For this project, we’ll be expanding our designs into three dimensions, creating packaging for a product. You will need to think about the client, typography, color, and form as well as materials, construction, durability, and how the finished work will be seen in its final context on a store shelf. 

This unique challenge is just that…a true challenge. Don’t focus on the difficulty but instead the wild opportunity and possibilities before you.

WARNING: Your FULLY completed project is due at the beginning of class for critique on Monday May 10 (Senior Final). Late work will result in a 10% penalty for inability to participate in the final critique.

CALENDAR
April 7:Project assigned, work on design briefs and inspiration materials over the next week.
April 21: Design Briefs (stages 1 & 2) due, in-class physical prototyping workshop.
April 30/May 3: Designs in progress due, individual critiqueswith Coulson and work day.
May 10: Projects (Final Design Mockups) due / Critique Day – No work time today; turn in physical work to Coulson and all documentation on your Project page.

To begin this project now you may click Accept.

ALWAYS read the entire quest before beginning to ensure you understand all requirements. Remember the process is worth at least half of the project grade. 

Create your new project page titled Package Design. This page needs to document your entire design process from idea generation to design production.

PROJECT REQUIREMENTS & INSTRUCTION

REQUIREMENTS

• Be both a functional packaging (capable of presenting / holding your product) and aesthetically considered Brand design extension.
• Be physically constructed – you have to construct the packaging for presentation! You can fake materials if necessary, but effort craft, and skill will be required to effectively present a realistic product.

COMPLETED ASSIGNMENT CHECKLIST
Physical materials to be turned in:

• The packaging itself.
• Your printed design brief.
• A printed photograph of your packaging

Uploaded to your project page:

• Your design brief.
• A photograph of your packaging with the object in it.
• A photograph of your packaging “in the wild” on a store shelf.
• Optional: mocked-up planogram view.

     Design Process STAGE 1: UNDERSTAND THE PROBLEM

1. Consider what the goal of your design is

• A FEW THINGS TO CONSIDER
  • Packaging should do six things (via “Package Design Workbook”): containment, security, protection, convenience, information, and marketing. Be sure to consider each of these when looking at existing packaging and designing your own.
  • Is the packaging evolutionary (small, incremental changes to existing packaging formats) or revolutionary (a totally new approach for the product)?
• What qualifies as “packaging”?
• What are your options?
• What do you actually need to create?
• What is brand extension?

     Design Process STAGE 2: Research and Investigate

Always record every resource either as a cited source or a linked resource with documentation on your project page.

2. Know your product, demographic, and brand.

Develop a plan through inspired investigation of found packaging design 

Find awesome Packaging design. What make is successful and how might you apply any of these to your design options. Begin brainstorming.

Resources: Diigo | Packaging Designer? | CreativeBloq | Designspiration | theinspirationgrid

     Design Process STAGE 3: Generate Possible Solutions

3. Brainstorm ideas — Show your brainstorming as idea webs, clouds, lists, found imagery, small sketches of elements (at least 25 ideas, words, elements required)

• Brainstorm – form or shapes of packaging
• Brainstorm – materials used for
• Brainstorm – patterns and branding elements that could be used in design

4. Begin sketching thumbnail design ideas/options for your packaging.

     Design Process STAGE 4: Select and Develop Best Solution

February 20 – Design Brief

I’d like you to prepare a design brief and set of inspiration materials. A brief is a document that you would give to a client, outlining your ideas for the project, demographic research, color scheme suggestions, etc. Yours should be on 8.5×11” paper, printed single-sided. (A sample brief is available here.)

• What inspires your best solution
• sketch out your best solution
• Consider WHY you have made these compositional choices
• Carefully consider fonts to be used (beware of crazy display fonts, they are often cheesy!)
• How will you create hierarchy of information? (Define what is most important and least important in the design)

Please include at least:

• 1-sentence product description.
• Target audience (1 paragraph).
• Price point – how much would it cost?
• Product size (measure it!)
• List of ten words you might associate with the product and your design.
• At least three type specimens with a sentence describing each.
• At least 3 color schemes (with 4-6 colors each), showing colors themselves and RGB values, plus a sentence describing each scheme.
• A paragraph on what materials you might use. Why do those fit your product and brand?

Of course, this is the minimum for a brief: feel free to go much deeper into this! Please also think of the brief as an extension of your design: it’s a chance to impress a client, so spend time considering the overall design of the brief itself. Fonts and layout can do a lot to convey your project’s story.

      Design Process STAGE 5: Model and Prototype (Create)

6. Begin production of your design:

• Build practice models of your packaging
• consider how elements will fit together
• color, typographic, and graphic design are made as you begin to develop these elements for production.
• Many design decisions are explored and made in this stage

     Design Process STAGE 6: Test and Evaluate

February 27

Participate in the in-progress critiques:

For this week, please bring a physical prototype (planning stage) of your packaging. This should be a thorough approximation of your finished packaging, including things like colors, fonts, shape, and materials. We’ll look at them and discuss, a quick demo on building a planogram view of your packaging, then have a work day.

7. Self-reflect on your design

• Reflect on your successes and shortcoming.
• How can it be improved?
• Document feedback you received
• Refine or develop elements of the design that can be improved.

     Design Process STAGE 7: Produce

Your finished projects are due! Please use the above checklist to make sure you have everything turned in. Remember that documentation counts – take clear photographs with little clutter and good lighting, etc. Think of this as the final pitch to a client.

COMPLETE: You need a fully finished project page included all scanned sketchbook work with captions. Turn your your finished artwork to the Captain’s Server. Finally Paste the URL to your project page below and you may then click complete.

Great Work Design Agent.

Amazing work, Visitor.

Be Proud.

Go hang the finished piece on the Critique wall at the front of the classroom. Other’s need to see what you have accomplished.

• Matte or Mount for BONUS LOOT: Matte or Mount Bonus

BONUS Self Assessment Loot:

After completion of your project and project page documentation choose one of the appropriate self-assessments for yourself. Consider the skill, craftsmanship, originality, and composition of your final Product:

Over The Top Nailed It Good, But… At Least I Finished It