Final Packaging: The labels/Box Art

Now that the net was ready, I began designing the accompanying artwork to be placed on the box. I started by looking at the information given to us with the Hobsons brief. I didn't want to stray to far form the original packaging. The first thing I looked into was which colours to use.

These were (some) of the colours that were given with the brief. I didn't want to go with colours that are too vivid because it didn't seem to resonate with the audience. I started looking at the real packaging used by Hobsons for inspiration, this was the one I liked the most:

Variations: The Front

I started experimenting with different designs. Because the sides were in the shape of a hat, it was a bit more difficult to fit everything I wanted in at the desirable size. This is the first deign I made:

I liked the calligraphy in this design because it gave a 'premium brand'  feel that the target audience would like. However the problem here was that there was no indication of what types of beer were being sold. I needed to present images or text of the the actual product being sold. I also didn't thin k the slogan was very good. 

This one utilized the actual labels from the bottles. However, I felt like the labels didn't really work because they just looked out of place. On top of that, the colours were unbalanced and didn't compliment the upper design.

After a lot of experimenting, I eventually came to this conclusion. The bottles were well presented and the slogan presented itself well with the arch. Ideally, I wanted to display all six beers but I couldn't find an image of good enough quality.

The Back

For the back of the packaging, I wanted to give more information about the board game. I also wanted to give more context to how premium the brand was. 

I included some of the awards that Hobsons have won in the past to increase the prestige of the product. To continue with this theme I mentioned how local and fresh the hops is grown and used. I included a picture of hops and tinted it blue to complement the theme. The only thing I didn't like about this was the text on the bottom half. It seemed out of place but I feel like it couldn't have been avoided. 

The Bottom

With the bottom of the container, I was trying to think of what ingredients would be shown on the box. I opted for lines because I didn't know the exact thing to put. However, I was also aware that the size of the bottom was too big for A4 to print which meant I had to tile print again and then stitch them together after. This presents a problem and I will therefore print with A3 once I return to uni and I will also add the ingredients and also the nutritional information will be updated rather than just using a template.

Final Packaging: The Net

Using my other prototype as a template, I started work on the final net for the packaging. I measured the coordinates of the net. One thing I noticed with my previous net was the circles for the bottles to sit were a bit small and slowly ripped the net. Therefore I measured the bottled more accurately and used a set of compasses to be more precise:

Once I had the exact measurements, I started drawing it up in Illustrator.

Illustrator is still a program that I am learning. I did know a bit about it but I learned a lot from making this net. The rulers (guides) were very useful but required a lot of zooming in far to make sure they were in the right position and to the exact millimetre. In my previous prototype, the circles for the bottles didn't have much gaps in between each other and the edge. This presented a problem in that there were weak points with small gaps. Because of this, I had to spread them out more efficiently. 

The net started to take shape. Now I had to print it which presented another problem. The net was bigger than A4 so I had to tile print it. I then stuck them together and this became a template for the actual material I was going to use: cardboard. 

The cardboard on the left was too small so I had to draw it out diagonally. I noticed that this would become a problem because of how the cardboard works; it will not bend too well diagonally due to all the corrugated board in the opposite direction. I scrapped the left board and searched for a bigger piece of cardboard. This time I cut it out in the right direction.

Sustainable Materials

CHoosing the right material for the packaging is very important. So here is some research on the most sustainable forms of packaging.

Cardboard is the first option I can think of because it is so widely used and widely recycled. It is "a variety of heavy paper-like materials" Reference) and because it is made out of paper it is sustainable as long as the trees used can grow back in time. There are also problems with this material too. It is not very durable and can deteriorate quickly if exposed to water or under heavy weight. Thankfully 6 bottles of bee is not too heavy provided the right type of cardboard is used.
It has been around since 1817 in Germany (Reference). As a result many different types of this material have been developed.

Cardboard Beer Packaging

Bioplastics "are plastics derived from renewable biomass sources, such as vegetable fats and oils, corn starch, pea starch"(Reference). This material is a lot more durable and stronger than cardboard, but can be more strenuous to make. They can be recycled quite effectively thanks to bio-degradation however, different plastics degrade at different speeds. I don't think I would use this one uness I wanted one side of the packaging to have a bioplastic window.

Bioplastic Salad Packaging

Bags Are quite a good choice because they can carry a good weight and can be made of various sustainable materials. Hemp is a good example. "Hemp is one of the purest, most complete plants on Earth." (Reference). They are very versatile, "Dating back to the stone age, hemp is an extremely environmentally friendly substance as it can be grown without the use of damaging herbicides or pesticides. It is one of the fastest growing biomasses known and has a huge variety of uses besides hemp bags (please see our hemp blog for more info). We have a wide range of hemp bags from functional hempmessenger bags and backpacks to stylish hemp hand and shoulder bags." (Reference)

Hemp Coffee Packaging

Wood packaging goes back to the basics, but because of how dense it is and the resources needed to shape the packaging and grow all the wood, it is mostly used for premium products. Nevertheless it is still environmentally friendly is the trees are grown carefully. Due to the sheer amount that Hobsons sells, this wouldn't really be a viable option unless they released gift beers.

