Lizzie Van Der Schraft: Process Documentation

Packaging Design, Fall 2017

Table of Contents

Project 1: We Stand Together

Project 2: Open and Play

Project 3: JollyPumplin Ale

Project 4: Starpack Competition

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Project Six: Opioid Addiction Awareness Campaign

10/27/2017

Rationale
I rebranded Monster Energy drinks for the Shatter Proof campaign. For this campaign I wanted to target teenagers. I did this by creating different flavors and each flavor is a different sport celebrity. I wanted the packaging to be informative on opioid addiction as well as shine a light on the Shatterproof brand. Every bottle has a quote by the athlete where they talk about how adrenaline is their choice of drug. I want to influence a younger demographic view on famous people and sobriety.

Credits:
Fall 2017, Edinboro University
Art Direction: Brigette Davitt
Dimensions:
Typefaces: Arial, Moon

-I think I stayed true to the company pretty well and like the colors used. However I feel like I still need help with hierarchy. I may need to reconsider font choices unless I work with what I have differently. I think the splatter color should go all around the can (not sure why I didn’t do that….)

10/15/201

During this crit I heard that I should play with ‘M’ to make it work with the shatterproof logo. I also need to add elements on the front to make it more recognizable as a campaign. I also need to strengthen my concept overall. I have to fix the colors as well. I agree with most of the comments I got on my work. I think I will consider almost all of these suggestions. Except physical craft because I didn’t exactly have what I want to do.

These are a bit better than my first try but I feel as though I’m still missing an element that could make it work a lot better. Right now I feel very neutral about it. I’m thinking about spray painting these black and printing these as a sticker so they don’t feel awkward like they do with the paper. Photos also printed much darker than planned so I have to play with that.

10/8/2017

I heard that I should change the celebrities, make them more related to the brand. I also heard that I need more information to call to action. I need to push the design further so it’s more shocking or interesting for the age group. I agree with all the suggestions given to me and I’ll implement them. I have some celebrities in mind that represent the brand more, I think I need them in action as well. What I have now looks too much like portraits.

10/25/17

Mood board 1: How does it grab attention? I want to use b&w photos with a splash of color somewhere. I’m still figuring out where. Unique use of packaging. Strange form or different type of material. How is it effectively directed at the target? My target is teens. They’re already a big portion of the people that buy gum. I want to use celebrities that teens probably know that have passed away from opioid addiction. Teens seem to gravitate celebrities as role models or people to up to or mimic. I know that for lots of people who don’t know people that suffer from opioid addiction the problem doesn’t seem as bad. Maybe because it’s mostly a problem that is kept behind private doors. Seeing celebrities that have passed away from this creates a connection with people because they know about this person. How is the concept on strategy? The celebrities who have passed away could maybe be blowing a bubble of gum, or maybe gum could be on their face. This connects the opioid problem with the product. How does it support the brand? Although I have never seen human faces on gum, I have seen other playful packages for different gum companies. What is the call to action? On the packaging I want to maybe have links or something that the teen can go and look at that goes further than the packaging.

Mood board 2: How does it grab attention? For chips packaging I would want to use a pattern used with deconstructed images or something like this. How is it effectively directed at the target? The product is already mostly targeted at teens because they are such a large portion of their consumers. I would use color, imagery and funky type for it to be directed more at teens. How is the concept on strategy? I need to think about this more…This is the idea I’m least excited about. How does it support the brand? A chips brand like lays has often used color, imagery and even different types of flavoring to attract their consumers.

Mood board 3: How does it grab attention? I want to use illustrations that are of ‘scary’ monsters on energy drinks. The use of black with neon or bright colors grabs the attention of almost everyone. How is it effectively directed at the target? The illustrations would be different because they’d be intended to be scary or unsettling. To a teen this is interesting or cool because it’s not often seen in the shelves. Products don’t normally have ugly monsters on the front. How is the concept on strategy? I would like to use Monster Energy drinks, but use real monsters as illustrations. The monsters are really what can happen to a person that falls into addiction, and also representing how scary addiction can be. How does it support the brand? The brand is already called Monster Energy, and the products already use bright colors against a dark background.

