3rd Project - Packaging (Model)

Sooo...this next assignment is all about packaging...well, it's really more about designing a model. What type of "shell" can I create that is meaningful and communicates the product to the customer upon sight? Obviously this meant another trip to the art store; Sobo glue, a cutting board, chipboard...trying to maneuver that thing on shuttle bus and in the rain; I digress...


In the meantime, I have been working on several ideas. The biggest obstacle for me is that my product already comes in a box:




However, I want to create a design that provides the same functions - compact, keeps the stationary neat, easy to store, provides a glimpse of the card - in addition to being attractive and cost-effective...but not the exact same form. I've been trying to work out a few ideas in my sketchbook; I started out measuring the envelope. Simple enough, right?





Any package I create would need to accommodate its size, as opposed to the card. I thought I might create an envelope type of package. At the art store, I found several sample papers that I would like to use, but one of the considerations of the design is if this package were to be used, it should be durable enough to survive the distribution process. That's where the chipboard will help...and it can always be covered. Additionally, as I started to develop the design, I started to play with the different ways of how it might work:

The folds could be mimicked with the chipboard...but it was starting to feel like a box - something I might not be able to avoid. I realized that triangular folds might not keep the stationary secure, or at least be a little flimsy. I started playing with the shape a decided that longer folds would give me the durability I am looking for. Additionally, I know for sure that I would like to provide a little pocket or maybe the back side of the package have a little plastic window or sheathing to display one of the cards inside. An over-sized top fold with a Velcro snap might work...

However, I definitely want to keep the "muted elegance" that the current package offers. I chose this particular box because it was pretty but did not have that overly done feel. I would want another buyer to be attracted by that as well. Yet, I don't want to be so simple that it turns a buyer off...I thought of including a metallic lining to "dress" it up a bit. We'll see...



The biggest takeaway from my initial crit was that the package does not have to be the exact specs of the product...and to scratch the Velcro. I suppose Velcro does not match the elegance I'm looking for...and it IS common. My professor also suggested an over-sized envelope and that got me to thinking of what other items I could mimic that would attract my target audience of women 20s to 40s...



Maybe a purse; different shapes came to mind...a scalloped-top box (kind of like a gift box)...but I don't want to get too far away from product or create something that would result in an increase in the price. Plus, the product must be secure. I don't want to create something overly complicated.


So I've begun to experiment with other materials; fabrics in particular. I have chosen a couple that coincide with the look and color scheme of the current package.

I think this might give me the look I'm trying to create without losing the product - or increasing the cost. Now, for some modeling...

2nd Project - Branding

Continuing with the "stationary and pens" category, I started thinking about it and what I actually use stationary and pens for. I am a HUGE card person, especially with handwritten "Thank You" cards (my grandmother taught me well). I just want people to understand that when they do something for me, it is truly appreciated and I am grateful enough to take the time to express it on paper. So while shopping in Target, I found it!

Now I must admit, I actually needed some thank you notes and I tend to buy boxes of them at a time. But why? Well for one, yes they are pretty. However, there is also 24 of them in a box for $5.99 - if I buy a single, it's usually $1.5 - $2.00 a piece so obviously this saves me and I have them handy for multiple occasions. Thus began the thought process of the second project...

In the assignment, we were to think of a way to brand the product of choice - to highlight "its unique qualities, its assets and its potential uses." We were to consider our audience and create an ad that would attract them to purchase. In thinking about my audience, typically women write handwritten cards (for themselves, their husbands, and their children), usually 20+ but I decided on ages 20 - 40; I thought about all the various reasons why a woman in that age group would send a thank you card - a gift received for a birthday, graduation, wedding, or having a baby; to thank a friend for being there or hug; to thank someone for caring for them while sick; or even to thank hubby for babysitting or washing the dishes...the list could go on and on. So in my mind, I began to see these "snapshots" of memories that would be displayed and in the end, I could highlight the product and this is what my first design looked like:

I actually used Google Picasa to create the entire ad. They have several coloring options and I used the focal black & white feature to create the ad. Initially, I thought of using Sepia - to match the brown in the cards, but it was too "matchy" and really didn't provide a clean look. Following my desk critique, I removed one of the extraneous photos (mom helping the son...that really didn't fit the action of my target audience) and used Corel to give me a little more control over the photos than Picasa. The major suggestions of the desk crit were to show someone actually writing a card and to highlight the box a bit more. I did find a photo of someone writing that I thought would really highlight the action of writing a thank you, but I chose not to highlight the box. The strategy of thought was to highlight the many reasons why one would need many cards. The box itself is not the focal point, but what is contained in it. My final design is below:


I toiled and toiled with the coloring of the font. I actually created four different drafts, but finally decided on this one. The white lined in aqua actually matched the card and seemed to stand out the best. My final critique comments were that the cards actually seemed to get lost; again, the box should have been highlighted. The action of writing the card seemed to be lost...perhaps less photos would have given me the ability to convey the message without the text getting lost in the photo. I persevere...

1st Project - Postcard

In the first semester project of my Design Foundations course, the objective was to design a postcard that "breathed" the essence or style of my assigned category, "stationary and pens." My first thoughts were of what you do with stationary...typically you write a letter or send a postcard or card to convey emotion.

As I began designing, I thought of using different types of stationary - each a different texture - to represent a different emotion. I produced the first postcard below, however, I began to doubt it the design. It felt very juvenile and the vision in my head just didn't seem to be what I was conveying on paper. So I scrapped it...

So in my second design, I used various colors, textures, and shapes of stationary paper along with words to represent various emotions; and it "felt more designy" - but I am learning just because a design feels a certain way, does not justify the approach of doing it that way. And although the design was pretty and abstract, the biggest lesson from my crit was to choose a focus. Find an object that I felt would represent my category...especially since we are using the same category for the entire semester! Next up...BRANDING!

1st Review...

First and foremost, I love Suzanne Cabrera's recent sketch @ http://anopensketchbook.com/ of the flea market - mostly because I can imagine my last name is in there (it's actually "gyros," but I see it)! I agree, most southern flea markets are filled with just as many food vendors as sellers. Ever have a fried Oreo? - absolute yummy fatness!

Artistically speaking, I love how her sketches put you "in the moment" as she recalls the story. It's an awesome way of telling a story and bringing the reader in. Her sketches are simple (I actually prefer them without color), yet detailed enough to provide a clear description of the subject drawn.

Also, I thoroughly enjoyed the drawings of Tommy Kane & Wagonized, but it was Edgar Cabrera's "Tommy's box: process" @ http://edgarcabrera.blogspot.com and Andrea Joseph's "through your window" of a Converse shoe @ http://andreajoseph24.blogspot.com that were my absolute favorites.

In this first semester of coursework, we are learning the foundations of this "creative/design process." Learning how to sketch your idea, finding a method that works...these are the concepts these designers/artists display throughout their blogs. Edgar Cabrera's drawings document his idea's for Tommy's box and how it should work. You can see his ideas for the box begin to come together...different features, design, and shape. Andrea Joseph's drawing of the Converse detail her method for drawing objects using tracing paper, pencil, & pen. This is particularly useful to me as continue to try and mature in my drafting of objects. Though she claims to lack formal training, she is definitely a teacher in her description of "adding values" and "hatching" to convey texture. I will definitely continue to monitor both of these blogs to see what they post next!

Welcome!

I hope that you enjoy the work to come! This blog will feature not only my projects, but also my reviews of and lessons learned from other designers and artists. Thank you for stopping by!