24/04/2025-04/07/2025 (Week 1-Week 11)
Lizzie Tanaka (0362065)
Packaging and Merchandising Design | BDCM | Taylor's University
Project 2: Innovative Box Packaging
LECTURE
Lectures from Week 1 - Week 8 are in EP of Exercise: Case Study and
Project 1: Custom-Box Making.
INSTRUCTIONS
Fig 1.1 MIB
For this task, we are collaborating with TBS and SLAS with the business and
psychology students. We are to design a packaging and work with the business
students to fit their business pitch and to work with psychology students
where they conduct consumer profiling and eye tracking.
Early on, we've already started this project.
Week 1:
We saw presentations from 3 TBS groups and we chose a group to work with. Me
and my friends decided to go with DYO, a dual-lid tumbler brand. Within this
group, there will be 4 different target audiences and as design students, we
will be divided into smaller 4 groups where we will design the packaging based
on our chosen target audience.
Me and my friends chose DYO Care. The product is basically targeted for adults
who are health conscious, featuring a removable extra pill/supplement storage
at the bottom of the tumbler.
Week 3:
Prototype sketches were given.
Week 4:
Mainly psychology students that is working on the packaging survey and
consumer profiling survey. Our group added a few suggestions like specifying
some details on the design and packaging section.
Survey:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd4nK6RZ4HALat3ZwwN47L6-4nEd_jhRlzxZ1yUHFUxrm2U_g/viewform?usp=header
Week 7:
Design students started to work on the logo. To make it fair and easier, we
decided to come up with a set of logos per target audience group and we vote
on 1 logo for each group. These 4 logos will be presented to TBS for them to
choose.
Logo process
Our group began by asking the TBS students about DYO. We concluded that they
wanted a youthful, contemporary, and bold brand and we wanted to translate
that into their logo.
Fig 1.2 Questions asked
With this, we thought of avoiding mascots and logos that are too literal.
We thought that making the logo as wordmark would work best as they will have a
wide range of target audience and that logo has to fit all the target audience,
for kids up to adults.
As for our group, we decided to let everyone make at least 1 logo to be
presented to the TDS group. We spent a few days drafting quite a lot of logos
with a lot of changes. Our main design focus was keeping the font a
sans serif because we felt that a serif would make the brand look luxurious
instead of more contemporary and youthful.
I did some logos as well of my own. All of us tried to incorporate the two lid
feature seamlessly in the logo without being too literal and obvious,
something that could be used in the packaging and merch.
My translation of the 2 lids was a semicircle. I tried to incorporate it into
the logo as much as possible without being tacky and made it as subtle as
possible.
Fig 1.3 My process of logo
Below are almost all the logos we ended up trying out.
Fig 1.4 Compiled drafts of trials logo
Then, we filtered out a total of 7 logos that we thought could work and sent
it over to the TDS group. Below is the BNW final compiled logo.
Fig 1.5 Compiled logo drafts
After voting, logo #4 was chosen to represent our group to the TBS students. We
all voted for 1 logo per group and we compiled the chosen logos into one for the
TBS students.
Fig 1.6 Final compiled logo from TDS group
They chose logo #4 from DYO Kids group but requested to make it more straight
and less of the handwritten vibe. After the revision is done, we had our final
logo:
Fig 1.7 Final DYO logo
Week 9-Week 14
This is where our group started to design the packaging. Each of us produced a
design. My teammates actually set the dieline first and the base ideas because
I had another schedule for another module during the meeting. So I just tried
to expand on that idea and attempt a different layout to add variations to our
packaging design drafts.
For Fig 0.0 below, I tried to use a different window shape instead of the
usual rectangle. I noticed that the first drafts had inconsistent icons for
the USP (BPA-Free, dishwashing safe, and food-grade) like some was solid
color, some was outline and the strokes weren't the same. So for my first
draft, I attempted to create my own icons (?) for these so that it's more
consistent. However, there were some stuffs needed to be fixed.
My teammates had done the instructions of use and care as the usual
left-aligned paragraphing so I tried to make a variation of it by making it in
bullet points form (?) separated with one circle on each sentence. The circle
is derived from the logo. For me, I want the packaging to look sleek, clean,
but still quite straightforward and bold.
Fig 2.1 First draft with light green
Fig 2.2 First draft with darker green
Below is all our first drafts compiled together to ask for Mr. Shamsul's
feedback.
Fig 2.3 1st Draft from DYO Care group
Based on the feedback by Mr. Shamsul, he said the design I made was simple
but but pointed out the window would be too big and it would make the
sides flimsy. He also preferred the darker green color and liked Sheryne's
illustration. He also suggested to use the illustration on all our packaging
variation and to put the USP icons in the front side, told us to explore more
variations.
The deadline to give our packaging to SLAS students were near so we rushed
quite to revise. Following the feedback, we all tried to edit our version. For
mine, decreased the size of the window and tried a different layout especially
on the front side. I chose two USP of the product and used it like a floating
circle on the window. We also got the DYO official tagline so I incorporated
it too. For the rest of the USP, I put it on the bottom of the front
side.
As for the illustration, I changed a bit of the layout despite not much and
added a clear divider for the two features. For the care instructions and dos
and dont(s), I did not change much of the layout but the content was changed
as we got the official one from TBS. I chose this as my final design to be
mocked up.
Fig 2.5 Week 9 Versions, 2D mockup from everyone
Below are the group's compiled packaging design sent to SLAS students for
eye tracking (Week 10).