Read and response:
What is your experience with or opinion on opioid use, abuse or addiction?
-One of my sisters boyfriends passed away due to an opioid overdose at the age of 25. I had a close friend in high school who became addicted to heroin, as a result she ran away from home and is still missing. Besides that I know a few other people who suffer from opioid addiction, I am not close to them though. It makes me sad that this is happening in such great numbers. I’ve seen how it destroys people’s families and lives and personally I don't believe enough is being done about this epidemic.
Think back to when you were a child: did any brands or products influence your behaviors, thoughts or ideas about what is ‘cool’ or ‘fashionable’? How did those companies sell you on their message?
-As a kid anything that had a lot of negative space and bright colors would automatically be ‘cool’ and ‘fashionable’ to me. Of course at the time I didn’t know I liked these things because of these aspects. I think these items stood out to me the most because it looked different in stores. Most children’s design is very colorful, but it also feels very cluttered. Negative space stood out to me.
What products are/used seen daily by children/teenagers and parents?
-Children: Milk, lunch boxes, toys, candy,
-Teenagers: Gum, notebooks, snacks, Drinks, tissues, makeup,
-Parents: Drinks, tissues, pens, wallet, lighters, makeup, creams??

Project Five: Starpack Packaging Competition

12/5/2017

• Should most of my boards be filled up or keep a lot of negative space in each board?
• Is the gradient working? Im not sure how I feel about it..When I tried putting the zen garden patterns on the header, I found it a bit distracting.
• Should I be captioning photos or leave them alone, and just bring up points in text boxes?

11/27/2017

Rationale:
I made a set of three luxurious tins showing off the unique and beautiful look of the material the tin is made for. Inside the tins contain three different types of teas that are perfect for meditation. The tea tins can be used as a way to grow a bonsai tea, which is a way of meditation. I wanted the design to reflect meditation, which is to be as mindful as possible and clutter free. Each tin has added benefits of the tea itself that may intrigue the buyer even more.

Credits:
Spring2017, Edinboro University
Art Direcion: Brigette Davitt
Design/illustration: Lizzie Van Der Schraft
Dimensions:
Typefaces:

These came out pretty well. I wish I had more paper to spare because I want to work with the cricut more. Placing the different shapes was kind of hard, the shapes didn’t want to go how I wanted them to. I like the look of them though and the feeling they give me.

11/13/17

Read & Response:
Where do you think it’s best to draw the line: using no mock ups, some mock ups, creating your own custom mock ups? Why?
I don’t think someone’s whole portfolio should consist of mock ups, a nice, clean mockup can make work look professional and it can help you in showing clients work. However I think it looks kind of lazy if none of your portfolio is handmade or in real life. I think mockups can be a good tool for some projects but not everything.

10/30/16

Although I liked the idea of the concept of what the British have stolen from different cultures, I found it hard to work with. All of the ideas I was coming up with for how to execute the design I wasn’t happy with. I decided to go back to the original research I had made. I noticed that I had looked into the correlation of meditation and tea and how this practice has been used for centuries. This got me thinking about how meditation has become more popular in western culture. I think that this is a direction I'm more interested and excited about. I would make three teas that one would drink before or after meditation. I found out the perfect teas for before meditation especially are the kind that make you aware but relaxed, as well as ones that create less saliva in the mouth. I guess that’s a problem for some people? Since meditation is something that you don’t need anything for, I started thinking about what the tin could be used for since that’s part of the project brief.

Zen gardens are kind of related to meditation. They hold the same values and intentions that meditation do. And maybe someone’s version of meditation. It would be kind of cool if the tin could turn into a little zen garden. But I don’t know who wants sand where their tea is held…

Another idea I had was maybe a place to keep mala beads? I need to continue thinking about it

Since meditation requires mindfullness, the concentration of one thing. The point of meditation is to get all the noise out of your mind for a part of the day. For this I wanted to have a clean layout of type and positive space. I didn’t like how the plain white looked like when I went this direction. I wanted a more playful look yet still modern. Lately I’ve seen a lot of gradients that look very nice if used right. This for me feels modern and playful. I got some inspiration from this.

Right now I’m not sure how well my gradients work and it feels like I’m missing some information as well…I don’t normally use photography in my work so I’m trying to challenge myself with this.

The photos are of the tea that would be inside. I’ve seen lose tea as well as bagged tea, I’m not sure which one I want to go with. This is what I would like my form to be:

10/23/16

After talking about my concept, I was suggested another one. The concept is tea tins that are focused on different aspects of what the British have taken from certain cultures and countries. Although it seems challenging to make the three connections right now, I’ll have to do more research for this.

