Shelby Kirk: Process Documentation
Packaging Design, Fall 2017
PROJECT 1
We Stand Together
PROJECT 2
Open and Play
PROJECT 3
Jolly Pumpkin Brewery
PROJECT FIVE
Opioid Awareness Campaign
11/27 PRESENTATION
Brigette’s Final Comments: White logos should be smaller in all 3 applications. Little tag cut out smaller as well. Incorporate #1 section on all 3 consistently. Athlete themselves could maybe be incorporated into the front of each form and not just on the back… could be more interesting. Make sure text size is consistent
Rationale: When tasked with partnering Shatterproof and a second brand for an anti-opioid campaign I chose Icy Hot. I thought this would allow the message to reach young athletes who have minor injuries that could potentially be exposed to pain killer drugs that often lead to opioid abuse. My goal was to inform them of the dangers of this path before it is too late. I incorporated a minor brand refresh for Icy Hot to fit with the style that I was designing in. I added personal stories of every day athletes who overcame opioid abuse to attempt to pull at the heartstrings a little bit.
Credits:
Fall 2017, Edinboro University
Art Direction: Brigette Davitt
Design/Illustration: Shelby Kirk
Dimensions: ?
Typefaces: Rift, Century Gothic
Paper: Epson Single-weight Presentation paper matte
● I am happy with my brand refresh of Icy Hot itself ● I like the consistency of all 3 images now
● I am worried its not exciting or new enough of a product
11/15
READ & RESPOND:
There is lots of advice about lighting and background color which is obviously something I should probably take into consideration more than I do because the studio paper is white so I tend to just use that and be done with it. I have access to nicer cameras so I should probably utilize that more often and play with the correct setting instead of always shooting on my iPhone. Also I always find myself shooting my work in the evenings when I can’t utilize the natural light so I should start planning my days to shoot work earlier.
CRITIQUE RESPONSE:
What I heard:
What I think / am going to do: I agree that the “ice” icon isn’t quite reading as ice yet so i’ll make sure to make that work. Maybe melty or something. I had some issues with accidentally bleeding over tabs so I have to double check all that! I think that I agree that all 3 photos should be blue. I wanted variety but if only one is different then it makes it weird. Definitely have to rework some type placement to make it all feel consistent. HAVE to remember to add shatterproof stuff maybe ill use that instead of icyhot.com in the little text like “find out more about Corie and warrior athletes at … blah blah blah”. It was challenging to find specific stories of student athletes and opioids but I will search some more for positive stories.
11/08
These are 3 different versions of the same product (I will be using 3 different Icy Hot products showcasing 3 different young athlete’s stories with opioid addiction). I started with these 3 versions so I can get feedback on treatment of imagery and treatment of the brand. As well as just general layout input.
10/19
READ & RESPOND:
In my lifetime I have known two high school athletes who were friends on the football team were severely injured in a tackle accident. Both required major surgery and eventually developed addictions to pain killers. One overdosed and passed away just before senior year. This is a pattern of opioid addiction I am most familiar with, dependency that develops after a surgery that requires prescription pain medicine. For this reason I thought about focusing on a sports direction? I initially thought about packaging for shin guards, knee pads, shoulder pads, helmets, things like that. But then I thought it might have a more conceptual connection to package things used to treat minor injuries like sports bandage, mole skin, icy hot, or bengay?
I think when I was a child the packaging or branding that I would remember and recognize most was things like crayola or eggo. Anything toy related I don’t remember being as interested by. I think maybe food would be most successful?
10/24
- I think that most sports packaging is so sleek and minimal that it would be easy to attract attention to added campaign details with any sort of bold graphic element, loud colors, or large text
- I think this would be successful for a preventative campaign as it would be directed more towards younger high school and grade school athletes who would interact with these products
- Sports injuries sometimes lead to painkiller abuse and these product prevent sports injuries… so in my mind at leas it makes sense to have a campaign centered on preventative approach to drug use associated with them.
