$2 Splurchase

Brigette Davitt, Packaging Design

A splurchase (splurge+purchase) is a term used for buying something frivolous, usually in the spur of the moment, that is completely unnecessary. Also referred to as an impulse buy.

Use the two dollars supplied in class to make a splurchase between now and our next class. When you find yourself in the heat of the moment, holding onto whatever item you plan to exchange your two dollars for at check out, get out your camera and start documenting the experience. If you go out looking for your splurchase, that’s ok — just make sure you don’t know what it is you’ll be buying in advance (make sure your splurchase is something physical, tangible and LEGAL).

EXPERIENTIAL RESEARCH

1. Photograph the item in its original location, the surrounding products, and the business where you are purchasing it from.
2. Write some notes about what you were doing before your discovered the product, what made you decide to purchase it, and the way you felt when you knew it would be yours!
3. It’s time to enjoy your splurchase! Take notes/photo document the experience of using/consuming the item. Write a few more paragraphs describing the item in detail and your experience with it. How did you feel during and after you finished using/consuming it? Is there packaging to interact with? Did you share the item/experience with someone else or alone? How did that affect your enjoyment?
4. Explain if/how your splurchase has provided a ‘thing’ or a ‘service’. For example, when we buy a cup of Starbucks coffee, we may be getting both: the convenience of ordering the product and having it prepared for us (quickly/on the spot/through a drive thru), the physicality of the coffee (water, beans), what the coffee provides (refreshment, warmth), the manufactured environment in which we drink it (safe, unhurried, comfortable), the status symbol communicated by the logo on our to-go cup (professional, high-end, socially responsible, environmentally friendly).

If you consume any/all of the product take photographs as documentation and make sure you save anything that is left over from the experience (wrapper, box, price tag, plastic bag, etc.).

EVALUATION

Now that you have made your splurchase and documented the experience, evaluate the product itself, the overall packaging design, materials used and messaging.

1. Visual Design Critique:
   Size/Format:
   Typography:
   Color Palette:
   Photography/Illustration:
   Pattern/Texture:
   Grid System:
   Pretend the copy is written in a foreign language you do not understand. What do the visual aesthetics of the product’s packaging communicate about it?
   Shelf/Display Placement: View documentation of the product in-store. Does the location provoke purchasing?
   Does it stand out from surrounding merchandise? If so, how?
2. Materials and Processes
   Amount of packaging (balance of protection vs. waste):
   Paper/plastic/metal/glass/other:
   Percentage of recycled content:
   Longevity (how likely is the consumer to keep and/or continue using the product after purchase?):
   Sustainability (is the product and/or packaging biodegradeable or easily recyclable?):
3. Branding/Messaging
   Logo/Tagline Description:
   Contents/Weight/Volume:
   Ingredients:
   Directions for Use:
   Warnings:
   Purpose:
4. Product Pros/Cons (create lists of the pros and cons of the product itself)

REFLECTION/REDESIGN

Reading

How to Lie, How to Tell the Truth (Do Good Design, by David B. Berman)

“Design creates culture. Culture shapes values. Values determine the future. Design is therefore responsible for the world our children will live in.”

Now that you have documented user-experience research and a thorough analysis of your product and packaging, re-think the materials, design and messaging of your splurchase to promote honesty and/or positive change (example: Adobe ad in article).

Specifications

1. CONTENT: Develop NEW information to create a message that will advertise the product honestly and/or add reinforce it’s positive aspects. Use existing content (weight/volume, ingredients, directions)where appropriate.
2. FORMAT: Dependant on product
   Can you limit waste while protecting and promoting the product through design?
   Utilize The Packaging Designer’s Book of Patterns for templates
3. COLOR: 3/2 (two-sided printing, limited color)
   3 Pantone colors
   May use mono, duotone, tritone, and screens
   No special inks (metallics, florescents, etc.)
4. PAPER: Dependent on product
   May need chipboard for packaging stability
5. IMAGERY: Photographic, illustrative, typographic and/or combination

DUE NEXT CLASS

Begin your design direction answering the above specifications in the form of a printed 11x17 idea board. Post your idea board to Medium with all of the notes/documentation from the Experiential Research and Evaluation sections above for presentation/critique.