Display

This week proved a little more promising than last. Our next challenge was to create a display for our objects. I wanted to showcase the teardrop shape of the package. I thought of possibly mimicking the shape of the Flat Iron Building in New York City. Have you ever seen a luxury apartment in that building? They are worthy of the Chanel name. Another idea was to truly mimic the teardrop shape and create a stand for the package in that shape. The problem with these two ideas is that I still didn’t have a unique way to showcase the package on each of those stands.
After some more exploration I have decided to actually drop the packages, from a wire rack that is. The plan is to make it look like they are dropping from above. I am still creating the model so I only have drawings to share for now. My challenge is creating the model to a scale where the packaging is clear and clean enough and yet the model itself is not oversized. The absolute smallest I can go and still be able to manipulate a copy of the packaging is 2” = 1’-0”. That makes my overall model about 30” tall. We’ll see how that works. Wish me luck.
Cheers!

Packaging Cont'd

Last Thursday we took the advice from our final crit and finished up our packaging projects. I was working on the teardrop-shape and wanted to use a clear Mylar with black banding at the top and the bottom. I was faced with the design problem of how the clear material stays closed. I tried using liquid nails which dries clear but it was still too messy. Instead of working the problem through I decided to go in a completely new direction. I used the cylinder from a previous attempt as a top and moved on to a cone shaped bottom. I used black card stock for the body of it and covered the outside with a polished looking fabric. The paper lays nice and flat but the fabric, not so much.

I needed to find a way to keep the lid on so I designed a twist and lock system but struggled with fixing it to the package. I turned it in but was not happy, at all, with the end result. It was not the polished look that I was going for. That might have been a good study model to work on solving design problems but should not have been a final model.
We met for class and all three classes evaluated the projects and rated them on a scale of 1 to 5 of whether or not they would purchase the product. One was not at all, and five was they would purchase. My project averaged a three and I thought that was generous. I was so disappointed that I went home after class and went back to the teardrop-shaped, clear Mylar. I fixed the problem of the closure by using a ¼” clear tape. You could barely see it. Then everything started falling into place. I knew I had already turned in my final project but for my own sake I had to finish it to know I could produce something better. You better believe I slept well those two nights.

During the next class we gave our presentations on our projects. I explained about both packages and it was evident that the clear package was better designed. It was a good thing that I re-did it because we now have to create a display for our objects/packages. Professor Anderson already had some suggestions on how I might use the teardrop shape for display and I’m exploring that. Over the weekend I went to the department stores to see how the Chanel brand is displayed and how I might display my new “product.”

I thought about how I can incorporate the branding assignment in the signage portion of the display. I think the use of the chicklet looking stones, or another polished stone, in the color of the polish might work. How can I do that? I want to find a way to use small, pebble size stones inside the clear Mylar, or at the very least in the display itself.

I also thought of how I can arrange the teardrop shaped packages in an intriguing way. Perhaps in a flower-like petal shape would be pretty, but I have to keep my target audience in mind. I’ve been sketching out designs to see where it goes. Wish me luck.

Cheers!

Lynn

Final Packaging

You never know until you try something if it's going to work. So far my most successful designs have come from something I thought was a throw away. But in taking a second look at them they had the potential and I just had to find it. Then I had to execute it. The cylinder idea was inspired by the products of Bang & Olufsen. In talking with Professor Anderson we decided that the women who purchase this expensive nail polish are the same ones who purchase products from B&O.

Then I came up with a cone/lotion bottle shape, which looked too much like a lotion bottle. The clear cylinder seemed to be the way to go. The plan was to design it in a teardrop shape with an intriguing exterior. The challenge was to find a way to close the Mylar without the glue showing. I measured how high the pedestal for the polish should sit so you could see it above the banding at the top and bottom. Once I started to execute, the glue was showing through and it looked messy, the opposite of the polished look I was going for.

I morphed the two ideas and pulled in some of the little black dress idea from the beginning. I made a cone shape for the bottom of the dress and a cylinder for the top, all covered in the polished fabric from the banding on the teardrop shaped container.

Now, my challenge is to find a way to lock the two pieces together so when you pick up the box, the top doesn't come off each time. I'm working on a simple twist and lock closure today. Wish me luck. Cheers!