Bachelor of Design: Project Documentation

DIPLOMA PROJECT PACKAGING PIK STUDIOS Sponsor : Yes Yes, Why Not?, Mumbai

Volume : 1 of 1

STUDENT : SHIVANI SINGH PROGRAMME : Under-Graduate Diploma Programme

GUIDE : TRIDHA GAJJAR

2014 COMMUNICATION DESIGN (GRAPHIC DESIGN)

National Institute of Design Ahmedabad

The Evaluation Jury recommends Shivani Singh for the Diploma of the National Institute of Design IN COMMUNICATION DESIGN (GRAPHIC DESIGN)

herewith, for the project titled "PACKAGING PIK STUDIOS" on fulfiling the furthur requirement by

Chairman Members :

*Subsequent remarks regarding fulfilling the requirements :

Registrar(Academics)

diploma project documentation | packaging pik studios | national institute of design

copyright statement I hereby grant the National Institute Of Design the right to archive and to make available my diploma project/thesis/dissertation in whole or in part in the institute’s knowledge management centre in all forms of media, now or hereafter known, subject to the provisions of the copyright act. I have either used no substantial portions of copyright material in my document or i have obtained permission to use copyright material.

student name in full:

___________________________________________

signature: ___________________________________________ date: ___________________________________________

originality statement

5

I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and it contains no full or substantial copy of previously published material, or it does not even contain substantial proportions of material which have been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma of any other educational institution, except where due acknowledgement is made in this diploma project. Moreover i also declare that none of the concepts are borrowed or copied without due acknowledgement. I further declare that the intellectual content of this diploma project is the product of my own work, except to the extent that assistance from others in the project’s design and conception or in style, presentation and linguistic expression is acknowledged. This diploma project (or part of it) was not and will not be submitted as assessed work in any other academic course.

student name in full:

___________________________________________

signature: ___________________________________________ date: ___________________________________________

shivani singh | graphic design | gdpd 2014

diploma project documentation | packaging pik studios | national institute of design

7

“When you’re in the middle of a story it isn’t a story at all; Only a confusion - a dark, roaring blindness, a wreckage of shattered glass and splintered wood like a house in a whirlwind. It’s only afterwards that it becomes anything like a story at all, when you’re telling it to yourself or someone else.”

- Stories we Tell (2010) Originally by Maragaret Atwood in Alias Grace

shivani singh | graphic design | gdpd 2014

diploma project documentation | packaging pik studios | national institute of design

diploma project document packaging pik studios April to August 2014

copyright Š 2014 Student document publication for private circulation only.

Edited and designed by Shivani Singh shivanisingh.25@gmail.com

Headers and numbersWhitney book SC & bold SC Body text- Merriweather

Image courtesy Shivani Singh

Printed digitally at Siddhi Printers Navrangpura, Ahmedabad

9

packaging pik studios

shivani singh | graphic design | gdpd 2014

diploma project documentation | packaging pik studios | national institute of design

author’s note

11

Tapan (founder, Yes Yes, Why Not? and my boss) had told me in the first month of my project, something very insightful, honest and keen. He said, after looking at my explorations, that I looked at the beauty & cosmetics industry with disdain and contempt, and till I did not fall in love with the concept itself, I wasn’t heading anywhere. He probably made this observation after reading somethings I’d written in the brief. I may have been a little arrogant, but not without reason. Any rational sensibility condescends this emphasis on external beauty alone, doesn’t it?

But if billions of people around the globe succumb to the superficial idea of faking their natural being using make-up, botox and what-not, there must be something more to it. Right?

So in the meanwhile, I was invited to the premiere of ‘The world before her’. There is a narration by a veteran of the industry at some point in the movie which finally gave me the much needed insight. She says (to the effect of) ‘we, as human beings, found beauty, and then we were not satisfied. So we kept fine tuning it till we found perfection.’ At this point, the scene on screen is of all the contestants of the miss India beauty pageant posing for a Bombay Times cover shoot - and to a lay person, at this particular shot they ‘all look just the same’ - as if the director were almost mocking her commentary. But I read into it differently. I thought of typography as a metaphor to all this and how several sans-serifs or serifs ‘all look just the same’ to a lay person, but how we as graphic designers indulge into the nuances of its details to find perfection. I was suddenly struck by empathy (if not interest) for those in the fashion & beauty industry. It made more sense - the idea of finding apparent perfection.

I began to roam the streets of Bombay finding inspiration. I spoke to strangers and friends about their vanity bags and make-up kits. What it means to feel confident and what it means to be beautiful. The varying notions of beauty and the taboos and unwritten rules around it. I started to use a few products myself, (courtesy - my client who sent in free goodies for packaging references) sensitizing myself to the nuances of various products - such as the darkness of a kajal, shades of foundations, textures of eyeliners (FYI - they go from smooth and creamy, to rough and flaky). And thus began the journey, of working with pik studios and launching the packaging of a new product after much deliberation, hesitation and confusion.

shivani singh | graphic design | gdpd 2014

diploma project documentation | packaging pik studios | national institute of design

acknowledgements

13

I’m thoroughly grateful to several people for making this project possible. It’s rare, especially in the field of packaging design, to have your designs out in the market so early in the profession, and I would have given up way earlier if it weren’t for the trust Tapan showed, and the belief that Rajiv had right from the start. Tridha, for some very valuable feedback and faith. Mum and Pa are well, always my backbone and have surprisingly been the most stern critics of my work as well.

Thommen, who had to sit through all my cranky ‘ifs and buts’, and who helped me figure out the box structures. Chirag, Sarandha (for giving me a place to stay), Nikhil, Arijita, Aloki, Shalaka, Ninad, Hrishi and Nihar for making Mumbai worthwhile. Also, the printing fellows (Akshay and Sameer) who complied with such diligence; And Rupesh for illustration and artwork help.