- It has the potential to “solve” a problem before it even starts through education
- I thought about using all Nike products since the Nike labs have done extensive research on the effects of concussions and “caring about their athletes” so I thought there could be a bridge between that existing work and this campaign so it would potentially make sense for a brand like that to want this type of packaging
- I don’t know if there is a call to action here but more of a “thought provoker”
- I think that these are products with such standard packaging that most athletes use on a regular basis that any variance from the norm wouldn't go without notice
- These products are used by athletes who already have minor injuries or are recovering from a major injury — in my mind these are the athletes at risk for misusing pain killers. this would be more of a blatant message that these drugs are not the answer to your pain
- I think the message and product are in perfect cohesion here — these people are directly at risk for falling victim to drug abuse. The goal of the campaign would be to stop that from happening or to give help resources to those already fallen
- It could give them the help to fight their addiction or to prevent them from starting one if they are tempted
- hmm… I will have to think about this one
- Call to action would be to seek out a doctor for any serious medical pains and not to self medicate at any level past these products
- For these products that don’t ever get a second glance I would have to go bold and somewhat shocking with my imagery in order for it to stand out (like the rotting teeth on the cigar packaging or the ketchup that looks like blood)
- during my research I found that opioid users often neglect their personal hygiene. I thought that making a sort of “morning hygiene” product pack that details the warning signs of someone who is using these substances has the potential to be an eye opener for parents or inform them of the signs they should look out for.
- I am thinking about both young adults and parents here and their interaction with these products. I think it would work on both levels
- It would be a very clear way to convey warning signs in a rememberable way
- I think I would have to be careful with what brands I choose, thats why i selected a bunch to narrow it down from. I will have to do some more research to see what brands pride themselves on family friendliness or who have partnered with any sort of social cause campaign before.
- Call to action would be to seek help for your loved one
PROJECT FOUR
Starpack Packaging Competition
12/2 EXPANSION
I would like to expand upon this project by making the 3 process boards needed to submit it to the actual competition. I would also like to take the extra time to really make these nice portfolio pieces by refining the special processes so they can be really successful pieces.
11/27 PRESENTATION
Rationale: I chose to design a series of 6 teas. I was inspired by the way the board game clue designed characters based on a specific color, so I decided to create characters based upon the characteristic of different teas. I paired these illustrations with one descriptive color per tin, the “signature” of the character and the flavor notes of the tea that could also be used to describe the characters. I created a scale of tea flavor strength, denoted by different sized tea cups at the bottom of the label in the same illustration style. The display type is Phenix American which is tall and sophisticated which I thought provided a luxury feel and paired well with the more squat signatures. The body copy is century gothic, a geometric san-serif which remains legible at a small scale and allowed me to have more space within the design. For the secondary function required in the brief there is a melted candle in the top of each lid that corresponds in color and sent to the tea “personality”.
Credits:
Fall 2017, Edinboro University
Art Direction: Brigette Davitt
Design/Illustration: Shelby Kirk
Dimensions: 6" x 4.5"
Typefaces: Phenix American, Century Gothic
Paper: Babs Inkjet
● I do think my teas are eye-catching. ● I think the illustrations are unique and exciting ● I like the way I organized type and created systems for measuring tea strength and caffeine levels
● I am worried my teas do not appear “luxury” enough
11/20 FINAL FINISH
Brigette’s Final Comments: green & purple should be more warm. (Olive green and a maroon-ish purple). Or possibly add a blue and take out one of the oranges (Jasmine & Black Teas too close in color — black tea = warm brown?) Maybe a lid decoration? Work “Personali-tea” into a circle logo for top of lid. Metallic colored lid (maybe I could sponge on metallic nail polish…?) Maybe make entire wrap label around tin so the gradient is consistent the whole way around. Put candle in lid
- PULSAR PRO FX — Toner Transfer System TTS
11/13
READ & RESPOND:
Reading through the comments most of the commenters do not like the “cheap” feel of mockups. This surprised me because sometimes I truly feel like improve professionalism. Most of the comments included comments about how mockups should only be used when showing a theoretical product or branding to a client. I found this to be true in my real world experience with Bootstrap. They ALWAYS used mock ups to show potential products to clients in order to help them more literally visualize things and “sell” them on the legitimacy of a brand. In their personal portfolio however the use a combination of mock ups and professional photography. If professional photography isn’t available to a student then maybe clean convincing mockups are the best option? I still think they can look more clean and professional but maybe for future reference I will have to think more about the believability of them!
CRITIQUE RESPONSE:
What I heard: The transparency is pretty successful but I need to increase the opacity of the gradient. The water color sections on earl grey and darjeeling aren’t working as well because they don’t feel very purposeful, I need to make it look more like it is coloring in a solid shape. (Jasmine works the best… Black just needs to be a little smaller of a colored area). Mr. White’s mouth needs some work, his mouth shouldn’t be crooked if his jaw is straight. Increase font size on the front sections with knocked out text (should all be only 2 lines of type.) There should be 3 levels of tea strength (denoted by the tea cup size — reference Anthropologies white initial cups). Caffeine level on back is confusing when only looking at one tin. Maybe “empty” circles are white and “full” ones are colored. Or change it entirely into a high, med, low denotation.
