Questions for Cereal Package Design

Please answer the following questions about your cereal package design. Send my your answers through email: Lisa.Erdman@taik.fi Then, print your answers so you can use them in the class discussion today.

1) What kind of cereal did you choose to create? (sugary cereal, cereal bars, health cereal, muesli, etc.)
2) What other existing cereal is similar to your cereal (Kellog's cornflakes, Raisin bran, Kix, Elovena etc.)
3) Who is your target audience? (e.g. children, teenagers, adults, health-conscious people, older adults, dogs, etc.)

4) How do your design choices communicate to your target audience? (color, brand name, typeface, images)

5) Is there something you would change about your design, if you had more time to develop it? If so, what?

Project 3: Cereal Box Design

Goal: Create an original package design for a new cereal. The brand name and design communicate to the target audience. For example: babies, children, teens, adults, dieters, college students, or health-conscious consumers. Determine the ingredients of the cereal: rice, wheat, corn, etc.

See this site for steps on designing a cereal and logo:
http://www.ehow.com/how_2247589_design-cereal.html
http://www.ehow.com/how_4881086_create-cereal-logo.html

Work in teams of two or three. Each team will assigned a product to design. Use the following steps for the design process:

1. Research in the store: Look at existing brands of cereal similar to your product idea. Take photos of three different package designs at the store, related to your team product. Photograph close-ups of one box (front, back, top, bottom).You may need to one buy one product, in order to use it as a visual reference.
2. Research online: As a team, collect six examples of cereal designs related to your product. You can use these examples as a starting point for inspiration, but come up with your own original solutions:
3. Brainstorm for brand name ideas: As a team, come up with 5 possible brand names
4. As a team, choose one brand name to use for your design.
   
5. Brainstorm for design ideas: Each person on the team create 5 sketches containing ideas logo design, and 5 sketches for ideas of the visual design of the package.
6. As a team, choose the logo you want to work with, from these sketches.
7. As a team, create a palette of possible colors (max 3) and fonts (3) for your cereal design.
8. Develop the logo in Illustrator. Your visual design will built from the style of this.
9. Each team member create 2 versions of the logo in Illustrator.
10. Then each member create 2 versions of the package design in Illustrator.
11. Each person choose his/her strongest cereal design. Create this design and print it out using your box template.
    
12. The project is due at 9:00 in class on Friday, 23.4. On Friday, you will present 1) your sketches, 2) visual research (photos), 3) color and font palette, 4) all of your test designs 5) and final cereal package designs.

Cereal design examples:

Dorset Cereal Company:
http://www.dorsetcereals.co.uk/bars-slices/
Children's cereals:
http://www.alanvalek.com/blog/2008/12/17/100-cereal-box-covers/
http://z.about.com/d/pediatrics/1/0/f/N/baby_cereal.JPG
Vintage Kix cereal comes back:
http://www.eatmedaily.com/2009/02/general-mills-reissuing-vintage-cereal-boxes/
Kelloggs Company:
http://www.kelloggs.fi/corp.aspx
Kashi Company:
http://www.kashi.com/products/category/Cold%20Cereal

Questions to answer: Package redesign project

Please send me an email with your answers to the questions below. (Lisa.Erdman@taik.fi) These are questions for our discussion about the package redesign project:

1) what is the product? (vitamins, energy drink, etc)

2) why did you choose to redesign this package? What do you think could be improved in the design?

3) who is the product for -- what age group, gender?

4) why did you choose the colors, images and typefaces in your project? How do this improve the product's identity?

Questions to Answer

Please send me an email with your answers to the questions below. These are questions for our discussion about the Self-package design:

1) What is your design concept: What personality trait(s) are you communicating through your design?
2) Explain how your choices of images, typeface, and color communicate this.
3) Explain how you would place your cube package on a shelf in a store, and why.

Send your answers to: Lisa.Erdman@taik.fi

"Super Fast" Project! – Redesign a package label

"Super Fast" Project! – Redesign a package label (Due Friday 16.4)

This week, the project is to redesign a package label that you think could be improved. Work together with one or two other people for this project. Here are the steps to follow:

1) Go to the K supermarket (or any market). Take photos of 3 package designs you think are strong, and 3 that you think need improvement. Choose packages whose selling point relies on a label design: packaged meat, jars of honey, salsa, beverages in glass containers, etc. Explain why you chose each design. Save your photos and text explanation in a PDF file. Bring this to class on Friday.