10/16
Choosing a Starpack

Brief F: This brief looks pretty interesting from a more design viewpoint.

I started researching tea in general and found that the two cultures that kept coming up in my research was China and England. From this I created two mood boards. One with a Chinese aesthetic and one with a more victorian aesthetic. I think that I can make both of these work within a luxurious design.

Project Three: JollyPumpkin Ale —

12/8/2017

• I’m trying to simplify my images but I’m having a hard time with the skull and rose one, the more I try to simplify them the more they lose their legibility. Any suggestions on how I could do that would be appreciated
• Still trying to find a material good enough for the carrier, everything I’ve tried is either too thick or too flimsy!
• Are the smaller tattoos with a lot of negative space causing you to look at that instead of the important stuff?

11/13/17

10/16/17

Rationale: I’ve created a four pack of dark beers for the company Jolly Pumpkin. With this “dark” theme I wanted to use the concept of flash tattoos as this isoften seen as ‘dark’ or ‘tough’ subculutre. While designing this I refreshed the original logo but kept the illustrator feel. Banners are huge especially in these types of tattoos, I used handwritten typography and coloring to show this too and to keep the same type of feel. The labels are handrawn designs with elements that are often seen in flash tattoos. The colors of each bottles are to reference the brightness that tattoos contain in them. I used Angilla Tattoo for the titles to refrence a very popular font used in tattoo shops. I used Baskerville Old Face for contrast.

Credits:
Spring2017, Edinboro University
Art Direcion: Brigette Davitt
Design/illustration: Lizzie Van Der Schraft
Dimensions:
Typefaces: Baskerville Old Face, Angilla Tattoo

Comments from Brigette:
Simplify the wolf! It stands out compared to my other illustrations.
Bring the paper into the designs even more.
For the labels to look more like a sleeve, fill it up with more illustrations!
Work with the titles more, the longer title looks awkward compared to the other larger titles.

10/11/17

Critique: For this critique I heard how people wanted the paper to come through in my illustrations. I also got suggestions to make the water that slipped through more intentional. I got suggestions on how to make hierarchy work better on the back. I think I will go with the suggestions to create two colluums.

10/2/17

Critique: make illustrations more unified. One font. Fix some colors. Maybe spray paint and make the bottle “skin.”

Critique for Tristen:

1. Typography
   Number of typefaces used: 1
   What are the type styles communicating, what are their purposes? Simple, modern
   Does the type fit comfortably in the space provided? The body copy looks a bit too big.
2. Company Branding
   Size and placement of the logo: Small but readable. It looks fine.
   Is cohesiveness established between the logo and other design elements? How? If not, how can this be improved? I think so, but only because both the logo and the designs are simple.

3. Color
Number of colors: 2
Describe the color palette and what it communicates. Simplicity
Is color cohesive throughout the four labels? Yes
Is it used to aid the viewer in identifying any product characteristics? The die cuts make the viewer understand the brand

4. Grid System
Is content centered? The center faces are. They are all in the same position aligned left/right? Names of beers are placed on the sides. Very symetrical.The main designs are centered.
Are columns used? Margins? Colums are used.
Axial Relationships? Yes

5. Visuals
Illustration? Photography? Pattern? Texture? Describe: Die cut makes a texture. Illustrations are cut out.
Are visuals used to assist in organizing content? Describe:
What do the visuals communicates about the product/brand?

6. Label Shape/Paper/Substrate and Bottle Form/Size/Materials
Quantity/Size/Shape/Type of labels: I like how the label doesn’t go all the way around.
Paper Stock Finish, Color, Weight: I like the paper weight and the color of paper.
Relationship to concept? It helps the minimalistic feel.
Aid in organization of information? It could be organized better, in a more dynamic way.
Bottle and label(s) appropriate size/fit: yes
Bottle shape and material(s) relative to concept/product? Yes

7. Design Elements & Principles
Identify and describe any of the following used in the design:
Elements: LINE, SHAPE, PATTERN, TEXTURE, SPACE, DEPTH, COLOR
Principles: BALANCE, CONTRAST, DIRECTION, DOMINANCE, PROPORTION , RHYTHM, UNITY
Then, identify areas of the design that could benefit from use of any of the elements/principles listed above: Pattern, depth, contrast.

