What is packaging design ?

What is packaging design ?

Packaging is protection for the product. With the packaging, people can transport and carry the products. Packaging is something that communicates to the consumer. The first packaging was created by nature, the peas in a pool, coconut milk and banana. Man started to create packaging as well from nature to help them to carry the products. Humans started to make baskets from jute sacks and clay pots. Roman Amphora were the first packs to carry branding and labelling information, specifying their content, origin and manufacturer.

To communicate with the consumer the designer has to come up with an easy and memorable name. The colour makes an important part of the communication and help the consumers to identify the brand more easily, like coca-cola has red, Tiffany & co has blue. The form of the product can also help the consumers to identify the brand like the coca-cola bottle and Jack Daniels bottle.

Some materials that can be used as packaging: The most used material is paper and card but rather that there are more materials like; plastics, PET, laminates and films, glass, metal and aluminium. Designers and manufacturers are exploring other materials like organic and natural alternatives.

The message and the typesetting are very important on the packaging. The message should be direct and the typesetting ; for example on products that are handmade the type should be handwritten to keep the same environment. The symbols, barcodes and consumer data should be included in packaging design.

Some packaging is interactive and reusable for example the yogurt for children, its packaging will be blocks. Fun and humour is a good concept can be taken further to add appeal and emotional communication.

To help recycling the packaging nowadays designers started to design minimalist packaging like Mac. It is more easy in this way because it is easily opened and toxic free. Packaging like glass bottles of drinks are recycled by selling the glass bottles to the supermarket. To decrease the use of plastic in packaging, in Japan came up with a very good idea of refilling your own water bottle in the supermarket and pay only for water. Packaging can also be a source to send messages to people about awareness. 

References:

Packaging Design Conference 12-09. 2015. Packaging Design Conference 12-09. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.slideshare.net/paulvickers/packaging-design-conferance-09-10?related=1. [Accessed 27 November 2015].