What I think / am going to do: I really like the watercolor so I’m going to make sure those all are working better. I will rework all the technical type details! Im going to do a “medium” bodied flavor cup dude and incorporate that. I will also make sure the opacities work. And I will find a solution for the caffeine level meter.
11/06
READ & RESPOND:
Top Left: ● I think that this is a photograph because of the clear shadows and line between the table and wall. ● I saw this and it reminded me in a way of the project I am currently working on so I was interested in the way they handled the character illustrations. ● I read the concept explanation for this project and it was incredibly well thought out and executed just as well. The strong idea makes the product even more successful. ● If this truly is a photograph it is incredibly clean and well-lit, it looks very professional and that is something I hope to bring to my photo documentation.
Bottom Left: ● I think this is definitely a mock up. The shadow/reflection is too perfect and doesn’t really make sense for a light source. It still looks very clean and professional! ● I was looking for packaging that looked luxurious or high end to me since thats what were trying to do with the teas. These look incredibly expensive and unique so I wanted to know more about them. ● The concept is truly quite good! I feel like it is a little strange to be a luxurious style product with the concept but it is extremely well executed. ● I don’t really like this mock up, the reflections are a tiny bit distracting to the work but otherwise it would appear “float-y”? I think mock ups shouldn’t look immediately like a mock up so more realistic ones make more sense to document work.
Top Middle: ● This is clearly a mock up or maybe a photograph with the background photoshopped out? Either way some aspect of it is not 100% photographed. ● Again, looking for lux packaging so these caught my eye. ● I love this concept its so good and perfectly executed I love it so much. Super creative and innovative and would make anyone want to buy it. It conveys a lot of information quickly, cleanly, and in an aesthetically pleasing way. I want to buy them. ● Again I just think this mockup feels kind of floaty and I just think its strange for some reason. It is very clean and professional looking so I wish I could explain why I dislike it but I’m not sure? I just feel like the first image I spoke about is more attractively lit and photographed or mocked up (I wasn’t entirely sure)
Bottom Middle: ● This is a photograph, it has a clear light source, accurate shadows, and is one of my favorite documentations. I just think it looks authentic! I like it more than the floaty mockups. ● Luxurious packaging, clean type, large imagery. ● The concept is VERY complicated I don’t fully understand it but it sounds interesting! ● I just like photographs more than obvious mock ups so I like this documentation.
Far Right: ● I THINK this is a photograph but it could be the type of mock-up that I think is more successful because it looks extremely realistic. ● Luxurious and I love the illustrations, I immediately wanted to zoom in. ● I love the reason for the rebrand and the whole reason they wanted to make a more high class vibe which is very well executed. The reason behind the specific animal illustrations is a little iffy I thought maybe it represented the husband and wife? But I guess it doesn’t…? I like it tho and would want to buy it in the store I think its very well done.” ● I think the coaster underneath the front wine is kind of random I think it clutters it up a tiny bit so I think simplicity is best for documentation.
CRITIQUE RESPONSE:
What I heard: the type in the colored block on the front is too small. The signatures look good this way! People thing using the velum will work the best. The Jasmine illustration doesn’t work with the lines on her face, just add shading. The areas of color should either feel more like solid fill or refined water color. The candle concept makes sense so continue with that.
What I think / am going to do: I am going to continue working on my illustrations, and make all the typographic changes. I want to buy some different velums and play with some printer settings and see if I can get anything like that to work. I want to see if I can make some debossing work with some of the print making tools available. I will experiment with water colors and scanning them in, I think that will add an upscale vibe to the teas.
I tried to use famous people to do this and did a lot of research about the most famous celebs, British celebs, etc. and I just couldn’t make that make sense to me. So then I thought about using popular shows and selecting a character to be each tea but then that felt like kind of a rip off? So I wound up kind of reworking my original idea. I thought about using the brand name “Personali-tea” and making a fun all around play on the “personality” of each tea, color and smell included. I bought wax cubes in a coordinating scent to the flavor of each tea and will melt a candle into the bottom of each tin so that once the tea is gone the secondary use can be lighting the candle and enjoying the collectable tins.
10/30
10/24
CRITIQUE RESPONSE:
What I heard: I have to re-read Brief C a little more carefully and rework my ideas. Think less fast food and more to-go style food such as lunchables and similar products. Think more about preventing food waste and less about the style of packaging.
