NEW UNIT - Producing packaging

Foundation Degree (FdA) Digital Media Design

AF101 Visual Communication
Assignment 1: 50% Weighting
Assignment title: Packaging Yourself

Brief
In this assignment you will use vectors to create an illustration of an original product box with graphically designed packaging, such as a soap box, cornflake box, washing powder box etc, substituting your name for the product name.

You will research the context of your design before you begin the design process.
You will use a range of Adobe illustrator techniques and processes to make the image of the box in a three dimensional space, then you will rework and resave your file into other sizes and formats for various forms of output. Finally you will put web versions of these images into html pages for display.

Research package product design and graphic design.
Research the use of flat colours and gradients in this kind of design. Choose one or two product designs and focus on the way they work. Investigate and itemise the colours of different elements in the design and their relationship to one another. Create sets of swatches which work in similar ways to the colours of the design you are looking at.

Make particular study of the typographic elements:
How are the faces arranged and separated by function in the design?
Which colours are repeated and how does the work of the coloured typefaces differ from that of the black printed text?
How is the logo strengthened in typographic and graphic design?
How many distinct font faces and weights are used?

Create the sides of a box with your name as the brand
Create a comparative brand identity to the design you have studied. Do not exactly replicate this design but generate a new one which works in a similar way and adopts similar values and formulations. You should mimic the parts and functions of the packaging designs you have researched e.g. appropriate strap line, product details, serials, bar coding etc but not exactly replicate them in their particular, unique, forms.

Build a scaled down version of the package you have researched. Create six individual faces for the six sides of the box, then create a 3D representation of your package. Create a backdrop with a blended shadow to present the 3D representation of the box.

Use a range of Illustrator techniques to create the designs for your box sides, including: blends, appearances, masking, outlining, transforming, pathfinder filters, clipping groups, filters, effects and styles

Save all versions of working files and produce a folder of six finished flat sides in .AI, PDF and web ready formats. The PDFs should be print friendly, i.e. high quality A4 PDF files, the web ready versions need to be low resolution (72 or 96 ppi) jpgs or pngs.


Place your images in a web page
Use the given code to place your images in a web page gallery.

What you need to submit
You will submit a disc (CD or DVD) containing
• Working files in .ai form
• Six sides as PDF and web ready versions
• 3D representations PDF and web ready versions
• The working web page with the gallery (ie all the files in the same relationship they are to each other on the web server

Clearly label the cover of your disc and the disc itself with:
Your name, your year group, the unit and assignment titles, the year.

Submit onto the Remus submissions server:
• Six sides PDF
• 3D representation PDF
• The working web page with the gallery

Submit onto the Web server
• The working web page with the gallery

Keep a blog of research materials and project development, including reviews of images and links that form part of your research, comments and drafts and ideas in development.

Research and write a 750 word review of an aspect of packaging design. This might explore such issues as the relationship between design and target audience, changing packaging design fashions over time. It may explore a case study of a product launch or packaging redesign, it may be a close analysis of some particularly successful packaging design. All quotes and ideas must be fully Harvard referenced and must be listed in a bibliography.

You will develop a sketchbook of visual research and analyses, sketches and idea development, experimentation in things like colour schemes, typography, drawing style, and proofing.

Pass Criteria (i.e. to achieve a 40% / D -)
• Provide evidence of research into soapbox and related graphic packaging and design in both your sketchbook and your blog.
• Create sketchbook of development of designs, colour swatches and typographic decisions, including annotated drafts of your work.
• Write a 750 word essay on an aspect of packaging design.
• Use a range of Illustrator techniques in the production of your project.
• Create six flat sides of a box design
• Create a visualisation of the box
• Make high quality A4 PDF files of the final versions of the illustrations (separate sides and visualised box) and web ready versions of these images
• Place the image files correctly in the hierarchy of files and folders and adapt the code correctly
• Submit on a properly labelled disc and on the server and the web server


Enhanced Criteria (i.e. to achieve A, B or C grades)
• Undertake thorough research which underpins the development of your design. This is reflected in both your sketchbook and your blog.
• Sketchbook is used to generate and finesse ideas effectively.
• The essay is focuses usefully on a clearly identified aspect of packaging design and is analytical in its exploration of the subject matter.
• Use a sophisticated range of AI techniques with precision, elegance and flair.
• Create seamless and convincing deigns which are technologically well executed
• Ensure the graphic immediacy, vibrancy and convincing visual language of your design through intelligent and elegant decision taking and the execution of your work.

Deadline
The deadline for submission Friday 19th November at 5.00pm. Your ‘crit’ session will take place on the same day, from 2.00pm.