Food & Drink Branding & Packaging Research

First I did a brainstorm of possible products for each brief. Doing this was helpful when choosing a brief because I could look through the products and choose the category which had the most products that appealed to me and that I thought I could create effective and creative designs for.

Moodboarding The Briefs

I decided the best way to make an informed decision would be to do further research into each of the briefs, so I mood boarded possible products for each. From doing this I could see the variety of products on offer in each category, the types of vessels that are commonly used, and the possibilities that are out there in terms of surface graphic design. This was very helpful and helped me decided that I wanted to do the lactose free brief as I really like the range of products that were on offer and I think doing something with a cold and wintery theme would work really well for this brief. I also like the idea of doing an ice cream tub vessel because of the wide surface area and lid space that can all be filled with my design.

Gluten Free 

Ready Meals

Confectionary

Dairy

Icecream, milkshake, and frozen yoghurt research

Next I did some research into the brief. This was helpful as I could see what was effective on existing products, the types of vessel there are to choose from, and gather early design inspiration.

Supermarket Research

I also did some research into the placement of lactose free products on supermarket shelves. I went into the supermarket dairy section to take these photos and then commented on which packaging was the most effective and which stood out the most on the shelf to me.

Name

Next I brainstormed name possibilities. I knew I wanted to have a winter theme so a lot of these reflect that. In the end I have chosen Yeti because I think it reflects a wintery theme that would fit with ice cream or frozen yoghurt products which is what I am interested in designing and I think it could create lots of design possibilities when it comes to illustration and the surface graphics.

Surface Graphics For 3D Shapes

Mind Map

Before I started designing I did a brainstorm of each of the shapes we were given and all of the types of products that could be contained in them and the shapes of packaging I could make. Doing this helped me to explore all the different options before choosing on a perfume box(cuboid packaging), tube of sweets(cylinder packaging), and a cheesecake(wrap around packaging).

Plan of Nets

Next I drew out a net for each product with dimensions. Doing this before designing was very helpful because I knew the shape and size I was designing for which helped me to accurately space out the elements when I drew up my designs.

I used this coffee packaging as a reference for my tube of sweets. Using a real product as a guide helped me to make sure the size of my packaging was realistic and I took the circumference and length of this as a reference.

I used this aftershave box as a reference for my perfume and again this helped me to get accurate and realistic measurements that I knew would create an accurate net.

Initial Ideas

These are my initial ideas for the designs and placement of graphics for each of the types of packaging. I found it useful to play around with the placements of the logo and other elements e.g. barcode and ingredients so that I could look back at my designs and choose the most sensible and effective. It was very helpful to do this before making them on the computer because it helped me to find issues with my cylinder design- after drawing it out I realised that the glued edge would end up directly in between the back side where I was putting my ingredients etc so that they lined up opposite the front. This would mean it would be almost impossible to get them lined up accurately, especially in a factory, so I had to move the graphics over so that the join would be on the side and they would be unaffected and still directly opposite each other.

Nets

I then made the nets using the measurements I worked out. I decided to add a bleed by using the offset path tool because this would make sure the colour covered the whole box even if the cutting wasn't 100% accurate. I also added crop marks because when making packaging you wouldn't print the outline of the net so the crop marks are needed to show where to cut. I also decided to add margins 4mm from the edge on each face of the packaging because space is taken up when the packaging is folded so this ensures that my designs will not be lost in these folds.

Perfume (Cuboid)

First I developed the design on illustrator. I placed the logo in the optical middle instead of the actual middle so that it appears to be in the middle when the customer sees it on the shelf.

I then moved the design on to in design. I had to adapt it slightly because I didn't use the same dimensions when making it on illustrator so next time I will need to remember to do this.

I then tried a couple of designs for the ingredients panel and decided on the flower border to create a stronger brand identity as this flower is part of the daisy perfume branding.

I also put the logo on the top because if it was on a lower shelf the front would not be easily visible so  if it is being viewed from above the customer can still see the logo and the perfume will stand out against those which have nothing on the top of the packaging.

Finally I added the barcode and played around with the position. I placed it on the back because placing it on the front would cover the design and it is not necessary for the customer to see this but as it needs to be easily found by the cashier I chose to place it here. I could have placed it on the base but the actual perfume would most likely be in a glass bottle and these can be fragile so it wouldn't make sense for the cashier to have to tip the box upside down to scan it.

This is how the net would be printed out with just the design and crop marks visible.



Layer Panel







Sweet Tube (Cylinder)

I split the net into four after creating a circle with the circumference of my tube and working out how much of the front the customer would see by finding the diameter and then using this size to split the net. I did this so that I could work out exactly where to put the front and back graphics so that they were directly opposite each other and so that the join went down the side and didn't effect the graphics. I worked out I had to place them directly between the lines either side of the middle line to achieve this.