Use this example for this exercise: http://rferko.wordpress.com/2009/08/26/this-and-that/

2) Together with a classmate, choose one package label to redesign. For this assignment, you will only redesign the label of a package. For example, the label of a honey jar, salad dressing, liquid soap, a beverage bottle, etc.: See the Bavarian example of a redesign:
http://www.thedieline.com/blog/2009/11/before-after-bavaria-rebranding-repackaging.html
More examples of redesigns: http://bestdesignoptions.com/?p=10648

Campbell's soup can redesign (using eyetracking software):
http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/info-enlargePic07.html?project=imageShell07&bigImage=wsj_NEUROb100216.jpg&h=592&w=959&title=WSJ.COM&thePubDate=20080826

3) Then create a sheet in Illustrator, showing four possible color schemes for your new design. Use the color scheme generator to create a palette that has a maximum of 3 color hues: http://colorschemedesigner.com/

This site might also be useful:
http://jrm.cc/color-palette-generator/ (Turn a photograph into a color scheme)

4) Create thumbnail sketches of ideas for possible redesigns for your label. Each person on the team create 5 small sketches (on A4 paper). See these examples: http://bryansouth.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/softwareboxes.jpg
http://www.mindisplay.com/art446fa09/class_blogs.html

5) Together, choose two of your best designs from each of your sketches. So two design sketches from each person's set of sketches. Develop these designs in Illustrator. In the end, you should have 4 new versions of label designs (2 from each person on the team).

6) For Friday, bring your original sketches, and a pdf file containing the following things:
a) your completed label redesigns
b) the photos of the old design labels (so you can show the "before and after" result)
c) your photos of good/bad design, with explanation for each.

7) In class on Friday, be read to discuss why you are redesigning the product, and answer the following questions: a) who is the product for -- what age group, gender? b) what typographic choices, color, and shapes are most attractive to that audience? How can this product be designed so that it competes with the design of other brands of its kind?

Monday, April 12th

In class today:
-- Print your package design.

-- Look at your design, and make necessary changes. Make sure you design is continuous (wraps around the cube).

-- When your design is complete, print 10 copies of your design, and assemble them into cubes. On Tuesday, we will arrange your cubes on tables, for discussion.

-- Prepare for your design presentation: In class tomorrow, be ready to answer the following questions:
1) What is your design concept: What personality trait(s) are you communicating through your design?
2) Explain how your choices of images, typeface, and color communicate this.
3) Explain how you would place your cube package on a shelf in a store, and why.


Today we will take a trip to the K Supermarket to analysis package design and product shelf placement. These are questions to answer during the trip:

1) Write down the name of three products whose design catches your eye. Take notice of what grabs your attention -- image, color, name of product? How is this product placed on the shelf, compared to other products, is it on a top, middle, bottom shelf?

2) Write down the name of three products whose design you DON'T like. Take notice of what elements seem unattractive -- image, color, name of product? How is this product placed on the shelf, compared to other products, is it on a top, middle, bottom shelf?

If you are not in class today, please go to the supermarket on your own, and and answer the questions on paper. Bring them to class on Wednesday.

Discuss your color choices for the Self Package Design. Continue developing your design.
Final version due at start of class on Tuesday, 13.4.

Discuss color meanings: http://crystal-cure.com/color-meanings.html

Discussion of typographic choices and photos for cube package.

Browse through color generator and color meaning web sites:

http://www.mariaclaudiacortes.com/

http://www.color-wheel-pro.com/color-meaning.html

Assignment: (Due 9.4)

Create 3 different color schemes for your package design project: monochromatic, complementary, and triadic. Use this website to choose your color scheme:http://colorschemedesigner.com/

Save each color palette by grabbing a screen shot: SHIFT + APPLE (CMD) + 4

Bring each palette to class on Friday.

Session 1: Tuesday – 6.4.10

Intro to the course content, class survey, and discussion about previous graphic experience.

Lecture and discussion: What is package design?

Sources for today's session come from material developed by Lisa Erdman (TAIK), Katherine Dillon (SVA), and Joe Bautista (CSUN).

Assignments: (Due 7.4):

1) Bring to class 10 photos of different parts of your body (can include clothing or jewelry). Focus on closeup images of parts of face, hands, feet, etc that express main parts of your personality. Be ready to show the class. These will become part of your Self-Package design.

2) Continue working on the Cube Self-Package. Experiment with different typeface styles for your name on the package. Bring an Illustrator file showing your name in 5 different typeface styles that could work for your design. Remember that some typefaces can be altered by hand in Illustrator, using the Type > Create Outlines tool.