What I think/am going to do: I agree that I misunderstood the key parts of the brief and will continue to develop some more research on different ideas. I did a bunch more research and came up with a new idea about connivence packaging and I also am going to pursue an idea I had about tea tins maybe?
10/23
10/16
READ & RESPOND: CHOOSING STARPACK BRIEF
Brief C: Packaging to Help Reduce Consumer Food Waste
I think that this Brief sounds interesting. I think this is most likely the brief I will go with. I like the bakery idea — it would be interesting to do something that is more high end and also sustainable and sleek.
Brief F: Luxury Family Range of Cans for Teas or Coffees
This brief sounds interesting from a design aspect however I am not entirely familiar with the product. I did some research and most designs for these tins seem a vintage or victorian in design style which would be fun!
PROJECT THREE
Jolly Pumpkin
12/2 EXPANSION
From my initial research I know that Jolly Pumpkin has one more extremely dark brewed beer and I’m sure they have to have another light one so I think it could be possible to create 2 more beers for this concept. I could use the movies Dracula, Wolf Man, or Creature of the Black Lagoon. I liked this project and think it could be an interesting one to expand on and have a chance to fully refine.
10/16
Brigette’s Final Comments: pay attention to small craft details (lining up labels in the back). Width of safety seal feels a little large, and seal section should be adhered better. Could potentially purchase a seal stamp to emboss the seal on the safety seal with foil or something like that!
Rationale: When researching Jolly Pumpkin, I was inspired by their love of halloween and macabre style illustrations. I decided to pursue a concept based on classic black and white horror films. I chose the two darkest beers and the two lightest beers Jolly Pumpkin brews and conceptually paired them with a classic horror film. I illustrated scenes from the movies in a cut-paper style, similar to the original Jolly Pumpkin branding.
Credits:
Fall 2017, Edinboro University
Art Direction: Brigette Davitt
Design/Illustration: Shelby Kirk
Dimensions: 9" x 2.5" x 2.5" (overall)
Typefaces: Latin Modern Roman Dunhill, Bebas Neue
Paper: French Parch-tone Eggshell
CRITIQUE RESPONSE:
What I heard:
What I think / am going to do:
Most people liked the tan hued paper best and I think I agree. I will have to rearrange the type a little bit to increase it in scale so it doesn’t become illegible. I am going to keep the angled panels and extend them across the seam as suggested. I liked the suggestion about tweaking the way the angled beer names are laid out, more in a perspective way — I need to try that. Also one of the English translations is wrong so I have to fix that. The jury is still out on whether or not the added color is good or not, I think that I like it tho and might keep it — red needs toned down if so. I think adding elements to the upper corners of the Farmhouse beer illustration will help it and I’m going to try that. Also I bought 4 brown beer bottles and think that will be the best solution.
Added minimal pops of color and changed the serif to something a little thicker and more legible at a small scale. I reworked the front of the bottles so that only the illustration is visible and made the type more unique as a slashing effect through each image.
Fake beer color matching station: tea and apple juice made it too cloudy… different strengths of coffee + water colors was the winning combination!
10/2
READ & RESPOND:
I tried to look for bottles that seamlessly incorporated type and image together. These three examples do that so beautifully. That was my biggest criticism during critique, that my type and illustrations felt too disjointed and there was no clear “front” of my bottle. I really want to fix these issues but was unsure how. I love how these don’t seem like image and then text, they are one continuous design. I like the overlap in the astronaut one. Seeing these has given me inspiration and ideas to move forward in experiments with the type in my project.
CRITIQUE RESPONSE:
What I think / am going to do: Kayla and Riane gave wonderful feedback. I need to re-rework Frankenstien’s legs and chair because I agree that area is a little iffy. I also need to shrink the size of the label down a bit. Riane suggested that I use the forced perspective in my type more which I would like to do but I’m not sure where it would work otherwise. Also I agree that the 2 dark logos seem too heavy and I want to try and alleviate that and emphasize the film grain. The suggestion of textured paper is interesting — I will be on the lookout! I think it could potentially add something really interesting. I love the idea about making a more pattern like gravestone image in the background of Bam Noire. Im going to try to incorporate color in some of the shadowy areas and see what that looks like, i’m anxious to see what that will look like. The most important thing I need to work on is defining the “center” of my bottle and making sure that the image and beer name are visible and nothing else on that “third” of the bottle. Im going to try over lapping text and making that “front” panel more visually interesting.
