Archived copy for reference only
 

 

Graphic Design / Interactive Design / Fine & Applied Arts / Parkland College

GDS 120 Graphic Design I
Project 3: Package Design

(Archived from 2019)

Objective

To develop conceptual thinking skills. To communicate ideas visually and verbally. To explore illustration and photography styles. To apply design principles to real-world visual communication problems.

Secondary objectives

To utilize Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop as a design and production tool.

Description

The conventional food industry and its unsustainable practices is destroying the ecosystem as well as human health. Fortunately, you can make a difference by buying local, organic, and free trade. Learn more about this and other issues at Take Part and/or watch the movie Food Inc. (available in the Parkland Library).

To promote the sales of healthier foods, redesign the box of an existing organic food product (hint: choose a poorly designed box). Make improvements in any of the following areas: layout, logo, photography, illustration, typography, copywriting, marketing objectives. Keep in mind who the target audience is.

Your design must show an understanding of unity, emphasis, balance and color theory. When appropriate, utilize rhythm and depth as well.

Note: High resolution stock photos and illustrations are available from Ingimages. Contact your instructor for more information.

Procedure

1. Research for inspiration: Research existing award-winning food package design. Be sure to review books, annuals, trade publications (Print, How, Communication Arts) as well as online resources like www.thedieline.com. Also explore local specialty food stores such Common Ground Food Co-op, World Harvest, Natural Gourmet, Urbana's Market at the Square, Harvest Market, etc. Look specifically for creative concepts and creative use of typography, photography or illustration. Publish your research on your Process Page for critique (be sure to caption each image and cite the source). Be prepared to explain why these examples are successful.

2. Marketing research: Find an organic food product box you want to redesign and publish a scan on your Process Page. Then research your client. What is their target audience? What is unique about their product? What does the competition look like? Analyze your research and write a written statement of objectives in the form of a memo (see sample brief). Be sure to include descriptive adjectives in the "character" paragraph (see vocabulary wheel). Have your brief reviewed by the Writing Lab, then email your brief as a shared Google Doc or an attached Word file to your instructor.

3. Incubation: Absorb the information you have gathered and sleep on it. Allow your unconscious mind to make connections for you.

4. Develop the concept: In your sketchbook begin to conceptualize ideas for this project (examples of sketches). Make at least 10 sketches of all possible directions you might take this project. Edit your concepts down to your best three ideas and redraw them on 8.5 x 11 white paper using a felt tip pen. Scan and publish your concepts on your Process Page (no wider than 1000px) for critique along with a link to your client's current website. Be prepared to discuss how your design fulfills the marketing objectives outlined in your brief.

5. Proof: Based on the critique of the above, use the computer to execute at least two versions of your best idea (present at least one proof with an alternate font choice). For this proof, you may want to show just the 2D art of each panel. Publish low-res PDF's on your Process Page for critique. Be prepared to talk about what design principles are utilized in your design. Also print a high-quality color proof for your Process Book.

6. Final Critique: Based on the critique of the above, fine-tune your designs (if needed). For this proof, please show a 3D rendered box (or paste your art into a downloaded Photoshop template). Submit high-quality color proof(s) for final critique. Prepare a presentation to justify your design decisions. Also publish a high-res PDF on your Process Page.

7. Grading: Submit two copies of your work for grading. One proof will be returned to you after grading. File the graded proof in your Process Book for individual review along with all the preliminary work you did for the project (research, brief, sketches, preliminary proofs, final proof). Review your Process Page and make sure you have an accurate record of your process. Also submit a high-res JPEG via Cobra's dropbox. You will not receive credit for this project if any of the above elements are missing.

8. Portfolio preparation: If you are happy with the results of this project, consider including it in your portfolio. If necessary, continue to make refinements until you are 100% satisfied with the project. Be sure to save all your files for future editing.

9. Extra credit:  Submit your project into the annual student show by printing an art gallery quality proof and mounting it on foam board. Your project may win a cash prize and be published in a showcase of student work on Parkland's website.

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