There are several others who’ve influenced me in several different ways at different times unrelated to this project, but who are still oddly a part of it, because there’s a lot of decisions I made based on previous experience and inspiration. The creative process is about serendipity & co-incidences just as much as it is about logic & reason, and so lastly, I’m thankful for mistakes.

shivani singh | graphic design | gdpd 2014

diploma project documentation | packaging pik studios | national institute of design

part i Where It All Begins

about nid 18 about yes yes, why not ?

20 the team 22 the client 24 project synopsis 25

part ii The Big Brand Brief

explain to a 12 year old marketing objective whose liner is it anyway

part iii Case Studies

28 29 30

the skin deep cosemetic jungle the kajal wars in the market case 1 - marc jacobs case 2 - cinthol case 3 - indigo other things i liked

part iv a Visual Language

34 36 38 40 42 44 46

bombay type 50 moodmap 52 pitch 1 - royal 54 pitch 2 - typography 56 pitch 3 - mesmerize 58 pitch 4 - the kitsch pitch 60 let’s rewind a little 62 the final pik 63 to be an indian brand 64

contents

15

part iv b Developing the artwork

illustrative reference 78 the illustrative elements 80 process and indecision 82 auditioning typefaces 84 docket design 85 the pen barrell 86 the final logo details 87

part v Structure

part vi

campaign design 112 going retrosensual 116 Campaign kaleidoscope 120 Design & all that jargon 122 miscellaneous barcodes 124 pik - the way ahead 125

the commandments of packaging 92 designing for wholesale 94 structural references 96 explorations 97 final engineering drawing 104 the final box 105 what is a production note 108 meeting the printers 109

part vii

in conclusion, 128 bibliography 129

Where It Ends.

shivani singh | graphic design | gdpd 2014

diploma project documentation | packaging pik studios | national institute of design

part i

17

where it all begins

shivani singh | graphic design | gdpd 2014

diploma project documentation | packaging pik studios | national institute of design

The National Institute of Design (NID) is a design school in Ahmedabad, India The institute functions as an autonomous body under the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India. NID is recognised by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research under Ministry of Science and Technology, government of India, as a scientific and industrial design research organisation. It has recently been deemed as an institute of national importance thereby authorized to hand our Degrees and PhDs over Diplomas.

The Graduate Diploma Programme in Design is a 4 year undergraduate program offered in 8 design disciplines. Candidates, having completed 12 years of schooling, are eligible to apply. Admissions are based upon a highly competitive national test known as NID Design Aptitude Test. Candidates qualifying in Aptitude test are called for Studio Test, Personal Interview and Portfolio Presentation.

the national institute of design

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NID offers a wide spectrum of design domains and encourages transdisciplinary design projects. It is a unique institution with many depths of intellect and a time-tested creative educational culture in promoting design competencies and setting standards of design education. The rigorous development of the designer’s skills and knowledge through a process of ‘hands on-minds on’ is what makes the difference. In the final year of your Under-Graduate Diploma Programme in Design one is expected to follow through a professional project in one’s field of specialization/Discipline (Graphic Design, in my case, which falls under Communication Design). Visual Communication is a combination of innumerable messages and images, from past and present. The design of messages, in the form of text, image, and now moving images is the role of the graphic designer.

shivani singh | graphic design | gdpd 2014

diploma project documentation | packaging pik studios | national institute of design

I skipped down to Bombay a couple of weeks prior to joining the company, to visit a short listed set of design studios and figure out what I wanted to dive into for a Diploma Project, firsthand.

After a few meetings and discussions with couple of varied studios, I pinned down on yes yes, why not? for two reasons - 1. The space was inviting, young, cat friendly and energetic. 2. They had a project at hand that provided the freedom of time that I needed as well as a team that knew how to hand-hold me through it. To summarize who they are, this is an extract from their page At yes yes, why not? we believe size is inversely proportionate to passion. Which explains why we’re always on the look out for fresh, hungry talent. So if you think you could give your right arm for the cause of honest creative communication and stand up against the ruthless invasion of half decent design (or any decent reason slightly less profound), call us.

yes yes, why not?

21

Yes yes, why not? (comma & question mark included) is a multidisciplinary idea- hub that dares to live up to its name. In its 10 years of whistling through the advertising jungle, has found it becoming recognized as a boutique that specializes in communication design, brand architecture, upcycling, creative strategy, design & communication. Recently, after getting rather sick of pushing logos, Yes yes, why not? introduced its very own range of products that range from funky to quirky to bizarre. And with that extended its offering to product & merchandise design, illustration, customized and commissioned art, space & environment design, dum-dee-dee-daah.

shivani singh | graphic design | gdpd 2014

diploma project documentation | packaging pik studios | national institute of design

the team Tapan Mody - Founder of Yes yes, why not? Former copywriter at Ogilvy & Mather. High on adrenaline. Talks till you shut him up. Generally mad person.

Tanisha Ghedia - Graphic Designer from Raffles, Mumbai. Co-creator of a coffee table book called Mumbai Madness. Walking talking wikipedia for Bombay. Always ready for dessert.

Rupesh Kamble - Illustrator from Raheja. True blue marathi. Ogles at the work of Mario Miranda.

Goes by the virtual name of @ieatpencil Arijita Das & Namita Bakhru - Copywriting & Client Servicing respectively. Arijita is the cat whisperer, black coffee addict. Namita is the one you go to in times of crisis.

