Package Design

More Than Just Boxes

Spring 2014, Brown 308

Mondays, 4pm–10pm

Project 2: The Best Package Ever.

This is the final project. You have several weeks. Use them wisely. Pick whatever you want to package — yourself, something for your senior project, your favorite condiment — and then make it the most amazing version of that thing I’ve ever seen. The goal is not just to make the nicest looking label, but to really consider the package as a whole system. Come up with forms, distributions, primary, secondary, and tertiary packagings (if necessary), ideas for materials, how it could be made for real, etc. Make it amazing in its story, its comping, its design, its planning, its research… Think about everything we’ve talked about in terms of what a “package” is (we’ll keep discussing it over the next few weeks). Blow me and your peers away. Go.

# DUE:
This assignment is due May 5th (2014-05-05) at the start of class.
This is the last day our class meets.
Documentation of the projects will be due by the end of the week (2014-05-09).

Outline

  1. Wk 1–2: Decide what you are packaging.
  2. wk 2–3: Rough draft of visuals and physical form experiments.
  3. Wk 3–4: Near final designs visually and physically.
  4. Wk 4–5: Finals. 5th wk you’ll present/critique, and then turn in finals to me for grading.

Week 1–2

for class on 2014-04-14

Answer these questions:

  • what is the product?
  • who is the target consumer?
  • where will the product be sold?
  • what environment will the product compete in?
  • what price point will the product be set at?
  • what are the cost constraints?
  • what distribution methods are planned?
  • how will the product be transported?
  • how and where will the product be stored?
  • how does the product need to be protected?
  • how will the product be displayed?

Once you have some answers from above, think about these:

  • can a pre-existing structure be re-engineered?
  • can a new structure be selected from a stock source?
  • does a new structure need to be developed?
  • should the structure be proprietary?
  • what is the structure made of?

And also, this:

  • what is the category competition?

Document what you think the competition for your product would be/is.

  • how do you differentiate your product from the competition?

Bring answers to all these questions, as well as the beginnings of your visual thoughts to class next week (April 14th)… These can take the form of a “mood board.” Basically, what communicates visually the types of thins you are interested in this package being about. Typeface samples, color palettes, imagery to reference, other products in the same price points or that represent the consumer… Basically the style and personality of the target customer, colors that fit the products personality, materials that suit a structure, or any other imagery that captures the essence of the package/product/brand… Visual brainstorm basically. This can be a Pinterest board, a folder of junk, whatever, just have some way to present it to me and the class.

Wk 2-3.

for class on 2014-04-21

Rough draft of visuals and physical form experiments.

I want to see some sketches/mockups, as well as the beginnings of what sorts of physical structures you’re going to be tackling. We’ll look at these in class on April 21st.

Wk 3-4.

for class on 2014-04-28

Near final designs visually and physically.

Present where you are to a small group of your peers. This will happen on April 28th.

Wk 4-5.

for class on 2014-05-05

Finals.

We’ll look at and do a final crit on these in class on May 5th. Document and send to me your final, edited if desired, works by end of day on Friday of the last week of school — May 9th.

Projects