9/29–10/1
9/25
WORK PERIOD: Spoke with Brigette & got some feedback from Erin and Sam. Worked on flushing out the frankenstein illustration, finished him later in the evening. (Not sure about his furrowed brow… very unibrow esque?)
CRITIQUE RESPONSE:
What I heard: The bottom 2 label versions (as shown on here) are the favorites. The way the image and text relate is what makes them the most successful. I need to think about consistency throughout the bottles and whether or not it is important for the light beers to have predominantly white labels and vise versa. The beer name needs to be more immediately recognizable (probably larger). Info is small and a teeny bit crowded — could move the logo and alcohol percentage info onto a neck label.
Brigette Comments: Logo needs to feel more hand-done. Print out the logo and hand draw over it. Needs to have genuine fluctuation of line weight and character to it. Also “sour” seems out of place on the line version of the logo, not so much in the seal version. Perhaps try centering it. For the labels, think about which side of the bottle is the “front” make sure nothin interferes with that image from the “front”. Think about maybe a “safety seal” over the top with the circular logo right on the front. Think about bringing in color to each label. Different color for each. Something like a scanned in movie grain texture in a gradient wash of color. Also think about incorporating little hidden elements that reference the brand (pumpkin seed shower drops, pumpkin carving knife instead of butchers knife).
What I think / am going to do: I appreciate the feedback on why certain ones were more successful and I agree. I am going to be more thoughtful about color choices and consider wether or not that matters as much as I think it does. I will play around with rearranging some of the information and adding a second label, I think that could be successful. I want to pursue the idea of using a clear bottle so that the 2 lights and 2 darks are immediately visible.
- I thought that the faux hand done type did convey the “halloween-y” vibe they were going for however it did not look entirely professional. I refined the logo and came up with a more effective solution for the pumpkin icon making it appear to be a beer mug instead of just a jack-o-lantern. I cleaned up the entire feel of the logo while still remaining true to their halloween vibe.
- Yes, I reworked it and fit it all in
- In one of the versions of my logo revisions I played with a unique line style and weight in order to still give a quirky halloween feel. I experimented with typefaces that had hand done qualities but managed to look more professional and clean than the original font. It also keeps with the minimal stark black and white colors that existed in the original.
- Concept Communication / Reinforcement
● Content Clarity / Simplicity: The product is a 4 pack of beer collected and put together in an interesting way — the theme of “Black & White” horror movies. I want the style and theme to both be a nod to Jolly Pumpkin’s quirky and “Halloween-y” brand. I want it to be clear to the consumers that the movies depicted have a connection to the beer flavor and represent Jolly Pumpkin’s aesthetic.
● Branding: Yes, when redesigning the logo I tried to keep in mind how it would pair with the labels I wanted to make — I think the 2 compliment each other nicely. I want to think more about how I can ensure the JP logo is prominent in the design.
● Typographic Style / Hierarchy: This is something that I need to think more about moving forward. The only levels of information I currently have are the name of the beer being more important than all else. I will work with moving forward to distinguish levels of importance throughout the rest of the body copy.
● Supporting Visuals: I very much am excited about my visual elements and think that they will be what holds together these new designs and the JP brand. They are done in a quirky cut-paper digital style that fits the original logo and branding and will also convey the concept tying the 4 beers together.
● Grid System: Yes I am using a strong grid system especially in the margins and the side with information that is identical on every bottle. I want those things to be 100% consistent on all 4 bottles.
● Color Palette: I am using a warm tone black and white color palette only because I thought that was the only fitting solution for a “Black and White” themed pack.
● Label Format: Right now I only have 1 label but I think I will potentially do a neck label for the bottle or at least experiment with that a little bit before deciding anything
● Paper Stock: I truly haven’t considered paper stock much, however when designing I realized that a stark white would be too much contrast so I think I might do some test prints on extremely light grey paper.
● Bottle Material / Design/ Structure: I want to use clear beer bottles so that the color of the beer shows through. I think this reinforces my concept because then immediately when you pick up the pack you will be able to see that there are two “White” beers and two “Black” beers. I also want to use taller bottles then I initially envisioned just because of the more detailed nature of my illustrations I would like to have the room to make them slightly larger.
9/22–24
LOGO REVISIONS
I am worried about my concept coming across when all 4 bottles are displayed. I wanted to come up with some text briefly explaining the concept and connection to each beer flavor to add to the labels but I just don’t think there is room! I will have to work more with how and where I lay out my information.