23

tapan mody

tanisha ghedia

rupesh kamble

namita bakhru

arijita das

shivani singh | graphic design | gdpd 2014

diploma project documentation | packaging pik studios | national institute of design

the client Pik is a brand of the proud one-man owner, Rajiv Sawhney. You may know him through his pikpens (markers, sketchpens, ballpens) which you find down the road in your little general store. Rajiv Sawhney is a calm and dedicated businessman - very ready to change the rules of the market economically. He is known as a maverick of the market. Through his range of extremely cheap but quality stationery products he won the market of two tier cities in the country. Any smaller city still throws a pikpen at you if you generically ask for sketch pens and that was his marketing statergy. He was now ready to take on the bigger cities, but with a different range of products. Rajiv chose cosmetics simply because of his ease of access to the producers of the best cosmetically-used inks and pens. When we started off, neither we, nor Rajiv knew where we would take this brand and so the audience was broadly studied as you and me. It was a pleasure to work with him for two reasons - 1. he was open to ideas and flexible with time spans and deadlines. 2. He always provided instant feedback and valuable inputs.

rajiv sawhney

project synopsis

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The scope of my final diploma project, was to build a visual stratergy, packaging and other related communication material for a newly launching cosmetic brand called Pik Studios. Pik Studios was born out of Rajiv Sawhney’s whim to sell cosmetic products to young Indian women at a price that they cannot resist. As a designer, this required me to analyse of the existing market, understand the ergonomics of how one interacts with the said products and finally chart out the best options for the brand language and box structures.

The project would be a team project, with active feedback and guidance from the team. I worked with a team of four to five other people - each with a unique specific set of skills. Toegther we were to weave the Pik Studios story, to the best of our abilities. The approach would be provide a complete end to end solution with a set of deliverable as required by the client.

All in all, this would require two wholesale boxes for eyeliners and mascaras, one consumer box for compact, campaign ideas & a set of six hoardings for the city, banners for a college fest and a guiding logo, font set and colour pallette to sustain the brand language for any furthur communication purposes.

shivani singh | graphic design | gdpd 2014

diploma project documentation | packaging pik studios | national institute of design

part ii

27

the big brand brief

shivani singh | graphic design | gdpd 2014

diploma project documentation | packaging pik studios | national institute of design

explain to a twelve year old At Yes Yes, Why Not?, like several design agencies and studios, we have our own set of questions that we fill out and answer before one begins the project. It is elaborate but tons of fun. I sat with it for a week before getting through all of the questions. They range from explaining things to a twelve year old what it is that you are doing, to mapping out your poorest and richest customers and down to pinning fictional television or movie characters as your sample target audience.

For this particular question, I debated several ways of articulation. I haven’t spoken to twelve year olds for a while now. Not for long enough to understand their cognition. I did, though, recollect my workshop experience at Mahatma Gandhi International School, which was with ten year olds. They are fairly sensible individuals, though capable of petty behaviour and shortspanned attention.

I had impatiently scribbled down how I would explain it to a twelve year old - taking advantage of their commercial exposure to films, television and cartoons. I gave in the sheet within a day, and Tapan simply laughed and said, ‘Anyone who fills this questionnaire in a day, I won’t take seriously.’

So then I thought about for longer, and dug into my own childhood - as a ten or twelve year old, I would frequently try on my mother’s clothes and parade it in the hallways and in front of mirrors. There was a sense of longing to be older. I craved the attention of my older cousin sisters, and their approvals. There wasn’t a single piece of cosmetic product in the house that I hadn’t tried! So this time I tapped this route, and answered the question as follows Do you love standing in from of the mirror and secretly applying your mom’s lipstick and kajal while posing in her two inch heels? Does it make you feel like a princess or supermodel? Well, we here at pikstudios, make these magical products that make you feel beautiful! You can say we’re like the fairy godmother in Cinderella, who transforms her into a gorgeous princess on the night of her ball !

marketing objective

29

Here was our chance to create the unique selling proposition of PikStudios. A clean slate, an opportunity to indulge in whatever perks and eccentricities we liked. As far as product features go, the felt -ip eyeliner was a delightful rarity and the prices were very competitive/lower than contemporaries. We wanted the packaging to be it’s USP too. Something that really stands out and wears its identity bold and loud. Even under packaging it could be several attributes such as reusability, environment consciousness, ability to create dialogue, and so on.

We were catering to a young india where 55% of the population is under 25. This essentially means that 55% of our country is born post 1988 - our visual memory libraries are of post 1988 Our movies, books, pop culture references are all post 1988. This was a very strange epiphany to me. Every style that prevailed before 1988 is open to re-discovery. Another premature idea that came to me was to feed off the growing language evolution and create typography-heavy designs because the english speaking population seems to only be growing.

One thing we were definetly looking for was recall value. The Maggis and Xeroxes of the world came from the observation that there weren’t already colloquial or other words for the product itself. Coca cola tried to do that in their ad campaign ‘thanda matlab coca cola’. Similarly, felt tip liners are uncommon enough to not have a ubiquitous market term. The word they are going with these days is ‘sketch liner’ and that has not caught on much. So we thought PikSticks could be catchy and sticky, and get people to ask for piksticks next time they’re looking for any king of felt tip liner.

What feeling do you want the target audience to experience when the see this communication? (communication objective) ‘ I need to own this ’ ‘ finally a quality cosmetic at a price I can afford, wow ‘ ‘ the perfect gift for my sister ‘

The next time someone goes looking for a felt tip, ‘sketch’ felt-tip eyeliner, they should unthinkingly say ‘give me a pikstick please’. That was the marketing objective.

shivani singh | graphic design | gdpd 2014

diploma project documentation | packaging pik studios | national institute of design

whose liner is it anyway Can you describe one Television series or movie character that aptly describes our audience?

Here I had to be a little sensitive and even open to the fact that others may have percieved the same character differently from the way I have. Nonetheless, I had certain simple and direct keywords in my head to match - one such being ‘unpretentious’.

I shortlisted Anushka Sharma from band baaja baraat and Jess from New Girl, geet from Jab we meet and Parineeti Chopra from Shuddh Desi Romance.

I have a few friends who own their own vanity kits and enjoy the occasional beginning-of-monthsalary splurge on branded compact powders, lip colours and eye shadows. I never did join the band wagon but meeting some of them on a personal interview basis I got out the necessary information I needed for the project.

Persona 1 - Salomi

31

She is 25.

Ambitious.

Originally from Allahabad.

Lives in Bombay.

Hates Allahabad.

