Filed under: Capturing new ideas, Design better packaging | Tags: packaging design, structural design
I see some confusion about the term “packaging design” so I have decided to dedicate a few lines here to my personal definition.
In general most packaging design I believe is controlled by advertising agencies and graphic designers who’s packaging design work in most cases consists of finding the best – existing – packaging to implement their new artwork on. You will find excellent examples of this category even on these pages.
In the more rare cases the design work even includes design of the packaging itself. This is where industrial designers – as myself – typically enter.
The economic challenge here is much bigger, as a project normally includes heavy investments in new tooling for the manufacturing of the packaging. But the great advantage is the benefit of unique, second to none, design solutions which identifies the customers very specific needs and ideas. A great example of a company which enlives this attitude is ICI, now a part of Akzo Nobel. This packaging was developed as a co-work between ICI, Superfos and Tinhorse:
Another example is the further development of the SuperSeal design which I have mentioned before.
SuperSeal offers the advantage of having a sealable and pealable packaging with re-closure but without the need for a sealing foil. An end-user test revealed that there was a need to improve the opening area to make it easier to understand how to open the pack. The following slides show how the corner opening has been transformed into a “curtain” grip, which is very easy to spot and which offers a good grip.
No need to say that customers also sometimes are confused, and have a hard time to find the right development partners.
The skills required to do these 2 kinds of packaging design are very different, but also several overlaps.
Both disciplines for instance call for extensive consumer empathy and behavoural insight.
So in the ideal world the two parties would sit around the table when a new packaging design is evolved. This is however far from the case in real life!
I wonder why?
Filed under: Capturing new ideas
I urge you to visit www.storyofstuff.com to see the enthusiastic lecture about all the stuff around us.
The lecture gives a very refreshing view on how to replace the cradle-to-grave thinking with a cradle-to-cradle holistic view on our life as consumers. If you are into learning people about life cycle assessment I believe you will find great comfort in this presentation, as it takes the sometimes heavy and dull stuff into a very funny and easily understood level.
The amusing animations were created by Free Range Studios which is definitely worth a visit too. Check for instance their animation “The Meatrix” – the true picture of animal farming…
Filed under: Capturing new ideas | Tags: presentation technique visual story
A new great book has hit the shelves. It is not about packaging, but about how to present. I guess this is a matter that touches most of us. How do you upgrade your presentations and put full emphasis on the content?
Written by Nancy Duartes, principal of Duarte Design, the firm that created the presentation for Al Gore’s film “An Inconvenient Truth”, this book entitled “Slide:ology” is loaded with practical approaches to visual story development and presentation.
The book is written in a very clear language and the hints and exercises are for everybody to use.
Great book – go get it!
Filed under: Capturing new ideas
From India we are now emphasized to put our innovation process online. I personally prefer to meet in person during a brainstorming phase but later on it could maybe be an idea to vote and comment on the ideas?
Check for yourself at Idea Wicket http://www.ideawicket.com/index.
The link was spotted at Innovation Watch nr. 6.21 who gave it these comments: http://www.innovationwatch.com/iwnewsletter.2007-0621.htm
“An open innovation portal based in New Delhi, India. Submit ideas, product designs, industrial designs, process improvement techniques, service innovations, and business solutions. Mark content as ‘public’ (visible to all) or ‘private’ (accessible only to the people you choose). Suggest corporations that could benefit from the idea. Share ideas and innovations with friends. Comment on and rank innovations. Network with other site members“.
Back on the Anuga Food Fair trails it was a great relief to spot the student exhibition from Køln International School of Design .
They showed great optimism and quite a few new angles to the term “functional food” compared to the very traditional food sector in general.
How about this baby-bottle, which is claimed to be the best alternative to breast feeding. The soft packaging consists of two chambers, one filled with pure water, the other with high grade Enfamil formula. To use it you have to massage it and after about 30 seconds the chambers will mix and the product warms up to reach body temperature – all without electricity.
Mymi, designed by Kathrin Kluckner
This Gaia yoghurt regulates hormone imbalances and increases chances of getting pregnant. The packaging is nicely shaped and I like it a lot. However I believe that the packaging signals more a product for pregnant women rather than a product for women who want to get pregnant!
If you had troubles getting pregnant, would you then really want to have your fridge filled with these very beatifull products?
But a cool design which could easily be adopted to a super product for pregnant women!
Gaia, designed by isabel@kisd.de