9/18
CRITIQUE RESPONSE
What I heard: My concept for the 4 pack is clear and makes sense. Looking at the movie posters for inspiration is a good start. In general I heard a lot of comments about making sure the logo refresh is actually a “refresh” and not a complete redesign. It should still feel like it fits the current “vibe” of Jolly Pumpkin. My personal redesign sketches need some work. I should move forward with the pumpkin-beer mug design and maybe try a oval shape seal.
What I think / am going to do: I am excited to move forward with my 4 pack concept and glad that it seemed to make sense. After hearing a lot of comments about keeping inline with the current Jolly Pumpkin Brand I think I might keep that in mind when designing the bottle labels. I like the idea of redesigning the pumpkin shaped mug and using vines for the foam on top. I’m going to do a handful of sketches and see what I can make work in illustrator!
9/14–17
RESEARCH / CONCEPT
When the project was introduced and we were told we would be making a four pack of beer I started jotting down famous groups of four with the intent of possibly giving each bottle its own unique “personality” in reference to one of the group of four. However, I didn’t like that this wouldn’t be completely cohesive as a SET of four, it would potentially look more like 4 individual collector’s items. Once I began my research into what jolly pumpkin is all about I was more inspired by their love of quirky-ness and halloween. This made me think of old horror movies, cult classics that have become someone iconic and “quirky” over time. I decided upon a concept of a “BLACK & WHITE PACK” with 2 of their darkest beers and 2 of their lightest beers which would be designed and chosen with a nod to classic black and white horror films.
LOGO REFRESH
PROJECT TWO
Open And Play
10/18
Brigette’s Final Comments: Need to work on how the box opens/closes (hole size seems too “fussy”). Stickers also need a lot of work — should all be a standard size (maybe just head/torso of each character) — probably circular — maybe safety seals? Add perforation in on Photoshop for portfolio w/ a drop shadow — make it look real.
10/17
Rationale: I took the concept of an “indoor camping kit” and decided to package the ingredients for s’mores in a box that would deconstruct into a star gazing map and die-cut tube to make flashlight stars on the ceiling. I chose to go with a fun and quirky astronaut / outer space motif to appeal to the younger audience I think would want this product.
Credits:
Fall 2017, Edinboro University
Art Direction: Brigette Davitt
Design/Illustration: Shelby Kirk
Dimensions: 10" x 10" x 2"
Typefaces: Nadia Serif, Sign Painter
Paper: Single Weight Roll Paper, Epson Presentation Paper Matte
10/7–11
CRITIQUE RESPONSE:
What I heard:
What I think / am going to do: Most importantly I need to fix the spelling of S’more everywhere. I need to do a little bit more star map research and make sure its correct and give enough information so that everyone knows its a northern hemisphere map. Need to fix kerning on hand done type and maybe make it look less “busy” somehow- maybe take out the dashes? Need to find a better smore image, most people want me to bring back the illustration tho so Im a little torn. Everyone agrees that the back type could be a little smaller and have a bit more leading. Nikki reminded me to type manage on the back which I will definitely do! I also want to make labels or stickers of some sort for the inside chocolate, grahams, and marshmallows.
Reworked typography into a more hand-done feel. Fixed script font. Added more definitive margins, replaced the nutrition facts. Worked with photographic image, and added all supplemental info.
10/4
CRITIQUE RESPONSE
What I heard: the pink “moon area” at the bottom could be space utilized for more information — i need to look at the actual product packaging and add all of that supplemental info to my box (on front) little icons about calories and those things. Type on front should be “more special” give hand lettering a try. Fix kerning on the script font. Too much open space on the dark top section — make figures smaller and add definitive left and right margins. For the sides and back: need to use standard FDA nutrition info, but could still add shading or borders to make it “special”. Could add organic feeling type weaving thru the stars on the side panel if more info is needed. Back feels “off”. Maybe try just two columns on info? Supplemental info will help. Try to use a real ‘smore photograph somewhere.
What I think / am going to do: I like the challenge of adding a ‘smore photo, I even thing it might look really interesting to replace my illustrated ‘smore with a photo but keep the little stars and ring around it… I will try! Im also excited to try some hand lettering, I think it might fit in to the illustrations more and make the whole thing feel more cohesive (I might even try the same for JP bottles). I will fix the technical details and add all the required info from original packaging!
