Packaging Design Process Sara Ellen Gosney
My Design Process Rocky Mountain Organic Dairy Products
Sara Ellen Gosney
The Project and My Approach
Having never created a package
before, I was excited to take on the first project of my packaging class. For the first assignment we were charged with being newly employed by a fictitious company, the Rocky Mountain Organic Dairy. We were to redesign a line of dairy products with serious consideration of the typical customer, the use of sustainable and recyclable materials, and packaging and labeling regulations enforced by the government.
We also needed to consider the issue of nutritional and transportation needs of the package. For example, we had to make sure to design a package to hold the products that would not spill or break. We also had to ensure that the package did not allow tampering or sunlight to taint each product.
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Research, Research, Research!
I must say that the most important
thing I’ve learned in my design education, and particularly from this packaging class, is the importance of research. Before I attack any design, even a personal design project, I research like crazy. When I’m just starting a project, the first thing I need to do is gather information and learn as much as I can about the subject. In this case, because I was creating a new packaging design for an organic dairy company, I needed to completely understand my client.
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In particular, I studied several currently available dairies that claim to be organic. I researched their nutritional claims, packaging approaches, government standards for being considered organic, and their typical customer. These were just a few of the points I touched on in my gathering of information. I then took all this research and brainstormed what I thought the Rocky Mountain Organic Dairy would find important to them, as well as what they thought their customer would find important.
The Importance of Sustainable Materials
The use of environmentally
sustainable, recyclable and postconsumer materials was something that was stressed as important by all the currently available organic dairies that I studied. Likewise, I have a strong personal commitment to incorporate the use of these kinds of materials, so I was happy that their use was a strict requirement of the project.
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After much research and consideration of sustainability, transport weight and cost issues, I decided (before even deciding on a package concept) that I wanted to use a combination of recyclable paper and polypropylene plastic (#5 for recycling). As part of my research and inspiration process, after making a decision on materials, I started gathering images of available packaging made from recyclable materials.
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The Content
Through this project, I learned that
the specifics of the label content is essential, and include many pieces of information that are required by law to be there. For example, nutritional information, ingredients, serving size, possible health warnings, and location of manufacture are all things that are required on labels. In addition, there are the marketing touch-points on the label (that as a branding architect, you want to showcase) that are helpful in building your case for the customer.
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These would typically be things like the official organic label, the story of the company (including the mission), and perhaps some of the health benefits of the dairy products. I decided to brainstorm all the possible things that I could and should put on each label for my milk, yogurt & butter.
Developing The Mission
Developing a mission statement or
value statement for this dairy was an important step for me to establish before I even started concepting design ideas. This is a strong part of my design process, and I cannot begin a project without establishing it, regardless of the client. Who are you, what do you do, and why is it important? After the step of conducting research, establishing the answer to these questions helps me to create a client’s mission statement. In this case, the Rocky Mountain Organic Dairy is a company that makes dairy products and is
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committed to providing customers healthy food, while also taking care of the farmers who produce their milk. This idea, along with a multitude of details from my research, are things I kept in mind as I developed their mission statement. From this point of having a mission established, I can make sure that the company’s ideals are burned into my brain as I develop an effective brand for them. Also, I can use the mission as a base to create a series of value statements. For example, I used these statements as copy for the product labels to educate customers on why they should buy from RMOD.
At Rocky Mountain Organic Dairy, we strive to support small family owned farms and the hardworking farmers who run them. As a cooperation, we provide our farmers with a fair living wage and also promote sustainable and healthy farming methods. By purchasing milk from a cooperation of small, local and organic farms, we are able to ensure that, as consumers, we continue to have a choice to eat healthy, quality, hormone free and pesticide free foods.
Brainstorming & Sketching Design Concepts
The next step in my design process, after research and the mission development, is brainstorming by sketching out my ideas.
Because I have conducted a thorough investigation of available products, companies and sustainable materials that I can create my packaging from, at this point my head is usually swimming with ideas. The problem, however, that I run into at this stage of my design process is getting this cacophony of ideas out of my brain and into a notebook.
