OUGD601 - CoP Practical - Test Prints & Critique

I printed out a test of my packaging design so far using a normal card stock. I put a seed paper texture on it to see if the design would still be legible with the grains in the background. I took these designs to a critique to get a second opinion on the designs so far as well as the content.

The size was a little small so I need to adjust that so it could hold a pitta bread, a wrap or bun. Also I think that the type on the back is just legible enough to be read. 

I have provided a short description of the aims of sprout food as well as a diagram of how to plant the packaging when you want it to sprout. It was immediately said in the critique that I needed more of the relevant information to the food on there. I have the ingredients but it needs a weight, barcode and nutritional information. After all this was one of the defining parts of food packaging according to Coles. 

Additionally after deciding that my target audience would be young children and their parents I asked if my peers thought that this packaging would appeal to them. They said that at the moment it was a bit static and plain and should maybe think about using different fonts to make it more playful, like the concept. Also there was someone who said the illustrations should be in a smaller pattern, however others liked the current size that is used. I wanted the paper to show through and use as minimal ink as possible so larger illustrations make more sense to me. 

It was mentioned that I could produce a trio with different seeds and perhaps use one as a fertiliser paper of sorts so customers would want to buy the whole set. I was originally planning on creating a salad box alongside the sandwiches, however I struggled finding a paper net that was suitable. On top of this it would be hard to keep the box dry from the salads meaning that the seeded paper might sprout with the food still inside. Moreover if I wanted to counteract this it would mean coating the inside of the paper with something like plastic making it not biodegradable anymore. So I asked my peers if they thought I should continue with the salad box idea. They did suggest I could use a jar with a paper wrap, but a trio of sandwich flavours would work just as well. 

OUGD601 - Practical - Innocent Smoothies

After another critique I was asked if I had looked into innocent smoothies as my peers believed the company shared the same values as that of the products I was creating. It is aimed at parents and their children without being overly childish with its packaging. 

It also has a tagline: "Tastes good. Does good." to represent its ethos of being healthy, sustainable and promoting donations to charity. I really like this idea and think that something similar to this would suit my product also. 

The packaging of the innocent smoothies themselves as you can see below is very minimal. They use their logo as the main body of the label and then the flavour without any unnecessary ornaments. I found that they also use a really friendly tone of voice as if to befriend its consumers. 

I would like my product to share this ethos of tasting good and doing good. I think the innocent brand will be the main inspiration for the company that I choose to make.

OUGD603 - The Little Art Collection - Finals

The final patterns I think are quite adorable. After having feedback throughout I believe that they do appeal to the correct target audience as these are all activities that affluent adults and parents would perform with their children. Having mocked them up on baby grows I feel like they work very well as a set. The style in which I have done the illustrations while not naive like the research I did still feels like it encapsulates the simple shapes that children would be able to understand.

I also created some stand alone designs that could be used separate to the pattern but with the same themes. They could work on t-shirts or even baby grows too as little badges. If I had more time on this brief I think that I would be able to complete more pattern designs but considering I set myself a week to complete it I am happy with the results I have achieved.

After submitting these images I found that I was not successful with any of my designs, which is a shame but I suppose this wasn't really the kind of style that they were looking for. Maybe they did indeed want more watercolour illustrations. 

OUGD601 - CoP Practical - Packaging Development

I started off my designs very similar to my sketches. I drew out illustrations of ingredients similar instead of using a window to show the sandwich. Also, I decided on two different flavours: Falafel and Houmous pitta and a roasted vegetable and feta wrap. After having a critique with my peers I found that normal bread was unsustainable when making sandwiches because they often just throw the ends of the loaves away. 

I tried designing with a texture to make sure that everything was legible while I worked. After the first idea of the illustrated sandwiches, I feel like this concept works a lot better. However, there is very limited space on the back for information about the product when using this band design. Though I'd like the have the illustrations all the way around I don't think it is feasible when there is so much information that needs to be included on the back. Additionally, I made a decision after talking with my peers to limit the inks to one colour, this way I could perhaps use vegetable inks and in the long run, it will be more environmentally friendly. Of course, I chose green because of its connotations with the environment. 

After deciding the band design all the way around wouldn't work I dedicated the whole of the back of the net to information about the product. I created an illustration step by step for how the product should be planted, which unfortunately takes up most of the space but I feel like it is necessary to explain the concept. I also added a short paragraph about the reasoning behind the brand 'sprout'. I feel like though the illustrations don't wrap all the way around this is still a really aesthetically pleasing design.

