Packaging & Merchandising Design: Exercises

28.03.2022 - 26.04.2022 (Week #1 - Week #5)

Seerat Tayyab Mukhtar Qureshi - 0345576 (BDCM)

Packaging & Merchandising Design

Exercises

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1. Lectures:

Week #1: This week Mr Shamsul introduced us to the module. We looked through the MIB first and received a briefing on what to expect from each project and exercise. Then we looked at the purpose of packaging and discussed them. Some purposes we discussed were:

- Protect the product

- Give information about the product

- Provide a medium to carry the product

- Provide a medium to display the product 

- An essential piece in the identity of the brand

Some things we need to consider in packaging design are:

- Convenience

- The "opening" experience for the consumer

- Environmental impact/ Sustainability 

- Cost to manufacture 

- Printing limitations (Colour printing, RGB -> CMYK, Budget for printing determines how many colours)

- Materials (Type of paper, medium, emboss, etc) 

- Target audience (Purchasing power)

Week #2: This week Mr Shamsul talked about the importance of packaging design. It is important because customers are drawn to products that look good. It is also the key part of associating a brand to a

certain thing e.g. colour or font. 

A good design should always reflect the product and the creativity and personality of the company. Through research, it has been found that simplicity sells. What people want, more than anything, is to get the information quickly and simply. Other than simplicity, customers also want honesty and authenticity. Hence, companies should always ensure the package makes them look trustworthy.

Good packaging should also reflect the personality of the company. If a company is green and modern, then the packaging should be recyclable and innovative.

Role of packaging:

Function: The true function of product packaging is to protect the product during shipment. It also protects the product whilst it sits on shelves in stores.

Branding: Product packaging also plays a vital role in the branding process of the product and branding is an essential part of marketing for many products and companies.

Benefits: Packaging can help sell the product because it provides space for sharing information about the product, such as nutritional information, usage or directions.

Features: Size, measurements, uses and more printed on the packaging of a product can help customers decide if the product fits their needs.

Identification: Packaging also can help customers identify the products or companies they are loyal to.

Different materials can be used in packaging such as plastic, metal, brick carton, cardboard & glass.

Week #3:  Packaging design’s elements are divided into two:

- Structural

- Surface Graphics

Surface graphics are subdivided into:

- Form and Function

- Materials and Finishes

- Branding and Typography

- Imagery and Color

Structural design is practised by specialist designers working within a large design consultancy.

One of the primary constituents of surface graphics is branding. It declares ownership where brand and corporate name are synonymous.

Typography must be displayed legibly to enable consumers to read and understand the information. It’s the designer's skill that lies in matching typeface selection to function.

Information and layout hierarchy refers to the understanding of which information is most important

to consumers at the purchase point.

Back-of-pack is often neglected in packaging design. A good back-of-pack focuses on the type of information being displayed and the reader’s needs.

Images such as photography are created to show the product, demonstrate its usage, communicate its benefits or encapsulate the brand’s essence.

Week #4: There are several different styles of boxes.

- Folding cartons

Folding cartons (paperboard cartons, or paperboard boxes) are some of the most common types of boxes. Eg: Cereal box

- Rigid boxes

Rigid boxes (set-up boxes) are sturdier and do not fold or collapse as folding cartons do.

- Set-up boxes

- Cardboard boxes

- Corrugated boxes

- Paperboard boxes

There are two types of tuck top boxes:

- Reverse Tuck End (RTE)

- Straight Tuck End (STE)

Industries that most commonly use RTE:

- Health and beauty

- Cosmetics

- Pharmaceutical

- Electronics

- Nutraceutical

Industries that most commonly use STE:

- Health and beauty

- Cosmetics

2. Instructions

Module Information Booklet

3. Exercises

Case Study

For the first exercise, we had to pick out the packaging of an item and dissect it. For my item, I picked BOH Gentle Ginger Tea.

Fig 1.0: My product

Fig 1.1: Exercise 1 Submission, PDF

Box Making

For this exercise, we had to pick out 2 objects smaller than 30cm and then make a box for them. We had to make sure they were objects that usually don't come in a box. I picked out some stickers and a sanitiser bottle.