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In the case of this project, I came up with three different label design concepts, and designed three labels for each product (milk, yogurt & butter). I decided early to keep to a particular shape of container, but wanted to make sure that my label ideas were varied, so that I had a few options to think about and choose from. My first label concept was inspired by the idea of trying to highlight that this dairy is from the Rocky Mountain area of Colorado. This also connects to the company’s idea of “locality”, since it’s important to them to use small and local farms for their milk.
Concept #1: Mountains
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Concept #2: Grassy Field Detail
My second design concept for this project was simple, and focused on the idea of connecting visually and emotionally to the fresh field.
Although this design doesn’t show the wide landscape view of this field, farm and cow, I wanted to experiment with the idea of using sensory perception through close-up photography. I wondered if I focus on an extreme close-up of a patch of the field, can you still get the idea of this area and perhaps even feel as if you were there?
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I knew it would be a stretch, but as part of my process, I like to come up with several ideas that vary greatly from traditional to new and strange. This helps me to think outside of the box and try new approaches.
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Concept #3: The Farm and Happy Cow Field
With my third concept, I looked
at the trend in dairy packaging labels, which currently seems to be a traditional look with the farm, the huge fresh field and free-roaming cows on a gorgeous sunny day. As anyone who has seen a heavily used cow field knows, they’re typically muddy, smelly and not necessarily vast. But the idea is very comforting. A fresh field with a happy wandering cow also gives the feeling of fresh milk.
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Also, the ability to make the connection of seeing a farm is important in my opinion. While it may be simplistic, seeing an idyllic farm that could possibly be representing where this milk comes from is appealing. In addition, I researched the types of colors that were used in older packaging in the 1950s and 60s. I have an intense appreciation for nostalgia, and the comforting affect that it has on people. Because of this, I decided to use very nostalgic and saturated colors to try to make this connection to customers subconsciously.
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The Design Solution
Ultimately, I chose to go with my
more traditional design concept with the farm and field landscape, and to also incorporate saturated colors that were vintage in feeling. To put a modern spin on the visual look of the label, I created some very geometric shapes and stayed away from the use of the stereotypical photograph of a farm. Also, keeping in mind that I wanted to use recycled materials for the packaging, I decided to use an already existing idea of the recyclable bag to hold milk.
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The carton will look like a typical carton, but when it’s empty, the customer can easily peel away the walls with a tab, and inside is a recyclable bag that they can rinse out. They can then place the bag easily in their recycle bin. In addition, I created my milk carton to look like a traditional paper container for milk, but it is completely recyclable and made from mostly post-consumer paper waste.
Rocky Mountain Organic Dairy
Whole W S
N E
Milk
Grade A • U lt ra Pa steurized • H or mone & Pesticide Free Fresh from the farm, our products are produced without the use of antibiotics .
Half Gallon ( 1.89 L )
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Rocky Mountain Organic Dairy
Maple W S
N E
Lowfat Yogurt
Grade A • U lt ra Pa steurized • H or mone & Pesticide Free Fresh from the farm, our products are produced without the use of antibiotics . 6 oz (170g)
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Rocky Mountain Organic Dairy
Unsalted W S
N E
Sweet Cream Butter Grade A • U lt ra Pa steurized • H or mone & Pesticide Free Fresh from the farm, our products are produced without the use of antibiotics .
8 oz (227g)
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Thoughts on My Process
The recording of my ideas and
thoughts about design are essential in my process, regardless of the project. I feel that I’ve definitely found a way of working that is perfect for me, and keeps me focused, inspired, efficient and appreciative of the power of a strong base in research. To recap my specific process, I start with, always, by researching the subject. For me, this usually means finding information about the company I am designing for, possible competition, and trends in that subject, just to name a few things. I also find it essential to look at other designs and photographs as inspirational “input” to help my creative “output“.
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Next, I use this research to develop a mission statement, and then begin drawing out my ideas onto paper. Sometimes if I am unsure how a design will work after sketching or digitally rendering it, I will create a three-dimensional model or mock-up. This can help me get a better idea of how something will look or if it will physically work. Lastly, I refine, refine refine! I go over all my work again. And then again. In my experience, just when I think I’m finished, I look at the project again and typically find errors or problems that I didn’t catch earlier because I was too focused on something else.
MISSION DEVELOPMENT BRAINSTORMING & SKETCHING
RESEARCH
PROTOTYPING & MOCK UPS REFINING
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