Branding + Package Design
Posted
Siebert, packaging
Siebert, packaging
Siebert, packaging
Ordas, packaging
Ordas, packaging
| Educator/s: | Lisa Jayne Willard |
|---|---|
| Institution: | Indiana University—Bloomington |
| Level: | Foundations, Freshman, Introductory, Non-design Majors, Sophomore, Undergraduate |
| Duration: | 3 weeks |
| Category: | Branding, Design Methods, Graphic Design, Packaging, Print, Product Design, Symbols, Systems, Typography, User Experience |
| Filed Under: | 3-D, Brainstorming, Color Theory, Community, Composition, Design History, Design Research, Design Thinking, Experimental, Form-making, Four-year Program, Grids, Handmade, Iconography, Illustration, Iteration, Multidisciplinary, Non-design Majors, Printed Matter, Process, Production, Semiotics, Storytelling, Usability |
| Bookmark Project | |
Project Brief
BRANDING + PACKAGING
A manufacturer wants to create a new high-quality chocolate product that includes three varieties. You have been hired to create the produce as well as the branding: name, logo and packaging. These should hold a seamless and coherent brand experience.
You must approach this project with an open mind and a smart strategy. There are easily thousands of chocolate brands currently on the market, so how does your brand differentiate itself? What is unique about your product? Think specifically about the size and shape of your chocolate. Is it a bar? Pieces? Powder? Who is the consumer? Can you add a unique element to the product? Is there new technology in the industry that you can use to your advantage?
Think about your audience. Who is buying this product? Why? You don’t want to turn away—or turn off—your audience with a bad brand or non-unique experience. When thinking of packaging possibilities, compare other items that function similarly to chocolate packaging. Do they create a better user experience? How?
Research: Wordlist, visual brain dump, visual/style research for each component
Thumbnails: Minimum 50 for logo development
Roughs: Minimum 12 for packaging development
Final: A full-size branded model of your packaging and a digital brand presentation including research, strategy, and final executions of each package.
Task
• Develop a wordlist or mindmap of relevant ideas for a product.
(Reference the book Graphic Design Thinking by Ellen Lupton; pdf on Canvas)
• Develop a list of names for the new chocolate company.
• Visual brain dump and thumbnail sketches for logo.
• Design and create packaging for three chocolate products. They should look like a family of products but still maintain product individuality.
Learning Objectives
In this basic graphic design class, projects are designed to develop skill-building toward the culmination of the final project for the branding and package design of a company that the students create. The prompt in this case was chocolate, leaving the options wide open for the product and package style. Students apply research, wordlists, thumbnails, iterative design, logo development, use of software including Illustrator, InDesign and some Photoshop. Additionally, students develop presentation and speaking skills.
Deliverables
The final outcome is a hand-built package which the students must photograph and include in a brand + process book.
The book is developed as a pdf and presented for the final critique along with the packages.
Readings/Resources
There are several lectures related to the various stages of the project. The main book utilized is Graphic Design Thinking by Ellen Lupton. We have a scheduled Library research workshop with the design librarian to implement better use of finding resources. Students are required to research and source and/or develop packaging templates. They must also research logos, branding, packaging and create mood boards of inspiration.
Some websites:
Chocolate (quick Google search)
Reflections
I have presented this project several times to varying levels of students. Adjustments must be made depending on the skill level of the group + individual students. Consideration must also be given to work area, availability of resources including work tables, printers, spray booths, etc. This is a project that has great appeal to students at all levels, and the outcomes mostly exceed expectations of the students and the instructor.
*Note: Because there are so many processes of development within the project, often aspects are overlapping and the keeping of strict schedules can be difficult. Some flexibility is often necessary.