Works at a fashion brand.

Loves all things bling.

Subscribes to Vogue.

And Fab Bag (monthly vanity kits).

Is regular at the gym.

Maintains infrequent dieting routines.

Loves indulging in all things chocolate.

Has a boyfriend of two years.

Owns too many hand bags Carries the world in her bag.

Lives with one roommate in Malad Dreams of having her own space.

Enjoys maintaining her little balcony garden.

Shops at Forever 21 and Hill-road and Myntra.

Likes the idea of reading But doesn’t have the attention span to finish a book.

Likes the idea of travelling, But hasn’t gotten around much because of work & The general lack of safety for women travelling alone.

Owns a ton of footwear.

Is aware of her charm and physical appeal Takes advantage of her looks to get her way with people (Not in a nasty way, but for small friendly favours) Likes drinking & dancing at toto’s on friday nights.

I filled in the persona study details with things even seemingly unrelated to even the product to get a broad idea of who I was talking to through the length of the project.

I needed this character for dialogue and hyothesis. This excercise helped me understand my audience better.

shivani singh | graphic design | gdpd 2014

diploma project documentation | packaging pik studios | national institute of design

part iii

33

the market (case studies)

shivani singh | graphic design | gdpd 2014

diploma project documentation | packaging pik studios | national institute of design

the skin deep Understanding perceptions and notions around beauty was also essential at this point. Coming from an all girls school, I had a broad idea of the basics - but looking into the evolution is always more interesting. There was, for instance, a time in ancient greece when married ladies and their daughters did not use any makeup at all, since the Greeks had a sort of obsession with female purity. Meanwhile in Egypt, they shaved off their eyebrows to mourn the death of a cat. (Not sure how that relates to the perception of beauty, but nonetheless, it was an accepted thing).

The unibrow was once a sign of intelligence in Rome and make up was seen as the resort for only hookers and prostitutes in the Victorian era (when bushy eyebrows were rather in vogue). In 1920’s, for the first time in history, they had commercially-made cosmetic products available.

This was also the first era when regular ladies started modeling themselves after entertainers and celebrities – which still continues to this day.

cosmetic jungle

35

Unlike other deapartments in the indian market, the cosmetics market is a clean and relatively sophisticated space. Not the toileteries aisle - no, the toileteries section has distinct character and space for madness, but the make-up sections are all about photogenic model faces, whites, pinks and breathing designs. Everything aspiring towards a common notion of classy - there isn’t much room for whacky expression. Not in the Indian market yet. They want you to believe that you want to look like a skinny young blonde. That is the current epistome of our times - the trend or the vogue. I want to believe it is slowly changing and growing more accpeting of the varying spectrum of skin colours, but the majority is still under the whiteness spell.

The classic idea of Indian beauty has lost itself into off-beat pockets of sub cultures and international markets, leaving the mass Indian market to devour everything white and plastic.

shivani singh | graphic design | gdpd 2014

diploma project documentation | packaging pik studios | national institute of design

•

bold colour and contrast.

•

relies on typography

•

uses a semi-stylized semi-

•

•

•

•

contrast.

•

bold colour and contrast. resonates wanring signs and ny

relies on typography which is

taxi-cabs in visual style.

realistic eye and droplet

balanced and has a fairly good

illustration to communicate.

heirarchy of information.

which is commendably striking. the ‘j’ appears to imitate the

slightly dated artwork.

•

uses an eye illustration.

experimental shape of

•

standard shape of cardpaper

•

relies heavily on typography.

action of a kajal stroke.

cardpaper is dynamic but

but asymmeric softened edges,

•

uses an eye illustration.

unbalanced. the yellow slashes

possibly to convey smoothness

•

unusual oval shape of

also distract the design.

of product.

employs aishwarya rai for

•

promotional purposes •

subtle colour and softer

rs. 245

employs kareena kapoor for

packaging stands out.

•

promotional purposes.

•

rs. 195

employs various international models for promotion.

•

rs. 175

the magique, eyeconic & colossal wars

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L’oreal vs Lakme vs Maybelline

•

Styles/instructions for wearing the kajal are common in all three.

•

Only Lakme took the effort to print a coloured back side (that makes you wonder why they did not consider the perforations eating up the text)

• •

Side facing text is distracting.

Well balanced and spaced out text conveys information and makes one want to interact with the packaging.

•

Price and packaging information gets a little lost in all three designs.

shivani singh | graphic design | gdpd 2014

kajals and liquid liners available in india

39

shivani singh | graphic design | gdpd 2014

diploma project documentation | packaging pik studios | national institute of design

things i liked 1 - marc jacobs

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Marc Jacobs and Sephora asked Established to create a line of shiny, beautiful products that every woman would want to hold in her hand and not put down. Something that was “just lovely.� The result is a line of beautiful, fluid shapes in a high shine inky black lacquer finish. The sensual, complex curves of the products and unexpected proportions result in a collection that is both simple and timeless yet thoroughly modern. Every detail was meticulously considered from a rounded edged table at Marc Jacobs house designed by swiss designer Jean Dunand. Below is an article I found in Vogue from september this year.

shivani singh | graphic design | gdpd 2014

diploma project documentation | packaging pik studios | national institute of design

things i liked 2 - back-to-basics makeover It’s been two years, but this ‘new’ makeove is still gaining a lot of attention.

The soap box (printed blue even on the inside - inside printing always delights me) contains 3 soaps - the individual pack is mighty impressive too. It has an almost Apple-like sparse quality and the way the Godrej logo is placed alongside the main Cinthol brand is classy and helps in reconnecting users with the original brand’s appeal. Cinthol started wonderfully classic, but got distracted down the line with some not so neat swishes and even colgate-like photographs in between. Even in shape - the stark, easy-to-hold, thinner rectangle that looks completely different from oval and rounder-corner (easy to slip!) rectangles that one is accustomed to seeing in soaps in India. The talcum powder has beautifully mocked old style tin talc boxes, cost effectively, it’s done in plastic. But it’s gorgeous nonetheless.Cinthol’s rebirth ups the ante – in the sheer perceived quality of the new range, the way an iconic soap brand has been repositioned and the package design that seems fresh.

the beginnings. the classic cintol

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the awkward puberty ages

the new ‘awesome’ range.