8. Content
How is the content organized on the labeling system?
Where is content located (front, sides, back, lid, or bottom of packaging)?Hierarchy of Information (what do you read 1st, 2nd, 3rd…), Is it appropriate? I feel like there isn’t one thing that my eye goes to first. The designs are also very symmetrical.

• Have one unifying type.
• Fix some imagery
• Caps

09/25/17

Class Critique:

This is what I heard:
Logo: Create the black and white logo stronger on it’s own.
Label: Trace the largest font. Go with tattoo idea. Brighter colors to make it more tattoo inspired (go with a color theme!) Put logo on neck bottle. Work on typography and label size (make it a bit bigger.)

This is what I think:
Logo: I agree and think that the b&w logo needs to be as strong as the color logo so it can stand out by itself if needed.
Label: I do agree that the tattoo idea could be stronger and more unique, and I think that’s the route I’m going towards. I think that increasing the label size will be beneficial because the type is too small right now.

This is what I’m going to do:
Logo: Continue working on the logo and redefining it.
Label: I will work within the tattoo concept and will be increasing the label size as well as changing typographical elements. I will also incorporate more bright colors and stray away from the classic halloween colors.

09/25/17: Read/Respond Self Analysis

1. What issues did you identify in the existing Jolly Pumpkin logos? How did you address these issues in your logo refresh?
   The existing logo was very thin in my opinion and all of the refreshes were also very thin. I understood that the feel was october and fall like. Also ‘creepy’ because of the pumpkin. In my logo refresh I wanted to illustrate a an evil looking pumpkin to fit my old fashion halloween theme. The illustration is a bit thicker and has more negative space than the other ones. I wanted the coloring to seem a bit rough, not perfect. This reminds me of tattoo culture and in some way ideology. I wanted to emphasize this with the hand written logo and uneven and non smooth drawing.
2. Did you include all required content in your logo design (Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales Sour Est 2004)?
   Yes
3. How does your logo refresh incorporate existing brand style and visuals? How can you improve stylistic coherence in your next revision?
   My logo refresh is still illustrated like the ones before it. It is still a pumpkin. I can go back and work on the colors, layers and placement of typography on the next revision.
4. How is your concept communicated/reinforced through the following: (you may not have considered all of these areas yet — please answer them with ideas for moving forward)

Content Clarity and Simplicity
The product is beer, however I feel as if I were to take the label off it would not be clear that this was a beer until further reading. The idea I want for the viewer to take away is a spooky old fashion looking drink. I want it to feel as if it could have been a Fall beer years ago.

Branding
I do believe that my logo was incorporated well within the existing design. I also believe it goes well with the beer type and brand. However I do not think that this brand is strong enough at this point to aid customer awareness.

Typographic Style and Hierarchy
My typographic style is relevant to the project and I think it aids in the direction I want to go in. I think I need to fix some problems such as type sizes and readability. Most of my current designs have two contrasting fonts but could have more contrast in scale.

Supporting Visuals
My supporting visuals create texture and hierarchy of information. They might compete right now though. I need to find a solution for both the type and illustrations.

Grid System
My grid system establishes axial relationships but feels a little sterile right now. I need to implement one consistent grid system so that the bottles will feel like they are part of a group instead of separate bottles.

Color Palette
My color palette is darker colors which was a look I wanted to go for. I believe the colors look a bit dull or dark printed out.

Label Format
I hadn’t really thought out of the box for the label format. I might want to consider a different shape that is not rectangle. However I can see how a rectangle could make sense for my idea too however.

Paper Stock
I want a heavier paper stock, I have yet to know why but it feels more appropriate, and more old fashioned. I might want a more tan feel to the paper stock, but this would make the colors feel a bit more tone down.

9/19/17

For this project I want to keep the logo with an illustration. I think it would take away from it if it was only typographical. I want to go for an old school tattoo feel spooky styled. I think it goes well with the illustrations they've had before, the sour beer, and the overall feeling that I personally get of this company.

Project Two: Open & Play —

10/18/17

Suggestions for work: Bump up info. Move nutritional facts over. Use brown or grey instead of black! It looks too dark. Add some color to the wings of the bee. Colored sticker.

Rationale: For this project we were asked to take an existing product and crate a packaging for it that can be used with the product. My product is honey sticks. The packaging is made from seed implanted paper, biodegradable handmade paper, and cardboard. The packaging can be planted into the ground and flowers that attract bees will grow. Because of my product, I wanted to go with an artisan, organic feel. For this I created an ink illustration, used light colors, handmade paper, and no heavy packaging. I used the fonts Museo Slab and Baskerville.

