Designing product packages? How it’s made?
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Written by Robert on September 18, 2008 – 7:42 pm
A designed product’s package fulfills several different functions it provides a protective shell for transportation and storage, acts as a vital source of information to the product’s user in today’s heavily manufactured world, and performs an important marketing role to make it stand out amid a flood of similar articles.
As such, package designers are required to integrate of range of skills in their work; in addition to an eye for typography and layout, they need to demonstrate expertise in materials (glass, plastic, paper, and other processed raw materials), form, color, and production technologies.
The logistical material functions of a product’s packaging are relatively straightforward; packaging should protect the product from the elements (light, heat, dampness, dirt) and make it resistant to damage (through squashing, tearing, and so on) during transportation or storage. Many packages enclose the product entirely, though there are certainly exceptions. Textiles, for example, are often packaged with an exposed opening so that consumers may feel the fabric inside. In addition to providing a protective cover for the product, packaging also conveys essential information to the intended user. One of the primary functions of the packaging is to accurately depict what is inside, either by revealing the product through plastic or through photographic, illustrative, or text-based means.
As consumers today typically buy their products through industrial manufacturers (as opposed to artisans, craftsmen, or specialty stores, as was the case before industrialization), the packaging is often relied upon to provide instructions for use, as well. The package design will effect how the product inside is valued (Value). The same product will seem less valuable if presented in a cardboard package with a crooked information label than in a velvet-lined slipcase. The product can be made to seem more valuable if the experience of unpacking it is a special one. Depending on the product, the price of the package can sometimes exceed that of the product itself.
This is particularly common with products for which image is more important than use value, such as gift articles or lifestyle products. On the other hand, other products are deliberately packaged to look inexpensive. Generic supermarket brands, for example, are often designed with intentionally plain graphic elements and colors, so as to conform with consumer expectations about pricing. On the basis of appearance alone, the elaborately designed package on the shelf next to it will most likely be passed over by the shopper looking for a bargain. Packaging can also represent an effective form of branding and advertisement; in addition to promoting brand recognition in the usual ways, well-planned packaging can unfold to reveal a “sales item” or other such marketing technique. Packaging design can have a significant impact on the retail experience (Retail Design). Packages today are frequently designed to promote ease of sale, with large, scannable barcodes on the sides.
The now-common Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags are even more convenient: each sticker has a unique number that gives off a radio signal when in the vicinity of a strong electomagnetic field. So-called “smart” shelves can recognize the presence of such tags and pass the information on to an inventory system, and cash registers can immediately assess the contents of shopping carts. Such RFID technology makes it possible to recognize goods automatically at a distance of several meters, even if there is no line of sight. Opening the package should be difficult enough to discourage shoplifters, and easy enough to enable access to the product without destroying itself or the product inside.
This is an issue with self-seal labels in particular, which may leave ugly traces of adhesive or scratches behind after removal. As is the case in many other design disciplines, the question of sustainability is becoming increasingly important in the field of packaging design. To facilitate the separation of waste for recycling, most packaging designers today try to limit the use of multiple materials (like cardboard and plastic foil) in their designs.
In Germany, for example, licensing fees may be incurred if designers and manufacturers do not comply with packaging regulations that require the use of ecologically sound materials. Research is currently being conducted into the development of renewable and biodegradable materials like polylactic acid (or PLA) made from corn, and packaging designers are increasingly asked to balance the needs for durability with the benefits of biodegradability (Environmental Design).
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