Packaging and Merchandising: Exercises

Packaging and Merchandising Design
01/04/2019 - 22/ 04/2019 (Week 1 to Week 4)
Afsah Faheem (0334242)
Packaging and Merchandising: Exercises

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Lectures

Lecture 1
01/04/2019
Since it was the first week, Mr.Shamsul gave us a briefing about the module and how it would commence. After that, in true Mr.Shamsul fashion, He asked us to look up what the purpose of product design was and upload it to something called padlet.

The Purposes of Packaging Design I found:

1) The common use is marketing. The packaging and labels can be used by marketers to encourage potential buyers to purchase the product

2) Convenience: packages can have convenience in distribution, handling, stacking, display, reuse and recycling etc.

3) Packaging design is the identity of a product. Branded products are easily recognised.A good logo will catch the attention and help convince the buyer to purchase the product.

4) Protecting the product from external factors such as heat, sun or dust.

5) Communicating what the product is.

1.1 Everyone's answers on padlet

Lecture 2
03/04/2019
For this lecture, Mr.Shamsul started by asking to look up what aspects we should take into consideration and then go up one by one and write them on the board.

These were a few things that we listed:

• Know what the product is.
• Getting the customers attention.
• Protection of the product.
• The size and shape.
• The target audience.
• The size and shape.
• The material used.
• The contents and message that package intends to deliver.
• Grabbing the consumer's attention.
• Keeping the production value and cost in mind.

We then started to design our prototype boxes in class for an object of our choice.

Week 3

015/04/2019
This week, Mr.Shamsul gave us a lecture talking about the different types of packagings and then we were given a presentation by our classmates about the different types of packaging and the different materials used to create packaging.

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Instructions

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Exercises  

Exercise 1
03/04/2019 - 17/04/2019
For our very first exercise we had to go to a grocery store and analyse the packaging of objects.

Exercise 1
03/04/2019 - 17/04/2019
For our first exercise we had to design a prototype box for any object that was bigger than 15cm and smaller than 30cm.

1.1 sketches

1.2 Process of creating prototype.

1.3 Prototype box 

After creating the prototype, we had to create the guidelines in illustrator so we could get it laser cut. As in got it laser cut, I changed the box in a few ways where to differs from the prototype.

1.3 Final box.

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Feedback

Week 2: Mr.Shamsul told me my prototype was good and to continue with making the key lines so I could laser cut. He advised me to think of a way where the product could easily be slide in and out of the box.

Week 3: No feedback.

Week 4: After seeing my box, Mr.Shamsul told me to cover it up with wrapping paper because rigid boxes are usually covered up with a different material.

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Reflection

Week 2: The box actually turned out to be a lot striker than I thought because I messed up some measurements but released before making the prototype and was able to fix them. The prototype was actually quite interesting and I liked how it turned out. I look forward to what it will look like after I laser cut and stick it all together. I'm a bit excited and nervous to see if the final box will look like what I imagine it to look like in my head.

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Further Reading

Packaging the Brand

The books talks about the purpose of packaging design and what things need to be kept in mind when it comes to designing the packaging for a brand and its products.

The book starts by describing  how packaging provides a surface upon which to communicate information about the product and the brand and is an essential element of product branding. 

Through the use of text, images and other communication devices, packaging can articulate the attributes and benefits of a product to the consumer. Packaging also works to convey the brand characteristics that will position it within the mind of consumers and that will ultimately differentiate it from its competitors. 

Packaging is often the first point of contact that a consumer has with a brand, so it is hugely important that it initially drives draws their attention and also quickly conveys the message that both present and support the brand. 

The physical materials used for packaging products also importantly contribute to the overall brand statement projected. A brand cannot be positioned as a high quality or luxury product if its packaging is low and fragile. There has to be direct correlation between the packaging’s physical attributes and the messages that the brand seeks to project.