Credits:
Spring2017, Edinboro University
Art Direction: Brigette Davitt
Design/illustration: Lizzie Van Der Schraft
Dimensions: 6' x 6'
Typefaces: Baskerville Old Face, Museo Slab

10/11/17

Critique: The best suggestions I got where to create a small “stand” for my honey stix to sit on, larger sticker, fitting all front info so you don’t have to turn the product all around to read it.

09/4/17

During my last critique I suggested to try to make the bee wings into flowers. I didn’t like how this looked so I tried to replicate flower colors and flower-like water color painting. While doing this I also realize it looks like pollination as well. I think it works well because of its two concepts. I was also suggested to get rid of all of the packaging and let the label become the packaging. The paper I’m using contains flower seeds with lavender. I think this works well but I need to find a way for the product to stand better. I also believe I should have gone with the suggestion of making a sticker to close the top of the product.

09/27/17

During critique I was told that I should get rid of the packaging and have a tight belly and around my product. Also to add batch numbers and look more into artisan products. I think those are good ideas and will be implementing them.

09/20/17

Critique: For my critique I heard that I need to obtain paper with seeds already in it for my packaging to be sucessful. I also need to focus on an artisan feel aesthetic for my package.

I do agree that this is essential for my pacakging. I think that the basic shape is sucessful and doesn’t need to be changed.

For my packaging I initially wanted to create a box so that a glass jar could keep my honey stix. Once initially making sketches I realized that the actual package could be what you plant in the ground and there would be no need for additional packaging.

09/13/17

My strongest idea in my opinion is a jar of honey that contains a jar of some kind where one can plant flowers that attract bees. Of course the packaging would also bring seeds. I think this is a good idea because the public has become very aware that bees need to be saved in order for us humans to keep on surviving. I would prefer to use eco-friendly materials as much as I can. I will also try to keep in mind how I can use as little waste as possible for this project.

IDEA 1

IDEA 2

This idea is about pizza packaging being able to be used in a to-go way. Right now I’m thinking of creating a whole box that has take-away triangles that an individual can grab and go. Another idea could be an individual slice box. The bottom section of the triangle box could be for holding the crust of the pizza, and the top can be thrown away.

9/11/17

In class response

1. I have photographed my work before. I have experience with photography before attending Edinboro in high school as well as a photography class in Edinboro. I would say my weakness is white balance. I have experience with DSLR cameras. For the most part however, I could learn much more about the technicalities of a camera. Lighting is not my strongest suite.
2. I learned that outdoor lighting can be better than lighting from a studio with some products. I also learned how one can construct their own light box.
3. I think that a designer needs to know that lighting can effect a viewers emotions towards their project. For example a dark background but bright spotlight could signify that the project is of urgent significance or high importance. Lighting that is bright or low in contrast can come off as more playful, corporate, or neutral. You can also work with different surroundings, for example if you’re focusing on a skateboard company perhaps it would be best to photograph their products against brick or granite vs. a solid white backdrop.

9/6/17 Read Respond

Crystal Head Vodka is a vodka that comes in the shape of a skull. The bottle stands out from the other very traditional liquor bottles you see at a liquor store. It is also very simple, with no text on the actual bottle. It has no colors and nothing extra is added to it. I believe this could pass the five year old’s test because if you tell him/her to go get you a bottle in the shape of a skull he would get this vodka. This vodka makes the buyer feel something, wether it be curiosity or interest. Since this packaging is very simple I think that it can communicate through all language barriers.

8/28/17

Class 1: Deciding what concept I want to use for this project. With everything that has happened this summer in America I think that it’s a fitting project.

Maybe I’d want to focus on a topic like freedom. I think I would want to go further with that and try to express the idea that freedom of speech does not equal freedom for hate crimes. I want to work with this because it seems many people hold the belief that freedom of speech automatically takes the blame their words hold.

I want my messages to be shown through primarly typographic elements, but I will need to shorten my message so that it’s a small phrase that can stick with someone.

8/30: critique:

During critique i was suggested to change the color scheme of my box to something more powerful, or something that showed communication better. I was also told to come up with something that could be an element that goes with my slogan. I chose a blurred ≠ which was a suggestion by a classmate. I also created more scale and variety with the different colors and sizes.