First I developed the front graphics and logo. I created a GDA and added the weight as these are legally required and the GDA especially is something a lot of customers will look for so it needs to be easily visible. I placed the white box in the optical middle instead of the actual middle for the same reason as with my perfume bottle- so that when the customer sees it on the shelf it optically looks in the middle.

This is the graphics placed in my guides so that the front and back are directly opposite and the join is at the side. I added the box on the back and again placed it in the optical middle.

I placed the ingredients, allergy information, storage details, address, barcode, and recycle instructions in this box because they are legally required and it made sense for them to be in the same placed as I figured if they are legally required they should be easy for the customer to find. I added the best before at the bottom because again this is legally required to be on the packaging and I wanted it to be separate from the rest of the information so that it stands out and easy to find as it is one of the most important things that the consumer needs to see.

I did try the best before on the front but I think it takes away from the clean look of the background design and it is still easily visible at the back.

Above is how the design would be printed with just crop marks visible.



Layers Panel


Cheesecake (Wrap Around) 

First I experimented with a couple of designs for the decorative elements. I placed the GDA and weight on the front because they are legally required so I figured that meant they should be easily visible and placing them inside the box makes them a lot more legible than being on the busy background.

This is the GDA I created with the pen tool.

I then developed my colour scheme and logo to a final design.

When placing it on indesign I had the same issue as with the perfume in that I hadn't used the correct dimensions on illustrator so I had to adapt the size of the design and luckily it was still effective.

I found this table of the nutritional contents on the internet but I redesigned it to make it easier to read and understand.

I also added ingredients, allergy information, storage information, the address, recycle logos and the barcode as these are all legally required. I think it was the most effective solution to have them all in the same box as the customer can immediately see all of the important information without having to look all around the packaging and anything that is legally required should be clear. I decided to add the best before date separately underneath so that it stands out and can be easily found because this is something that a lot of people will look for.

Above is my final design with just the crop marks and this is how it would be printed.

Layers Panel

Surface Graphics For 3D Shapes Evaluation

For my cuboid box I decided to create a perfume box. The first thing I did was find an existing box that was designed for aftershave and look at the size of the net, the shape of the tabs, and how it was constructed. Using a real product as a guide helped me when drawing out the net so that I knew the lengths were sensible and realistic and that my net would be accurate and effective. I then drew out some initial ideas and played around with the design and the placement of the logo and other small details. It was helpful to try out a few different designs before going on to the computer because I could make sure I chose the most sensible and effective placements for my graphics. Next I created my net on the computer. First I drew out the basic net from my measurements and then I offset the path to create a bleed and this was to ensure that the background colour would cover the whole box even if the cutting was slightly off. I then added crop marks to help when cutting out because the net would not be printed. I also decided to add some margins that were about 4mm from the edge to ensure that my design would stay within each side even if the folding was not quite accurate. I then created my design for the front on illustrator. I decided to put the main logo just above the middle of the box. I did this instead of putting it bang on in the middle because the optical middle is above the actual middle and this is how people would see it on a shelf. I added the volumes either side of the base because I thought it was important to have these on the front with a perfume because they are usually sold in lots of different sizes so its something that needs to be easily visible to the customer. When I moved the design from illustrator into in design I found that I had to adapt it slightly to make it longer and thinner and I have learnt that next time I need to use my exact measurements when I design it in illustrator so that I don’t have to adapt the design to fit the net and I was lucky that this one still looked effective with the smaller dimensions. I decided to add the ingredients on the back because most perfumes are stacked side by side so any information on the sides would probably be missed along with the fact the back dimensions are a lot larger than the sides. I added the flowers around the edge to keep that symbol going across the packaging to help create a clear brand identity. I also added a logo on the top so that if the perfumes were on a lower down shelf so that you couldn’t see the front easily my packaging would still stand out and the name and logo would be visible from all angles. I added the barcode to the back as well because I thought this would be easier then having it on the bottom so that the cashier does not have to tip up the perfume to scan it as they can be fragile. Overall I think my packaging is effective as it has a clear style and brand identity that is carried out across the design by using the same colour, font, logo and flower graphic throughout. I think the placement of my graphics is also effective because the logo is visible from both angles that the customer could be looking at it from when its on a shelf and the ingredients and barcode are also clear, visible and easy to find.