On a side note (personal observation) - I noticed how several products are suddenly embracing black for packaging. It’s like a slow revolution for the leverage of black as a colour. An example that rather startled me was the black toothpaste in the market these days and even a black ‘charcoal’ technology toothbrush to complement it (colgate).

shivani singh | graphic design | gdpd 2014

diploma project documentation | packaging pik studios | national institute of design

C 40 M 08 Y 00 K 00

C 100 M 90 Y 00 K 00

things i liked 3 - The Indigo Packaging

45

This one has not gone unnoticed by many. Indigo has floored everyone with it’s unique and contemporary brilliant packaging designs. From structure to copy and visuals, the brand stands out. If I had to pick one quality that I take away from this - it has to be the reuse value of it’s tin boxes. In my personal space alone, I use them for three different purposes - my earrings, an ashtray and as a tiffin to carry pomergranate to work.

Aside from that, the sheer consistency of the visual language is meticulously done. The typeface ofcourse is iconic (maintained even for the finer mandatory text), but the mildly humorous copy is just as consistent, from their ramps to the sandwich (airwich) stories. Attention to detail is really what I learn from their range.

shivani singh | graphic design | gdpd 2014

diploma project documentation | packaging pik studios | national institute of design

bucket for beer shampoo as display at shops really takes the idea forward well.

very elegant and cute small briefcase (with drawers) box for eyeshadows. sephora.

47

hangable sanitizer is a common trend and habit now. quite game changing.

other things i liked One of the most fun I had on this project was the process of going to shops, talking to the vendors, observing customers, and devouring the shelves. Going shopping has never been so much fun before. My research was focused on the toiletries and cosmetics section, but food and stationary aisles always made me stop and look too - more on that later.

typography based bright colours is eye catching and different.

peelable sticker for more information helps de clutter your packaging graphics.

beautifully detailed visual elements makes forest essentials stand out on the shelves.

shivani singh | graphic design | gdpd 2014

diploma project documentation | packaging pik studios | national institute of design

part iv. a

49

visual language explorations

shivani singh | graphic design | gdpd 2014

51

bombay type Where you work and live invariably has the kind of influence on you that books and movies have. The collective consciousness of the city starts to fill your mind space and affect your work in ways noticed or unnoticable. I spent several hours travelling in Mumbai, during which I collected visual snippets with my camera that seem apt to plug in at this point. The good, the bad and the ugly - Bombay is a contrast, contradiction and collection of them all. No medium is too contemporary, no medium too obsolete they all live in a harmony. So I started a blog to curate these and encourage people to observe and send in their observations too. http://www.bombaytype.tumblr.com It was a mixture of influences. Menu cards, shop signages and vehicles ruled my visual sense as far as typographical graphic input. But languages, noises, sounds, smells and tastes have all been over whelming, frequently unexpected and remarkably memorable during my sixteen weeks here.

shivani singh | graphic design | gdpd 2014

diploma project documentation | packaging pik studios | national institute of design

who are we / finding a voice moodmap

53

shivani singh | graphic design | gdpd 2014

diploma project documentation | packaging pik studios | national institute of design

This exploration could fall under the elegant & vintage category of the mood map.

It required to cater to the developed senses of a conoissier. It had to appear of the classes, not for the masses. It’s essence is subtle and sophisticated, obvious but not intrusive. This was a mood that I liked venturing into even though I did not get a chance to develop it furthur. There is always a certain richness that beauty brands intend to associate themselves with. This idea cut the bill for that added aspirational value. There is ambition in royalty, and a sense of entitlement, celebration and luxury that people like to indulge in when looking to buy cosmetics for themselves or their friends and family.

pitch 1 - the royal pik ambigram Under this idea I was looking to create a clean, unique identity with a simple three colour palette - purple, wine and gold. I’m always scribbling words in skewed ways, and I’ve experimented with ambigrams previously too - this grew out of one of those doodles. The initial sketches have come a long way to reach this form that I was quite pleased with. Classy in this context would feed off the obvious definition - very stylish and elegant. Something that is not crude or misgusting or dirty or depressing. The inspirations and mood board ranged from audrey hepburn & vogue to fine dining cutlery & classical music.

55

diploma project documentation | packaging pik studios | national institute of design

pitch 2 - spunky & young | typography

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Playing with the alphabet is always an option. Usually my favourite one too. Pik studios needed a recall value and this informal, stark visual language seemed quite edgy and spunky to me. Born of wacom scribbles and a little bit of learning from my very first packaging job at beard design (we did a range of clean grey boxes with a thick border of contrast) was this identity and idea.

The entire range would follow the same type style. The colours would be dual at all times - with the consistency of grey across all ranges - 70%K I had designed the packaging spreads with mandates and spine for this one too because I was particularly fond of this exploration. Font of choice was Bariol medium because it added the necessary roundness to aptly represent the brand’s visual quality.

shivani singh | graphic design | gdpd 2014

diploma project documentation | packaging pik studios | national institute of design

pitch 3 - mesmerizing moire

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The one aspect of packaging that I tried to cover in this idea is the observation that designing packaging is a lot like designing book covers - It’s always seen in context of a large quantity and often only the spines are truly visible. In the case of packaging, many products of the same company often appear together and that seemed liked an interesting area to exploit. Creating visual illusions that literally stop you in your path seemed exciting. Mesmerizing caught on as an apt word to describe the range too.