READ & RESPOND:
My weaknesses right now are mostly craft related and I am so glad for the opportunity to try and resolve some of those issues in class. My strengths are that I think overall the box design is simple, successful, and functional so once I have the craft down it should look really well made. The tutorials were helpful just as a reference point to watch how to fold over corners and smooth out edges. The most helpful thing so far was learning to cut apart my box material into sections so that the folds will just be held together by paper. I have to figure out what I will use for material and move forward with construction.
10/1–3
9/27
CRITIQUE RESPONSE
What I heard: How-to info makes sense, add more options. Extra info on back isn’t needed, but illustration works well. Maybe astronauts are doing mock-camping things (such as fishing?). Serif font works best. Make title heavier than subhead, and work on hierarchy. Astronauts should feel as if they are floating. Black (Navy) is too dark in comparison to the rest of the packaging. Maybe incorporate some sort of gradient from teal to black to yellow? Whole design feels too static — illustrations and type should “float” through the space. Blonde girl needs some reworking (boy illustration is better). Look at tv show “Ready Jet Go” for inspo. Put the “how to” info on the back. Rework the nutrition facts. Add serving sizes.
Stars and Smores should be headline — Camp-in Kit, everything you need inside is subhead
What I think / am going to do: I will redraw the blonde girls face and make her a bit cuter. I want to play around with my type and illustrations and the “floating” notion and gradients, I think it has potential to be super interesting Im excited about it. I will obviously rework all the nutritional info and flush out the how-to section as well as completing all the inside artwork.
9/19–20
9/18
“9 Takeaway Tips for Better Packaging Design” Article
- I need to communicate that this package contains the ingredients for smores, the box functions as an indoor star-gazing activity, and its targeted towards children. I think that I can communicate this through my design by the color palette, keeping it vibrant and attractive to children, as well as the illustrations I would like to include on the packaging can be representative of the contents and function in sleek iconographic style.
- I am hoping that my finished product will be larger in size than that of the competition which should immediately make it stand out among the rest of the similar products. I also want my color scheme and typography to be very modern and clean with a tight color palette, with no photography which I think will allow this product to stand apart.
- I think that the only thing that needs to be immediately apparent on the front of the box is the contents “Smores Kit” or something similar so that the consumer is not confused as to what they are looking at entirely. With the juice, the shape of the bottle gives some indication as to what its contents will be, that is not the case with my basic rectangular box so I think its important to make the contents clear. The “play” function and nutritional information is secondary and can be placed in less obvious ways.
- I wanted to use colors that reference more retro or vintage design so I think that that choice will provide longevity without being too gimmicky.
- My packaging is the container for smores ingredients and also a fun activity for “star gazing” while indoor camping.
- I tried my best to find a template for a box with minimal adhesive so that it would be semi-environmentally friendly. The entirety of the box is also involved with the star gazing activity so there isn’t really anything that gets thrown away.
- / 8. Im using graham crackers, hershey chocolate, and marshmallows. Hershey already tries to convey a sense of togetherness and bonding around campfires and such, especially in their summer advertising. I will try to expand upon this and focus in more on a younger audience since that is the target market.
- I think that customers will get a “peek” at what my product is by both the name and the illustration I hope to do.
9/13
CRITIQUE RESPONSE:
What I heard: The pretend “binoculars” are pushing the idea too far — doesn’t make sense. Try “Smores for City Kids” with perforated stars in the map to shine lights through and make constellations indoors.
What I think / am going to do: I am excited that everyone responded well to my smores / camping kit idea and I am looking forward to moving on with that idea. I like the concept of doing a star gazing map along with punch out sheets to make different constellations. I think I want to pursue the idea of doing a “Camp-in” kit for living room camping on rainy days or something rather than specifically targeting city kids because I think all little kids like to pretend they’re camping.
9/8–10
Idea based on a storybook I used to own that opened up to become a paper doll house. Same technique could be incorporated into “Little People” toy packaging. I thought the idea would suit toy firemen because this way the box could fold open to reveal different scenes such as, the firehouse, the garage where the firetrucks are housed, a outside scene with a cat in a tree, and a burning house in need of rescue. This would allow the packaging to become a part of the toy experience and worth keeping instead of throwing away once the toys are removed. The dollhouse I had was victorian style and very ornate. I want this fireman book to be very different with a bold and limited color palette with graphic illustrations.
For this idea I thought about creating a food package that would be targeted for families going on camping trips. It would be a shaped like a cracker box with 2 small compartments and one large compartment. The 2 small ones would contain a stack of gram crackers and a stack of mini chocolate bars, while the large would contain a bag of marshmallows. Once the contents have been emptied to make ‘smores the 2 small sections would tear off and become “binoculars” and the large section would fold out to become a star gazing map. This way you can buy one product to take camping and have your ‘smores supplies as well as a fun activity.