For the second flavour of sandwich I decided to use a different colour of ink to differentiate it from the other flavour. I chose a beetroot purple, mimicking the colour of red onions and also providing a good contrast between the textured paper. 

I think at this stage I shall print off some tests and ask for some feedback as I'm not sure what else I can do to improve the designs. 

OUGD601 - CoP Practical - Practical Ideas Critique

I had a critique on my ideas so far for my CoP practical and found it really helpful to realise what I needed to do. I explained my essay direction and how I wanted to focus on my findings about convenience food and how the packaging is immediately disposed of after being used.

I sketched up some ideas for my sandwich boxes and also some brand names for the possible lunch brand. I wanted to create quite a novelty brand which promotes awareness for sustainability with lots of information within the packaging. It's really to promote the idea of thinking about what happens to your packaging when you throw it away.

When I explained all of these there were some really good suggestions immediately. It was mentioned that because of the seeded paper and the novelty of it I would need to think about whether the product could be commercially viable and if so where would the sandwiches be sold. Based on the seeded paper materials that I'm planning to use I think that the sandwich would be quite a high ended brand especially considering the novelty and eco-conscious side to it.

Additionally, it was suggested that I could consider thinking about food waste as well as packaging waste. My peer told me that there is lots of waste in the sandwich industry through bread ends alone so I could consider using this within my sandwiches to make them more eco-friendly.

I was also told to consider the target audience of the sandwiches and who they would appeal to. An interesting suggestion was to aim it at parents and their children, to do an exciting activity to grow their own plants. I think this definitely suits the novelty aspect of it and it would make more sense to have a specific audience like this.

Yet another suggestion was to create a set of sorts to grow the plant so have one packaging for the seeds, one for the fertiliser and one for the pot. So I could create a range of 3 lunch products - two sandwiches and a salad pot. I really like this idea as I think that it suits the new target audience that was suggested as well as creating a cohesive set. However the question is would this be realistic to produce? Again I need to think whether I want to create this as a theoretical product as awareness for a campaign or as a more commercially viable product (which may lessen the sustainability of the product due to its mass production.)

OUGD601 - CoP Practical - Seeded Paper

I found an online guide on making my own seeded paper for use in the practical project. The paper is really environmentally friendly because it is handmade and no chemicals are used within the pulped paper. 

The only worry that I have is whether the paper will be flat enough to print onto. As a second resort, I could also screenprint onto the surface however it may still break up the text on the packaging. If this doesn't work out I have found various shops online that do sell premade seeded paper.

OUGD601 - CoP Practical - Primary Packaging Research

As I wanted to market my packaging at the type of people who shop at M&S and possibly sell it in M&S itself I thought it best to research their packaging and food that they sell already. 

The packaging is very minimal, with salads often using a paper sleeve over plastic packaging. Though this is visually pleasing showing the contents of the salads, it is not very environmentally friendly at all. Furthermore, the paper used for the sleeves are also coated possibly with plastic, going against all the findings of my essay as these products will be thrown away after use, and not being biodegradable, may lay in a landfill for years. 

When I moved on to the 'super food packaging' I really liked the use of the illustration of the separate ingredients in the background of the label. Once again minimal design is used so that the product itself can be shown off. Because I don't want to use plastics in my practical I cannot do this so perhaps this use of illustrations of the ingredients is a good compromise. Also, the colour green is prevalent in these super food salads to add the connotation of health and happiness from consuming the product. Green also suggests things that are environmentally friendly however from my research for the essay I can see that these packages certainly aren't.

Once again with their sandwiches, they have used illustrations of the individual ingredients to create a patterned background. This creates a folksy handmade aspect to the packaging. Though I couldn't provide a cut out window like these packaging designs the illustrations would make a nice change from the usual type of packaging. 

Being slightly disappointed at the quality of packaging design at M&S I tried an independent organic food shop to find more sophisticated packaging. I went to Out of this world who specialise in organic and vegan foods. 

The quality of packaging design here was so much nicer but the price reflected this. I found that the better the packaging looked and felt the more expensive the product seemed to be. This raw bread packaging stood out to me immediately. The lino cut style exterior with rustic type gives off a friendly, rustic vibe. The use of tones of green also promotes the health kick vibe and because this bread is all plant based it could represent this too. 