For a couple of days I was contemplating the idea of personalized packaging. It was born out of a personal desire to own and posses. There is a sense of privacy associated with cosmetics and that was what I was looking at. It is for the same reason that cosmetic products make a lovely gift too. A brand that advertised itself as ‘your label’ seemed like a plausible space to get into. A box that had space for you to fill in your initials or name sounded a little childish, but nonetheless, different and experiment worthy.

shivani singh | graphic design | gdpd 2014

diploma project documentation | packaging pik studios | national institute of design

If I were to concise a visual adjective for everything kitsch I’d say it leaves little breathing space.

This is common across cultures in the kitsch space of things. And this is the very understanding that I took forward in my explorations eventually. There was an article about trending graphic design styles that listed ‘so bad that it’s good’ as one of the trends. This phrase has something to ponder over for later. Point is, it describes the kitsch space of things.

From the creative need to find new ways to look at the familiar, was born kitsch. Chic or cliché, this uncouth flamboyant kitsch art is one of the most wanted art today by the huge market of ‘young urban India’. This multihued nostalgic Kitsch refers to any art that is inferior or in bad taste. It has the unique ability to attract and repel us simultaneously. To the right is the sketchbook page where it all began. The client fell in love with the idea and began seeing it on the cover of Bombay times and what not. I think he could visualize more than I did at this point.

The lack of sophistication attracts us with a child-like fascination, while at the same time clashing with notions of good taste.

pitch 4 - the kitsch pitch

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Language is ever evolving and so instead of Oxford itself, I’ve taken the liberty to quote ‘the urban dictionary’ that I think has a very well articulated meaning of the term as we understand it today - As an art movement, lifestyle, or literature and film genre, kitsch is pleasingly distasteful. It’s melodramatic, overdone, gaudy and tacky or sentimental and folksy. It’s so bad that it’s cool. Your cat might attack it, but it’s hot.

shivani singh | graphic design | gdpd 2014

diploma project documentation | packaging pik studios | national institute of design

let’s rewind a little Before kitsch was cool, these color-saturated, mass-produced pictures often used on calendars and in advertisements, featuring deities and other religious themes as well as nationalist leaders, alluring women, movie stars, chubby babies, and landscapes. Calendar art appeared in all manner of contexts in India: in chic elite living rooms, middle-class kitchens, urban slums, village huts; hung on walls, stuck on scooters and computers, propped up on machines, affixed to dashboards, tucked into wallets and lockets. I’m sure we all remember those old calendars and seemingly random framed images and paintings of babies or gods in our grandmother’s living room. I recall some from my summer vacations. This “Bazaar art” style of printed images was very ubiquitous. I cannot tell if a general survey would find more original bazaar or reinvented kitsch in Indian homes today - but either way, the luxury market mostly shies away from it.

the visual verdict - an indian kitschy pik

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Why we chose this language was simple - walk into any supermarket around - the cosmetics market is the most clean and sophisticated space. Everything trying to be slick. Which makes sense, because they’re creating an aspirational ideal of aesthetics which is minimal and foreign.

It lacks the multicolored noise of the food aisles. It’s all wannabe international - hard to even guess that Lakme is an Indian brand. Barring a few exceptions, (Shahnaz Hussain and arguably Himalaya) there was a vacancy for a proudly Indian brand.

The best part of the kitsch space is that you can make whatever you want out of it as long as you shy away from negative space. It is malleable and vast in scope. Put your heart and soul into it and it is kitsch. Use your brain and it’s lost. Finding a space for PikStudios was my next step here -reinventing visual references and interpreting them into a different perspective that would make you stop and look. I took the time to short list a variety of what appealed to me in this open market of pop-culture Indian art and found a space in between for us to settle into. So here I had the famous old Indian calendar art, the retro Bollywood posters, the ever so lovable matchboxes, fire-cracker packaging, amar chitra kathas, tinkles and innumerable folk art - all contributing towards one unique marketable composition.

shivani singh | graphic design | gdpd 2014

diploma project documentation | packaging pik studios | national institute of design

what does it mean to be an indian brand

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Few children (and fictitious ones at that) are as well known in India as the Parle G, Nirma and Amul girls - all three successfully competed with multinational brands to establish themselves as ‘Indian brands’, a new kind of ‘Swadeshi’, if you will. Parle G is probably one of the most known biscuits across the country; everyone has, I am sure, had them as snacks or even as a meal sometimes. While the packaging for these biscuits has evolved over the years, the visual on it has changed very little. The never ageing little girl and the yellow background have become an icon in our visual culture and were therefore a great case study and reference to draw from.

Retailing in India is one of the pillars of its economy and accounts for 14 to 15 percent of its GDP. The Indian retail market is estimated to be US$ 500 billion and one of the top five retail markets in the world by economic value. India is one of the fastest growing retail markets in the world.

Our market has high complexities in terms of a wide geographic spread and distinct consumer preferences varying by each region necessitating a need for localization even within the geographic zones. While we have a large market opportunity given the number and increasing purchasing power of consumers, there are significant challenges as well given that over 90% of trade is conducted through independent local stores. Challenges include: Geographically dispersed population, small ticket sizes, complex distribution network, limitations of mass media and existence of counterfeit goods.

Several newer (and especially luxury) Indian brands often pose to appear international through alliances and by other means to increase their sales. An example of such is Peter England which was basically a branch of Madura Fashion and Lifestyle. There is a notion of superior quality commonly associated with anything international. A few standard old Indian brands have managed to maintain their market without revamping their appearance to match global aesthetics, and for pik, similarly, we decided to opt for this route.

shivani singh | graphic design | gdpd 2014

part iv. b

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developing the artwork

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71

73

75

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diploma project documentation | packaging pik studios | national institute of design

illustration style reference Our main point of reference was quirky vintage matchboxes. We loved the simplified color schemes in contrast with the detailed characters and objects in each cover. It’s amazing how evolved branding & packaging was at the turn of the century - partially owing to printing techniques also ofcourse. We voted that going back to these kinds of designs in essencestriking, colorful and effective - would work for Pik Studios.

