Week 4 of packaging design is complete. In week four we looked at the environmental impacts of packaging. I learned a lot about the different kinds of packaging and the impacts that each has.
Previously, I had considered paper, cardboard, and glass to be the best fibers to use. That is not always the case because you have to consider the three levels of packaging, primary, secondary and tertiary. If you have a glass package, you are going to require greater secondary and tertiary packaging and the weight is considerably heavier than other alternatives. Which means more packaging created and a bigger impact on transportation. I will say that I was quite naive in my understanding of the use of plastics. I did not realise that there was a range of plastics that are used and that many of them can use recycled material that in turn, can be used further. However, certain types of plastics are bad. Especially the thin plastics, that Australia has limited recycling systems available for. You do have to be careful because every type of packaging has many pros and cons and you really have to decide what is best to protect and contain each product. There are many options available that can follow environmentally conscious thinking, it’s important that each is evaluated and a thorough and calculated decision is made on the final packaging material.
The tasks for this week were to recreate the packaging we have been working on. I have chosen a paint brush.
Task 4A: Redesign for current market
In my redesign for the current market, I created a number of designs that used recycled paperboard. I tried to mimic this effect in Adobe Illustrator. I also wanted to keep many elements of the original packaging, particularly the colours. The most important aspect of the redesign for the current market was having a very clear hierarchy of the elements. This was something that was lacking in the original. You want to be able to easily understand what you are looking at, and have that information presented in a structured way. Because the current product is on the cheaper scale I limited the amount of imagery that was on each package. Relying on the typography of subtle textures to translate the message.
Task 4B: Redesign for alternative market
In my redesign for an alternative market, I wanted to focus on packaging that had a higher market position (or more expensive). This can be seen in the contrast of the majority of the packaging which has bolder colours, that are much more striking. I wanted the packaging to still use recycled paperboard, but this time in full colour with a softer finish. More research would need to be conducted on the best way to achieve this effect without causing problems with the recycling of the material (and limit the chemicals used in printing). In the last examples included I decided to create packaging that was reusable. Being able to reuse the packaging would have a great impact on the life cycle of the packaging. These designs were intended to be made from a hard plastic, which could be closed to store a paint brush.
