Packaging design is the connection of form, structure, materials, color, imagery, typography, and regulatory information with ancillary design elements to make a product suitable for marketing. In this project, we experimented with "informational packaging" that seeks to provide users and consumers with more detailed information about the product beyond just its branding elements and basic features.
Along with creating our presentations on Google Slides and collaborating on Google Docs, we used Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator to design the bottle label.
A stated, the problem we are tackling is how to lay out information on a package in a designerly manner as well as making sure it is easily understandable.
Our main target audience is fathers and all Bourbon lovers alike, as well as those that are interested in how New Orleans impacted the Bourbon industry.
We belive this design is needed because Bourbon is rising in popularity amoung older adults, such as dads, as well as younger generations that are of drinking age.
While ideating, we researched a lot of frequently purchased bourbons. The brands shown on the left were the brands that we found to be popular. We compared their branding to one another and noted what we felt was missing in terms of the information displayed on their packaging as well as the layout.
Preliminary Prototypes
Final Images
Delta Spirits Label.jpgDelta Spirits Book.jpgRetrospective
Dana
Before this project, I did not know how to effectively apply infographics to my design projects, so it was beneficial for me to complete this informational packaging project. I feel a lot more confident in my abilities of applying information in a designerly way to my future projects.
A challenge I encountered during this project was figuring out where the information on the label should land on the bottle. During our testing stage of the project, we had to work through some issues with this, but I am glad to say that it worked out well in the end.
An improvement I wish I could make if I had more time and resources would be to make a box that the bottle could be sold in. If this project were going to be sold in stores, it would need something to encase all of the items together. I think visually a box would have amplified the product we created.
This was a very fun group project to be apart of adn I am very proud of the results.
Alex
I learned a lot about what goes into packaging design, from the actual shape and function of the package itself to the graphic layout. I feel much more comfortable taking on something like this in a future project and it was a fun experience to do something new like this.
One of the main challenges was figuring out how to fit such a large amount of information in a very limited and awkwardly shaped area. Finding the right materials also took a bit of trial and error but turned out well.
I wish we could’ve had time to make a box that contained the bottle and cup package, I feel like it would’ve made the end result a bit more eye-catching compared to competitors in the market. Without the box however there’s less waste in the actual shipped concept, so I’d like to think of it as a more eco-friendly solution. I would’ve also have loved to make the label multi-textural by having some areas in gloss and others matte, but obviously due to resource limitations we wouldn’t have been able to do that.
Overall this was a very enjoyable process and I’m proud of our team’s result. I’m now highly considering doing some packaging design as part of my career after having done this project.
Kayla
I learned about accessibility when it comes to packaging design because you have to really think about who will be able to read certain sized fonts and certain colors against others. Packaging should be legible to everyone and that was interesting to discover.
A challenge we encountered was what information to include and what to leave out. There was a lot of history we wanted to include and it was challenging to keep that concise and translate it visually but I think it turned out great.
I think it would be cool to explore different types of paper with different finishes and have a final product that looks like you just bought it at the store rather than a paper label.
I don’t think anything is next for this project necessarily, but I think I’ve been straying away from a branding or package design career and I think this project brought my interest back when it comes to those career paths.