Packaging 1A-1B: By Aisya
Packaging 2: By Lizzie
Packaging 3A-3B: By Sheryne
Packaging 4: By Jovan
Fig 2.6 Compiled packaging design
After we gave our packaging designs to SLAS students, we had another
feedback session with Mr. Shamsul. So, we did more edits to our packaging
variations. Mr. Shamsul pointed that my previous edit had a clean layout
but he wanted me to try to color-block the packaging with solid
green.
Fig 2.7 Green color block version
Fig 2.8 Final mocked-up packaging designs
On 2 July, we had the final joint meeting progress. We found out that the
eye tracking device was broken and so the psychology students had to do
interviews to get the results. Our results show that most user chose the
packaging with blue color as the color is associated with wellness and
health.
Honestly, we personally thought that users chose it because it stands out
as the only blue one and we thought maybe it would be fairer if we used
all green for the packaging design. However, I personally can't help but
point out that Aisya's packaging weren't included in the choices. Not sure
what method was chosen to pick the packaging to be showed to the
interviewees but I think all the designs should've been used to keep it
fair for us as well but it's a minor issue and I understand they were
probably in a hard situation with the eye tracking device being broken.
And we shouldn't have put only 1 blue packaging because it's quite likely
that the interviewees choose the one that stand out.
Either way, based on this result, the only comment about our layout is that they preferred if important information is at the front. So we did edit the packaging more and print them out on
corrugated cardboard at 3mm thickness.
Fig 2.9 Interview results from SLAS students (Week 11)
Printing the box
First thing we did was print it on regular printer paper to check if the
dieline worked. And as expected, it didn't work. The bottom part didn't
want to clasp. After we fix the dieline, we decided to lasercut with our
actual material because different thickness may or may not work with our
current dieline.
Fig 3.1 Compiled dieline trials
The bottom wouldn't clasp nicely still and we struggled for like hours
trying to find out what went wrong and which sizes will work. We also changed the
packaging design a bit. We went with Aisya's design but we incorporated
the flowy shape that divided the box into two colors, like Jovan's
packaging design but we brought back Aisya's gradient transition to make
it look smoother. All of us liked this version and the gradient represents
one's transition to a healthier lifestyle with the DYO Care tumbler. Below
is the final version, which is a huge mix of all of our personal drafts,
honestly. Also, based on the interview, we decided to go with blue instead
of green.
Fig 3.2 Final Packaging Design
Once we're sure with the dieline and design, we sent over the dieline with
the design in actual size to Mummy Printing. For our packaging printing,
the design will be printed on white vinyl sticker paper A2 size while our
board will be an Eflute. It took us the whole day to get the printing
finalized and confirmed because we also kept going back and forth trying
to get the bleed right. Thankfully, the box was successful and the bottom
clasped nicely too.
Fig 3.3 Final Physical Box Prototype
Fig 3.4 Final Physical Box Prototype
It honestly would be a lot better if we had the actual prototype of the
product with us from the business students but we didn't have any so it's
quite saddening that we will never know if it actually functions well with
the product or not.
Final Submission
Fig 4.1 Final Packaging Design PPT
For more detailed process of other packaging designs, please visit my groupmates' blogs:
- Aisya's blog
- Sheryne's blog
- Jovan's blog
FEEDBACKS
Week 9
- Window is too large, will make the sides flimsy. Make it smaller, maybe just a tiny one to let people see the material and color.
- Illustration is good so incorporate it into your final packaging design
- Try out more layouts
- Place the USP in front instead of the sides
- Layout is already good, it's simple and clean.
Week 10
- Layout has a good balance already.
- Can reduce the wavy part and don't split the logo.
- Why not try one color only?
Week 11
- Feedback from psychology lecturer: She prefers if there's meaning on the design, such as the wave and transition representing the transition to healthy lifestyle.
- Interview from psychology students: Interviewees preferred the blue color as it represents wellness to them, important information could be placed in the front side.
Week 14
- Printed box prototype is good to go.
REFLECTIONS:
Experience:
This project is actually quite interesting for me as I feel like working within boundaries is a way for me to challenge my creativity within the limits that have been set. And the project is a bit enjoyable but it would definitely be so much better with better communication. I also felt like as the design group, we put so much effort into our designs and we asked a lot about their product but it seemed like TBS students weren't ready and weren't as knowledgeable themselves with their own product. And at the beginning, there were some miscommunications between the lecturers which slowed down our progress.
Honestly, everything was so slow from Week 1 to Week 7 when suddenly we had to make the logo in a week. Thankfully, within the design group, everyone is cooperative so we got it done. After we sent our packaging, we got news that the eye tracking device broke which honestly made me upset because I was really curious on how the device worked, but nonetheless the interviews worked as well.
Truthfully, I was quite confused because the business students never really gave us any feedback on the packaging designs we sent. Even after the psychology students explained the results on the final joint progress meeting, there was no other follow-ups or updates or feedbacks on the packaging so at the end, we never know which design they chose.
Observations:
I think the one thing I observed in this project is that a good packaging is far more than just the aesthetics. I noticed that I didn't really pay attention to the aesthetics or the style or how good the design looked in this project. I focused more on how to lay out the information so that it's clear, avoiding misunderstandings, making it as readable as possible and trying to make the design look clean and neat.
There are things I personally never really considered when designing on screen and then printing it out such as the window being to big will make the sides of it flimsy. Honestly, this project required me to think outside the box and really consider every little thing that could possibly be an inconvenience to users.
Findings:
I find that designing a good packaging is actually quite tedious. I find myself carefully consider every font I choose, the font size, if its actually readable when printed, the contrast and every tiny little thing because I realized that designing in 2D is so different than seeing your design printed out in real life.
.png)
.png)
Comments
Post a Comment