Again the use of illustrations is used here to create a folksy friendly feel. The colourful style reminds me of a floral pattern such as ones found in Cath Kidston, however, the pattern is made of beetroots and vegetables yet still gives that floral feminine vibe. Additionally, the mix of serif types and more handwritten script styles adds to this approachable-ness of the packaging.

Finally, this 9 bar packaging appealed to me because of the packaging nets simplicity. I feel that the standard box shape is complimented by the rustic use of hand-drawn illustrations and type, making something that may seem boring ordinarily, more interesting. The colours used here are warming and again tones of the same colour have been used to create depth. The use of the hand-drawn type in particular makes it look like someone has written some notes on the packaging just for the customer, making it very personal. 

After looking at the current market of healthy convenience foods I found that people need to pay more to improve the packaging's impact on the environment. Also more rustic and hand rendered elements seem to be associated with eco friendly or healthy food packaging. 

OUGD601 - CoP Practical - Research into Sustainable Packaging

The designer, Praewarin Bussayajirapong, provided this rationale:

‘Khaohom’ which in Thai, meaning fragrant rice. This project was actually inspired by my home country and the produce we do. Today’s rice packaging are designed only for the convenience of the consumers, or designed to look ‘nice’. If we look through the rice aisle, Plastic is everywhere, it’s cheap to produce, easy to find but it stays with us forever, which means it takes over 100+ years to decompose. Using the traditional practices in Thailand, I searched on some facts and that some bamboos are actually used to cook certain food back in the days. I applied that idea to create a sticky rice packaging that can be reused to cook and store straight in the rice cooker. This type of bamboo also keeps in heat to ensure the sticky rice is served warm for the whole entire day. Now consumers do not need to worry about cooking sticky rice anymore, using this bamboo packaging always cook the perfect sticky rice anywhere and anytime. It is designed to fit in any regular sized rice cookers.

I really like this concept of having the package to cook and serve the food in. And her rationale for using less plastic really resonates with my essays findings so far. The use of bamboo means that even if the package was thrown away after use it would mean that it would biodegrade, unlike its plastic alternative. The design itself also represents a minimal and clean aesthetic suggesting it is healthy for you and for the planet.

When Marko was designing the packaging, he states the driving force behind the idea was to create a disposable food bowl with minimum environmental impact and to teach wide society about new biodegradable materials in a fun way. We believe he has succeed and we hope this becomes a trend and we will actually see it used in the future!

This packaging though looking simple has a great concept. Seeds are hidden underneath the label so that it can be used to plant when you are finished with the meal. Meaning that this packaging has a life after it has been used for its purpose.

Student Ben Huttly show off his care to the environment through his design project, a biodegradable and recyclable packaging design that uses natural cotton twine in keeping the product and label together. On the other hand, the label is made of biodegradable paper with seed embedded on it. In this way, consumers can not only enjoy the freshness of the products but also plant one on their backyards.

This idea of plantable paper is one that I feel is very useful. It means that even if the packaging was thrown into the landfill it would biodegrade and sprout plants. I get an image of landfills full of greenery. This packaging also relates to my findings within the essay as it doesn't use any unnecessary bags or plastic, just a simple string to tie the product together.

OUGD601 - CoP Practical - Box net exploration

I found this standard sandwich packaging net online and as you can see it is rather complex. It requires a lot of folds and glueing making most of the paper you see here become hidden. Also with my idea for the sandwich packaging to be planted, I feel that this would not be so easy to flat pack in order to make it plantable. Though there is a lot of room for information about the product and the design which is a redeeming feature in my opinion. 

I then found this slightly less conventional net design that is a lot simpler than the previous one I had found. Only one flap in this net needs to be glued and it can easily be flat packed which would be a lot better for my design. There is less room for information on this net but I feel that its benefits with less paper waste and unique design outweigh this. With this design, I can make more interesting sandwiches like buns and wraps rather than normal sandwiches.

Having made tests of both of these nets I decided that the curved box would be much more preferable because it uses less wasted paper and has only one glue flap making it more environmentally friendly. I also feel like it is a unique shape to use and would make the packaging stand out from the other sandwich boxes on a shelf. 