Premium Wooden Beer Packaging

Board Game Ideas

After looking at some popular board game ideas, I came up with this one which applies different types of games into one:

Board Game Research

I have decided that the second use of the packaging will be a board game. I want it to be social, have long life and promote the company too. I also want an app to accompany the game to narrow down the material needed for the game to work. No need for instructions and other board game related peripherals. The bottle caps will be used as the board game pieces.

Battle Ships

I like the idea of this one because the way my packaging works, The player can't see the opponents side of the game (as illustrated in this example):

Battle Ships has been used as a drinking game in the past, it is called Battle Shots. I even made one myself once "Nyan cat boat ftw" (left):

Monopoly's Chance Cards

Monopoly used randomness to make the game more exciting. I want to incorporate some kind of system where landing on a certain space means the player must draw a card with random consequences ranging form movement on the board to truth and dare. I would also have cards for adults and children like drinking cards for adults. 

Adding such a system would mean I might have to add more materials like cards, which in counter intuitive to what I'm trying to achieve. I found a solution however; creating an app that dictates all the chances in the game from dice rolling to random chance cards.

Tiddlywinks

The way my packaging is design and unfolds, it leaves three holes either side for the beer. This gave me the idea of Tiddlywinks, quite an archaic game in this day and age. However the audience Hobson's appeals to may appreciate such a game. Any coin (lighter is better) can be used to flick into the holes that the beers were stored in if the player misses and the coin lands a head, they get another go until a tails lands or it lands in a whole. Landing the coin in the other player's hole means the player must take his cap back to the beginning of the board. Here is demonstration:

The rules will be slightly tweaked for the coins, the player would flick with their thumb from the edge of the table.


I feel a culmination of these games would make for an enticing game and would last for a Christmas/Birthday/Uni year or two.

Cost Effective Packaging

As part of my research, I started looking at some ideas for packaging that saves money as well as the environment. Being careful with all kinds of resources is the future of design. After searching the internet, I came across some helpful tips to reduce costs. I agree with these tips for the most part, but some of the things said can be altered a bit to take into account the environment:

(http://www.ranpak.com/Blog/post/2012/03/30/6-Tips-to-Safe-and-Cost-Effective-Packaging.aspx)

"1: Use a corrugated box—preferably a new one. When you reuse a box, it becomes less durable."

Corrugated boards are very effective but don't last forever. It is good to use new ones as long as they have been recycled.

"2: Do not overfill a box. Overfilling will direct pressure to the walls of the box which could result in damage to both the box and your product. Many packers smash down paper or loose fill to close the box or fit more material inside. However, this compresses the material, making it less effective in protecting your products. More importantly, using excess packaging material means spending unnecessary money."

Fitting too much of the product into the packaging might seem good in reducing packaging costs, however as noted above, it can end in product spillage when the packaging breaks from too much pressure. Using excess material to compensate for the pressure costs the environment as well.

"3: Do not underfill a box. Underfilling a box could result in possible damage to your product. Make sure the product you are shipping is secure. If it feels loose in the box, either add more packaging material or double check to ensure that you have correctly wrapped the product."

This is a good point and I think it can be avoided completely by simply designing smaller packaging. Not only does this save the product but it also saves money and more importantly the environment. Oversized packaging is such a waste and unnecessary.

"4: The 2-inch rule: In most cases, use at least 2 inches of packaging material around the product and be sure that the product is at least 2 inches from the walls of the box. This will help prevent both underfilling and overfilling, saving you time and money."

"5: Properly close the box. This step is just as important as using proper cushioning. Try to stay away from tapes such as: masking, cellophane and duct. Use strong tape such as pressure sensitive plastic tape. Two inches or more in width is recommended."

Using weak tapes and glue only to find it doesn't work is a huge waste in both instances. That being said tape isn't always entirely necessary and I am still debating if I will use it in my design. A well design packaging net can be just as effective and even more effective in saving the environment.

Peer Assessement

In today's lecture, we had a peer assessment. This is where fellow students looked at each other work and, using assessment criteria as guidance, gave grades and comments about the work. It was a good chance to have a look at how other people are progressing and comparing my how I'm getting on in contrast. The results I got for my work were pretty mediocre. At this stage an average score of C- ins't too bad, however it does raise some flags of concern. The important part of this peer assessment is the comments left, not the grade particularly;

Material. The material I used in my first prototype shown at the peer assessment was quite flimsy. This was down to using card rather than a more durable material. My peers picked up on this flaw and suggested looking into better materials considering how many bottles it must hold. The handle in particular was mentioned a few times. I will be using better materials for the final prototype.

Second Use. On the day of assessment, my second use idea was only just realised. Consequently, I had not developed much information about it. Because the idea is in its infancy due to second uses needing to be highly feasible to work, I still need to understand the idea myself first. Once I know what I am going to implement, I shall be designing an info-graphic (kindly suggested by one of the students) to demonstrate the potential of the second use board game.

Research. The big thing people were picking up on was that my research was not comprehensive enough. Looking into more materials, second uses and weight distribution would help. More research will naturally remedy all the issues with my first prototype and I am earger to correct my mistakes thanks to helpful feedback.