned for more.

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