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contemporary interpretations

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the lotus If we look at the simple metaphor of equating beauty with flowers, the lotus seemed the most interestingly kitsch yet simply Indian flower to use. To add to it (as silly as it sounds) the client’s name meant lotus and therefore he was more than eager to employ this form. We battled several renditions of the same (as discussed ahead).

the gesture In order to convey meaning and expressions, hand gestures make a prominent existence.

In the world of cosmetics, where photographs rule the market, we decided to use graphical interpretations instead. Brands like Elle 18 and street wear have adopted this in their packaging but in the form of stylized vector art faces and facial elements mostly. The hand is key to all make up processes and so I found it apt to adopt this element for our illustration. Hand gestures known as nritta hastas are employed for the sake of beauty and decorative purposes while performing nritta.

the ribbon This came straight from our beloved matchboxes. Ribbons are a very flexible structure to use with type. Rendered in many hundred ways, this allows you to find your voice while directly associating retro kitsch in the minds of the viewers.

the elements of illustration shivani singh | graphic design | gdpd 2014

diploma project documentation | packaging pik studios | national institute of design

process and indecision

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Disagreements and debates are as much a part of the design process as all other ideation and brainstorming processes. I’ve compared a few topics of discussion and disagreement that followed the visual aspects of the design below. Note - at this point the structure of the box and size was already decided but I’ve addressed that in part VI (structure).

my rendition: The borders - The original design didn’t feature the thin black borders, but Tapan explained to me how often folding jobs go wrong in packaging and that the blues would overlap the yellows and vice versa; Experience precedes design sensibilities, and we had to go with Tapan’s call.

Colours - Our client has a bit of an astrological hang up because of which yellow needed more ‘screen presence’. The original idea was a wholly blue box, but nonetheless, the yellow added a certain ‘look at me’ feature.

The Lotus Wars - Our client’s name, incidentally, means lotus. So this form was a bit of a dilemma because our inhouse illustrator, Rupesh, and I wanted different styles of the final one:

this flower. The top one was my choice, but we finally went for the bottom one.

The Type setting of the blurb - Tapan was insistent on small caps with a wide kerning, while I was keen on sentence case (with a slight arch) for the blurb at the back. This went on for a while, till we agreed to disagree and take a vote (as we do on all matters in the studio).

shivani singh | graphic design | gdpd 2014

diploma project documentation | packaging pik studios | national institute of design

auditioning typefaces THE QUICK BROWN FOX JUMPED OVER THE LAZY DOG the quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog 1234567890 carnival freakshow

HOW QUICKLY DAFT JUMPING ZEBRAS VEX how quickly daft jumping zebras vex 1234567890 mrs eaves petite caps*

WHEN ZOMBIES ARRIVE, QUICKLY FAX JUDGE PAT when zombies arrive, quickly fax judge pat 1234567890 canter bold

JIM QUICKLY REALIZED THAT THE BEAUTIFUL GOWNS ARE EXPENSIVE jim quickly realized that the beautiful gowns are expensive 1234567890 sullivan

HOW QUICKLY DAFT JUMPING ZEBRAS VEX then a cop quizzed mick jagger’s ex-wives briefly 1234567890 titania*

the docket design

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The fine print.

A label or ticket affixed to a package listing the contents or directions for assembling or operating. In the case of our eyeliner and mascaras, it was the sticker that came on top of the shrink wrap that enclosed our eyeliners and mascaras. A barely inch wide space for all those mandatory information to cram into. For the compact it was at the back of the case. The challenges here were as follows.

1. Choice of typeface. I initially worked with safe typefaces for small print, like bell centennial and akzident grotesk. But then I thought why not give the Mrs eaves a chance, since it is being used everywhere else. It worked to satisfaction.

2. The directionality of the text. I scanned several pens and markers, figured that text on cylindrical small objects must be horizontal, so no choice in the matter there.

3. Hierarchy of text in small spaces is difficult. Deciding that ingredients were less important than the customer care and ‘marketed by’ details, and highlighting best before, were the big decisions here.

shivani singh | graphic design | gdpd 2014

diploma project documentation | packaging pik studios | national institute of design

Client: Pik Studio | Job description: Eyeliner Pen Barrel CTC | Date: 07.18.14

0,0,30,0 0,85,60,0 80,10,45,0

actual size

the barrel of the pen This task was challenging at several levels, but just as enjoyable. We scanned multiple other kajal sticks to know what copy we wanted to keep and what we did not want to keep on the pen.

There were certain mandates (that I shall elaborate on in another section ahead) that needed to be fulfilled, but otherwise I had quite the freedom to design it. Mrs Eaves petite caps gave a few kerning troubles, but I learnt how to ‘optically’ fix that and even manually at times. There was much debate about the yellow caps (which I though made them look a bit too much like sketch pens) but Rajiv was insistent on his ‘lucky’ yellow, so that stayed. There were pink and green cap iterations as well, though yellow won the vote.

final logo details - font & colours

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THE QUICK BROWN FOX JUMPED OVER THE LAZY DOG. Muchachao. Designer Jeff Schreiber describes his typeface muchacho as “a western-style serif font with quirky legs”. Based in the Netherlands, Schreiber’s design contains all capital letters, numbers, diacritical marks and most punctuation marks. Muchacho is a free typeface for commercial and personal use. We required s font with some exaggerated character, and so after rejecting carnival freakshow for muchachao, we had this for Pik Studios.

18 points size | 20pt kerning | 25% arc warp

cmyk values

0, 5, 80, 0

80, 10, 45, 0

0, 85, 60, 0

0, 0, 30, 0

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alternative compositional option for maximized visibility

shivani singh | graphic design | gdpd 2014

diploma project documentation | packaging pik studios | national institute of design

part v

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structure form follows function follows form a footnote - my design process has been a little messy because I couldn’t make a clear call on whether the egg came first or the chicken (form or the function). Given the choice and paying heed to what my guide said, I would have started with the function (designing the box) first, but given the client deadlines and general way of things, I had to establish the visual face of the packaging first.

shivani singh | graphic design | gdpd 2014

Thou shalt make sure the packaging works collectively and not as an isolated piece.