OUGD603 - The Little Art Collection - Development

I started out with hand drawn illustrations that I drew with a brush pen. Once I had scanned them in and added colour they didn’t have the same raw and organic feel as the original drawings. After trying to use these brush drawings in a pattern I think that I will just use the drawings I created as a based for inspiration and redraw them in a cleaner style.

Having redrawn my designs I narrowed the patterns down to 3 - Baking, Camping and travel. I illustrated each of the objects that I initially drew in a cleaner vector style. I think that this makes the patterns a lot more graphic and eye catching.

 I took these designs to a critique and got some really useful feedback. They said that the colours were far too bright, that I should tone them down especially on the yellow of my camping one. Also they mentioned with the baking one being on a baby blue background it might be seen as more related to boys and they’re meant to be unisex.

So I toned down the colours, changing round the colours in the travel pattern and the baking pattern. The beige colour actually suits the pattern better in my opinion as it provides a better contrast to the cupcake illustration. Also removing some of the detail in the travel design really benefited it, streamlining it a bit and making it look less busy. I made minimal changes to the camping design - just lightening the background to make it less vibrant and more neutral.

 

OUGD601 - CoP Practical - Initial designs

My initial designs were to fit with a more traditional sandwich net and were based on my sketches. I knew that I couldn't use a plastic window like sandwiches normally have to show the contents so I decided on trying to illustrate the sandwiches themselves. Because I wanted to keep the packaging as environmentally friendly as possible, I only wanted to use one colour ink so I feel like it is hard to determine the contents of the sandwich without more definition and colour. I also tried different variations of a label of sorts using more organic lines to represent plants and vines.  I'm not sure about this design, I feel like it is missing something and I can't quite place my finger on it. 

OUGD603 - Lifting Tower Projection - Final animations & Evaluation

These were my two finished pieces to go into the animation sequence (compiled into gifs, they are a lot smoother in video format). Considering that this was my first time using after effects properly I am really proud of the outcome. However, I did get a lot of help from my animation peers in my group. My favourite animation is the jumper pattern one, even though this was not my original idea I think that the simplicity of it and the bold graphics made it work really well when projected. The couple animation lost its detail when projected and felt a bit lacking without a narrative, which is a shame. I would have liked to refine the couple one a lot more, but again, the limited timescale held me back. The limited colour palette has also worked really well to give the animations a definite Christmas theme. I think that it definitely fits the brief and target audience.

Additionally being able to see the animations be projected onto the building was really inspiring. I’ve never done a project like this before so I am really pleased that everything turned out well in the end. Perhaps this will push me to try and create more motion graphics in further briefs. I think that as a group we did really well, although we did have issues with clashing deadlines and trying to write our dissertations at the same time I feel like the outcome was good considering this.

Also Ollie, one of the animators I was working with managed to get some pictures of my animations on the tower.

Strengths & What I liked

I enjoyed the initial process of submitting the animation treatment, working with y illustration skills to create storyboards and illustrate characters. I think that the assets that I created for my initial animation proposal were of really high quality.


Weaknesses & What I didn’t like

Though when it got to the animation process I realised how clueless I was about where to start. I thought that the process would be similar to when I worked with the animators last year - I provide the assets and they animate. Unfortunately they only had time to animate their own ideas so I had to teach my self how to animate and ask for help from my peers.


Team Work

I think that as a group we did really well, although we did have issues with clashing deadlines and trying to write our dissertations at the same time I feel like the outcome was good considering this. If I hadn’t have been working with the animators I would have got no where with this brief. They basically taught me how to animate using After effects so I am very grateful to them for this.


Final Outcome

The final animations came out better than I expected. With the help of the animators I was able to make them move successfully and I am really proud with the outcome. The limited colour palette has also worked really well to give the animations a definite Christmas theme. I think that it definitely fits the brief and target audience. My favourite animation is the jumper pattern one, even though this was not my original idea I think that the simplicity of it and the bold graphics made it work really well when projected. The couple animation lost its detail when projected and felt a bit lacking without a narrative, which is a shame. Additionally being able to see the animations be projected onto the building was really inspiring. I’ve never done a project like this before so I am really pleased that everything turned out well in the end.

OUGD601 - CoP Practical - Sketches

After deciding on going down the route of convenience food, I thought I would choose its biggest offender - lunches to go. So I made a mind map to come up with some names. All of the name ideas had to represent the eco conscious brand that I was trying to create so had to seem 'green' in a way. Initially I was really drawn to the name 'earthly' because it sends a very eco friendly message and I sketched some ideas based on this. 