9/6
“5 Things Product Packaging Must Do” Article
When the article spoke about “standing out” and “being simple” this made me think of the brand Halo Top ice cream. Halo Top is an ice cream brand focusing on making healthy ice cream. Their products stand apart from all of the many ice cream cartons in the freezer section. Unlike the majority of ice cream brands, they don’t use any photography on their packaging. Their recognizable logo takes up the majority of their carton and it is accompanied by clean, modern, and sleek typography. Each flavor has a unique and eye-catching pattern corresponding to the flavor.
I think it could easily pass the “5 year old test”. Explain that you want the ice cream with the gold shiny lip and drawing of a big ice cream scoop with a number in it and you’ve got it. I am not sure if it triggers any sort of emotion, however I suppose the vibrancy and fact that it is marketed as such a healthy choice could cause excitement. There are many assets of the Halo Top brand that could become iconic, the gold lip, the geometric type, the melty ice cream scoop illustration.
PLAYFUL PASTA: I think that the pasta packaging clearly stands out apart from their competitors, as is shown in the supermarket photo. It is extremely minimal and clean which is talked about in the article and again helps it to stand out. I would most definitely pass a 5 year old test being that it is so easy to describe and extremely recognizable. It brings about the emotion of happiness! The characters on the boxes are making eye contact with the viewer drawing them in. The faces would easily become iconic as well as the stark white and minimal black packaging. They are engaging and clever, I would personally be more than willing to spend a little bit more on pasta than usual to take home these boxes.
FOR YOUR BABY: In an aisle of baby products, anything that does not have color over-load and a face on it will immediately stand out. Especially these incredibly sleek and minimal packages. The simplicity and modern type allow it to be very recognizable. This might not as easily pass the 5 year old test, but I do think that once the child picked up and examined the package realizing it is a lego would become immediately apparent. They have a clear air of playfulness which would appeal to any parent and especially to children. The minimal icon on the packaging and the unique silhouettes of the packages themselves could easily become iconic. Adding to those 5 things, these shampoos and bath supplies are incredibly functional, they would help parents entice their children to enjoy bath time!
PROJECT ONE
We Stand Together Box
“How To Shoot Print Work For Your Portfolio” Article
- I usually just use my iphone to photograph my work in the upstairs lab (425) with the light set up and the white roll paper background. I have only used my actual camera a handful of times for larger pieces when I found it was more necessary. I think that I am fairly capable of capturing a variety of images that accurately represent what my work looks like and all the details. I am not the best technical photographer and could learn a lot more about focusing, contrast, and setting up lighting. I’m also not super familiar with my professional camera so I could use more experience shooting with it.
- It was helpful to hear that natural light is also a good solution, I usually photograph in the studio and often times it ends up looking too harsh so maybe I will have to try lighting my objects with a window. It was also very helpful to have a quick refresher on all of the photography terms I learned last semester, and remember to use them properly when shooting my work.
- I’m not sure how to feel about setting up “scenes” to photograph your work in. When I look at work on behance I tend to think that work shot cleanly on plain backgrounds looks more professional; however, in the right context I think that adding in props or other materials could have an impact. For example, when restaurant branding collateral is photographed around food, if done professionally it can be really interesting and original and eye-catching. I think that in oder to make our photographed work feel personal and not “trendy” or “copied” it is important to remember our specific design style. If our work is clean and minimal then our photos should reflect that, but if it is more eclectic and retro then maybe a set up scene could provide more visual interest that would accentuate our work instead of detract from it.
9/11
9/06
What I Think / What I’m Going to do:
I am going to go in and tweak my color palette so that there is more contrast within the illustrations and on all the panels. I will also fix the heights on the “#WeStandTogether” panel so that it looks cleaner. I am excited to come up with a way to make the inside pattern more interesting, I might add a fully illustrated shoe in there or possibly a few. I am going to brainstorm some new ideas about a slogan instead of just “spread empathy” and possibly reword that entire panel. I’m going to attempt to work out an animated gif to go with the shoe designs.
9/04
Ultimately I decided to make the shoes appear as if they have been recently walked in by showing the laces untied. I wanted to have the text further emphasize the concept by assigning each shoe a “personality” and using a typeface that matches that personality. (The dress shoe — an elegant serif, the converse sneaker — a geometric san serif)
8/29–30
8/28