Fig 1.2: My chosen objects

After Mr Shamsul said they were fine, he told us to come up with 10 sketches for each object.

Fig 1.3: Sketches for the sanitiser bottle

Fig 1.4: Sketches for the stickers

Mr Shamsul said they were good and I decided on the ones I wanted to do. The next step was to work on the die-cut on Ai.

Fig 1.5: Die cut progress for the sanitiser bottle

Fig 1.6: Die cut progress for the sticker box

I printed them out on plain paper as a mock-up and joined them together to see how it was looking.

Fig 1.7: Printed and cut die-cut

However, once I started assembling I realised that I accidentally made the base too small and it wasn't going to join.

Fig 1.8: Too small base

I still went ahead and completely made it to see how it would look.

Fig 1.9: Die-cut progress

Fig 2.0: Die-cut progress

Fig 2.1: Die-cut progress

I also noticed the top was also a bit too big and loose and that for my final one I should make it a bit smaller.

Fig 2.2: Too loose from the top

I noted down all these things to change in my final die-cut and then worked on my sticker box mock-up.

Fig 2.3: Printed die-cut

I realised that I made another mistake and forgot to add joining tabs for the window. Luckily this is what mock-ups are for!

Fig 2.4: Couldn't join my window side :(

I made it anyway and also joined the lid to see how it would look and whether it would fit.

Fig 2.5: Die-cut progress

Fig 2.6: Die-cut progress

I liked the way it looked but I felt the lid was a bit too big and wasn't as snug as I wanted it to be. I decided to make it a bit smaller for the final one. I edited my final die-cuts in Ai and printed them out again for the final pieces.

Fig 2.7: Final sanitiser die-cut, PDF

Fig 2.8: Final sticker box die-cut, PDF

I went to a stationary shop and found this really pretty white corrugated cardboard with a pearly finish. It was also sturdy enough for both my objects. 

Fig 2.9: Cardboard

I placed my die-cuts over it and then cut them out. I joined the creases using hot glue for more strength. 

Fig 3.0: Progress

Fig 3.1: Progress

The die-cuts fit together perfectly and I was quite happy with the final result. I got a plain plastic sheet as well to fit into the window of the sticker box.  

Fig 3.2: Final boxes

Fig 3.3 Final boxes

The cardboard was sturdy enough to hold the sanitiser bottle whilst hanging as well.

Fig 3.4: Final box

I really liked the way the sticker box turned out as well. I plan to make some more for the rest of my stickers as it is a much better way of storing them since previously I just stored them in the mailer they came in. 

Fig 3.5: New storage for my stickers :)

Feedback:

Week #2: Mr Shamsul looked at the packaging we brought to class today. He said he liked my packaging and it's quite interesting. I can go ahead and start with the dissection. He mentioned that I should also pay attention to the locking mechanism and the material.

Week #3: We submitted our first exercise and Mr Shamsul introduced us to our second task and told us that next week we should pick out our 2 objects and also do 10 sketches for each.

Week #4: Mr Shamsul looked at my sketches and said they were sufficient and I can go ahead and start working on the mock-up. He said that I can pick out the casing one I liked for my sanitiser and the box with the lid was fine for the stickers too.

Reflection:

Experience: I think the experience of making your own die-cut and box for objects was a lot of fun. Coming up with 10 unique box ideas also really pushed my creativity and I even came up with some silly ideas. I enjoyed the experience of physically making a real packaging and found it to be quite useful. With these skills, you can store things a lot easier.

Observation: What I observed through the dissection exercise was how reflective of a brand packaging is. The packaging of a certain product can literally make or break the brand. If a consumer doesn't like the look and feel of the packaging of just one product, it can put them off from the brand forever, hence, packaging should be extremely well thought out and designed. 

Findings: Packaging design has a lot of purposes. Each purpose must be carefully considered and thought about because it plays a large role in whether your product sells or not. For the second task, I found practicality to be a huge factor to consider. For something like stickers, the box had to be convenient and also efficient and not take up too much space. For the sanitiser, it was important for the customer to see the brand name and also information about the product.