For my cylinder I decided to design a wrap around label for a tube of strawberry bon bons. The first thing I did was find a tube shaped packaging to use as a reference. Using a real product as guide really helped me to work out the dimensions of my net because I could be sure that my net was a sensible and realistic size and was accurate. Then I drew out some initial ideas and doing this was not only helpful for deciding the most sensible placements on the graphics but also helped me find a flaw in my design- after drawing it out I realised that the glued edge would end up directly in between the back side where I was putting my ingredients etc so that they lined up opposite the front. This would mean it would be almost impossible to get them lined up accurately, especially in a factory, so I had to move the graphics over so that the join would be on the side and they would be unaffected and still directly opposite each other. Next I created my net on the computer using the measurements I worked out. I drew out the basic and then I offset the path to create a bleed and this was to ensure that the background colour would cover the whole box even if the cutting was slightly off in the facotry. I also added crop marks to help when cutting out because the net would not be printed. I then added some margins that were about 4mm from the edge to ensure that my design would stay within each side even if the folding wasn’t accurate. I wanted the back graphics to be directly opposite the front so I drew out my circumference and drew a box across from the diameter to see how much the customer would visually see when the front. I then used this size to split my net into four sections and worked out that to get the fold on the side and the back and front directly opposite each other I had to place the graphics directly over the lines either side of the middle line. My first designs were done on illustrator so were split into three and did not have the graphics correctly placed so as with the cuboid if I was doing this again I would use my net as a guide and sort out the placements on there before making the design on illustrator so that I don’t have to adapt it when its moved on to indesign. As with the perfume box I decided to have my main logo and front graphics set just above the mid point so that it would be optically in the middle when the customer sees it on the shelf. I created a GDA and placed this on the front as this is legally required and I decided to put this along with the weight in the same box as the logo and product name so that all the graphics are in the same place and this kept the front looking clean and clutter free because with the detailed pattern too much writing over it would look too crammed. To keep a consistent brand identity I decided to use the same box on the back and just extended it to fit in a little more information. I placed the ingredients, allergy information, storage details, address, barcode, and recycle instructions in this box because they are legally required and it made sense for them to be in the same placed as I figured if they are legally required they should be easy for the customer to find. I added the best before at the bottom because again this is legally required to be on the packaging and I wanted it to be separate from the rest of the information so that it stands out and easy to find as it is one of the most important things that the consumer needs to see. I did try it on the front but I think it took away from the clean design and was just as effective on the back. Overall I think my packaging is effective because the fun print and colours would stand out on a shelf and having the logo placed in the optical center makes it easy for the customer to see. All the important information is in one placed so is easy to find and I made the best before visible by separating it and giving it a white box so that it stands out.

For my wrap around packaging I chose to do a wrap around cardboard casing for a lemon cheesecake. The first thing I did was draw out a net and work out measurements. I didn’t have a reference for this so I created my own net and checked the lengths I was writing looked sensible on my ruler as I was going along. Then I drew out some initial ideas and experimented with the placement of the information that would be on the back and sides of the cheesecake. In the end I decided to leave the sides clear because I wanted to carry on the pattern down them but I think this still works as I had a large space on the bottom to add all the necessary information and having it all in one place makes it easier for the customer to find everything they are looking for all at once. Next I created my net on the computer using the measurements I worked out and again added a bleed, crop marks, and margins. First I did some experimentation with the actual design before creating a GDA using the pen tool and placing it on the front as it is a legal requirement. I also added the weight on here and I decided to put these both in the box so that they were easy to spot and were legible because placing them directly over the pattern would have made them difficult to read. As with the first two I had to slightly adapt the size of the design when placing it on my net so again I would use the exact dimensions when designing in future but luckily it wasn’t far off so still worked effectively within the space. I decided to carry the pattern on along the edges because when on the shelf these would not be visible anyway and it made more sense to have all the information in one place n the bottom so that it would be easy to find. I had quite a large space for the information on the base so I decided to add a table of nutritional values to give the customer more detailed information of what it contains than just the GDA. I found a table for an existing cheesecake and redesigned it to make it easier to read and more appealing to look at. I also added ingredients, allergy information, storage information, the address, recycle logos and the barcode as these are all legally required. I think it was the most effective solution to have them all in the same box as the customer can immediately see all of the important information without having to look all around the packaging and anything that is legally required should be clear. I decided to add the best before date separately underneath so that it stands out and can be easily found because this is something that a lot of people will look for. Overall I think my packaging is effective because the bold print and large sized logo and bright colours will stand out on a shelf and catch the customers eye. Having the logo and product name etc. on the front means that this will be easily visible to the customer as they are most likely to be stacked up in a supermarket. Having all the other information on the back is effective as it is all contained in one place so everything is easy to find and they don’t need to worry about missing out on any information as anything that is not on the front is in there.