I had done some research into stocks and found some seeded paper that grows plants when you plant it. I thought this would be perfect for my project and even though the degradation of natural plant products creates methane I hope that the growth of the plants will counteract this through producing oxygen. Also because I found that plastics were bad in my essay due to their source from fossil fuels I decided I couldn't use any in my packaging. As sandwich packaging in particular usually has plastic windows to show the sandwiches I thought that a good solution would be to produce illustrations of the sandwiches instead. I also thought about drawing the individual ingredients for a bit more clarity, or producing a purely typographic design. I will experiment with these ideas digitally.

After my sketches I decided that the name earthly didn't really fit. I narrowed the name down to two: bloom and sprout and decided to experiment with some sketches of logos. Though I liked both names I felt that bloom felt a bit more feminine and perhaps like a cosmetics brand rather than a food brand. Also I liked the idea that the name sprout represented what the packaging would do when it is planted. So I chose sprout as the name. 

OUGD603 - Extended Practice Crit

Crit Rules:
1. Bring the brief
2. Bring 5 Questions you want answering
3. Bring Practical work
4. Have a scribe

My 5 questions
Little Art Collection Brief:
- Do the patterns portray their themes?
- Are they unisex and fit the right target audience?
- Are the patterns too flat?

PPP Stuff:
- Does my CV have the correct information? Or is it too formal?
- Are there anything else I should send with my cards?

Little Art Collection Feedback

I showed the group my patterns so far (as seen below.)

In regards to the general theme of all the patterns I was told it should be less blue, as blue is quite a boyish colour = biased. I was told to make the clouds and background paler on the aeroplane and the background on the baking a different colour. Also to make the aeroplane design simpler, removing the text from the stamp as baby grow/jersey material can't hold fine detail that well. The general feedback was good as it is not aimed at the babies themselves - adults buying it, rich adults. I was told to do some more research - aim for M&S, John Lewis. They are high end and would sell products to the target market the brief is for. I asked if I should include a caravan in the camping one, the group said no as it would downgrade it. They said posh people don't use them, people are going back to traditional camping. I need to be aware of the target audience and their hobbies and skills, they're wealthy so a different class. I was told to look at Joules and Seasalt for more inspiration as well as the Paul Smith dinosaur campaign. I then asked if incorporating text into them would work, specifically putting yummy in the baking one. They replied saying that with the baking one this would work and be cute and relevant. Someone suggested that I should create bold single images or scenes to match each theme and possibly make a set for each one. 

Next I showed the group some christmas cards and hotdog CVs that I am planning to send to studios before we break up for Christmas. I had just got the cards printed so couldn't really get much feedback on those but I asked for feedback on my hotdog CV.

I was told immediately to drop the professional titles and to make it more fun and more 'me'. I need to show my personality through the design which is more important than the massive amounts of information according to Alec. I was told that I need to make it a lot more fun, illustrate it more, talk, chat, design but not write. Also I showed this as a print out version and they said that a better paper will give a higher quality finish. There was a really good suggestion that I could illustrate the love and hates bit to include patterns and picture of what I do and what I like. Overall the consensus was that it needs to show me as a designer, what I'm about and what I do. 

This was really helpful as Alec has experience of receiving these kinds of things off people for his magazine. He said he'd rather see what I'm about than a formal CV. 

OUGD601 - CoP - Practical Ideas

I brainstormed some ideas for my practical research project based on what I have learnt so far in my essay. I have realised that a lot of plastic packaging that we use is unnecessary, especially in fresh produce. Is it just so we can see what we are buying? These plastic bags could easily be replaced by paper bags or even string to keep them together. Also, I wanted to experiment with the use of more biodegradable materials so even if they weren't recycled they would degrade within landfill easily. I found online places that sell paper with seeds in them so that when you are finished with the paper you can plant it and let plants grow. This idea I feel is very sustainable because, in turn, it is helping the environment replenish its oxygen. 

However, the idea that I thought was most relevant to the essay would be redesigning sandwich or convenience food packaging as I found these to be the most wasteful of all packaging as it is simply used to hold the product then be immediately thrown away. So I thought that if I could create packaging that could be thrown away without guilt, because it would biodegrade, it would be more sustainable.