Thursday 1 April 2010

Brown Paper Packaging...

I experimented with using a brown paper background as part of the label/packaging design. I am quite drawn to this idea for several reasons...
  • The brown paper adds another colour to the design, without it being too invasive or over the top. This extra colour does not interfere with the brand colours, it provides a backdrop to make them the focus of the design.
  • Brown paper carries connotations of cheap packaging, which is basically what the Value range wants, because the products are not expensive, therefore the packaging must be as cheap as possible.
  • Brown paper reminds me of buying produce at a market, where anything and everything comes in a paper bag (because they are cheap). This ties in quite well with Morrisons' brand image of a pseudo-highstreet all within one shop (Morrisons have a 'Market Street' and 'Family Butcher) and the way the present themselves as a 'Market'.
I have experimented further with the brown paper background, using other labelling elements to create something more interesting and design lead. I want the design I create the still show the product name very strongly, but I think that incorporating some decorative elements might work quite well...








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The two design have the type applied directly to the brown paper background. I quite like the simplicity of the designs, it feels very plain and spacious. I am however concerned that the design doesn't quite work because the text is white against the brown, and looks like it would have be printed directly onto the brown paper - which is a little unconventional. I think that this a good start for the textured design idea.















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These designs all have a label 'applied' to the brown paper. 3 of these design use sticky tape to hold the label on, which is a more low-fi and 'cheaper' way of producing the labels. I like the sticky tape because it feels more fun and less precise, but I am not sure if it presents too much of a slap-dash personality for the products. The top left design looks like the label has been slotted into the brown paper on two of its corners, which is a slightly more delicate and neater way of 'attaching' the label, and the label shape it creates is quite nice as it has a symmetrical but not perfect feel.
I prefer the top left and bottom right typeface options as they are cleaner and easier to read. They have a more digital feel, which contrasts better with the brown paper than the handwritten and typewriter effects of the other two. They are also stronger and have more of a focus for the overall design.















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These four designs all incorporate the Value Sticker. I have used similar ways of 'attaching' the label as in previous designs, and developed one so that the corner of the label goes in and out of the brown paper. These effect of depth is done by using subtle drop shadows on the label, so that it looks like it is separate from the brown paper and stands forward a little.
The Value Sticker works well here because it looks like it has been applied over the top of the label. The central sticker creates a very even and balanced design, where as the other three have a slightly more jaunty and fun feel about them. This style of design allows all of the information to be on the secondary label and sticker, rather than some of the branding printed onto the brown paper (as previously shown). It is easy to incorporate both of the brand colours with the brown paper here because there are two elements being applied on top of it, allowing the label and sticker to stand out from each other and be separate devices.

I like both of the typefaces that I have used here. The first feels slightly hand written, but is more careful and considered style than previously. It has character and feels more personal. The bold slab serif font is very strong and stands out very well. It has impact, especially the white against the green background.















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These four designs are all very similar, but allow for some experimentation with the colour combinations. The banner that is applied over the brown paper is quite bold and strong, and helps to make the text the focus of the design. Having the Value and Morrisons logos printed onto the brown paper gives an idea that the brown is a standard and the secondary label is applied over the top for each product. The top right design sort of hides the branding because it is in a dark brown colour. I am not sure if this is suitable because the Value products do need to clearly show that they are Value, it might be too low key. The yellow on the bottom right design stands out very well. It is bright and strong, and the neutral background enhances this. It is hard to choose from the bottom two designs which is stronger, they both use the brand colours very well and are bold and impacting designs. I think that yellow label is good and works well against the brown, but the green branding logos don't stand out so well against the background.
The Avant Garde type face is strong and draws attention to the text. I am mindful that it looks quite similar to the Gill Sans used for the Value logo, and it might just be to close. Avant Garde does not work well in lower case as the characters are very wide and rounded - it has a more childish feel.

I am going to reduce down my options for these designs, pulling out what is working best and make some mock-ups so that I can gauge the impact of the design on a real product.

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