From a shopper’s point of view, a product is never seen alone and never in great detail. Because of the viewing distance from shelves and the fact that products are arranged in rows and columns, all we see

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are veritable patterns made of various products. It’s not until a certain pattern attracts our attention that we decide to take a closer look. This distinctiveness and appeal of the product when placed on an actual shelf is something retailers call “shelf impact,” and it makes a huge difference in product sales.

Thou shalt make the package easy to open and often also to re-close.

Wrap rage, also called package rage, is the common name for heightened levels of anger and frustration resulting from the inability to open hard-to-open packaging, particularly some heat-sealed plastic blister packs and clamshells.

Practicality deals with the actual shape, size and functionality of the product container, not just the label or wrap. The more practical the product, the more sales it gets – when Heinz turned the ketchup bottle upside down, sales skyrocketed.

Thou shalt think outside the box

Thou shalt be ecological.

Less is always more. An overload of information not only looks unattractive, but it can be overwhelming and confusing for a consumer, so try to keep things simple. no waffle or jargon. As a designer, your task is to represent the product in the best yet most honest way possible keeping in mind that consumers – you included – deserve to be treated right.

Thou shalt communicate and convince, not only inform.

The packaging is the most important salesperson because nearly 3/4 of purchasing decisions are only made once the buyer sees a product on the shelf.

Thou shalt keep your product safe.

The packaging is the most important salesperson because nearly 3/4 of purchasing decisions are only made once the buyer sees a product on the shelf.

shivani singh | graphic design | gdpd 2014

designing for wholesale

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the ubiquitous whole sale box

Two of the three products that I was packaging were essentially meant for wholesale. The shopkeeper would be interacting with it and not the consumer directly. I did not ohave this clarity from the start of the project, since the number of products per pack was not fixed upon.

This meant that I needed to refer to a new set of questions What does the shopkeeper want?

Does she/he care about the visual component as much?

How can I benefit the shopkeeper through my packaging?

Which are his favourite wholesale boxes in the shop?

Wholesale packaging for cosmetics is not usually flattering. Thousands of liners and mascaras are normally dumped into cardboard boxes, removed by the shopkeeper, tied in rubber bands and stuffed into drawers. This is the story for other products as well, food, and toileteries etc.

This story needed to be different for Pik Studios. The packaging unit needed to stand as a display unit as well. Thereby visibility became the core objective and cracking an efficient idea for this purpose became my design brief.

Stationery packaging was a key reference at this stage. Several stationery shops had different kinds of wholesale boxes, with different ways in which to interact with the box, often perforated, torn and kept as display. Having done one classroom assignment on chalk packaging, I was a little well versed with stationery packaging.

One example for the ubiquitous wholesale box you see at several departmental stores, was fevi stick. The size was also incidentally very similar to my mascara product, and the objective of the packaging was similar, just to a varied audience. I spoke to several shopkeepers who explained how the box was to be used - all of whom had a thorough understanding of the way the box was to be used. The perforations and display mechanism is easy to understand and simple in technique. That is what makes this box so brilliant, effecient and cost effective too.

shivani singh | graphic design | gdpd 2014

diploma project documentation | packaging pik studios | national institute of design

structural references a few things i liked

explorations

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Unlike my natural way of going about things (work and tasks) which is to tackle the easiest job first, and move onto the difficult time consuming ones with some self assurance, Tapan always advised the opposite - start with attacking the hardest task at hand first. This was something I’d heard before too - like in the case of typeface design, where you must crack the boldest, most difficult glyph first and then proceed with other weights since that sets your stone rolling and makes the rest of your task easier. So here we were, looking at the eyeliner pens - to be sold individually, the smallest product - twelve centimeters long, point five centimeters in radius.

The examples of packaging with the kind of products we had were broadly under two categories Consumer packs - primarily the choice was between small thin boxes like several mascaras are sold (but they compromise on visibility); or cardboard-back-type packaging commonly seen for lip balms and kajals (refer kajal wars pg34).

Under wholesale packs there was again a range of options 1.Perforated boxes (the one referred to in the previous pg91) commonly seen in stationary marts for several products from glue sticks to pens and lighters.

2.Simple cardboard boxes stamped with the brand logo.

3.Sliding boxes like some brands of colour pencils and oil pastels are sold .

4. The cigarette boxes that hinge well to display the product.

5. Cylindrical paper-tube boxes.

6. Triangular prism boxes that caught my eye in stationery shops.

During the course of sketching boxes and team discussions and deconstructions of every box in the studio over some black coffee, bhel and samosas, we landed at a couple of options that we presented to Rajiv at the end of the week that I have illustrated in these pages. He finally said that he wanted a wholesale box for ten pens. These are a few of our explorations - we still took the liberty to vary the number of pens per box because ten seemed very limiting and we assumed that Rajiv would be open to other options if it served his purpose better.

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diploma project documentation | packaging pik studios | national institute of design

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shivani singh | graphic design | gdpd 2014

diploma project documentation | packaging pik studios | national institute of design

We had presented the client with several box ideas. A few from the ones I preferred include the cylindrical boxes, triangular boxes and hangable sliding boxes. The mechanisms are pretty straight forward, but they would make a statement in the market because it isn’t the regular (though very effective) wholesale display boxes (like fevisticks, pens and lighters have) .

Below are sketches of the same. The client finally went with the sliding box - he was sold on the whole ‘matchbox’ kitsch retro language. The slide box also changed face along the way - from pack of 20/30/50 to pack of 10 and so on. Technically, this was a slightly uneconomical option (as my guide Tridha also affirmed. She also pointed out the shoplifting possibilities with such an option) The final packaging in the market is a bit of a compromise to be honest, but nonetheless, everyone in the team + the client were thoroughly satisfied. I suppose we gave the client what he wanted, though could not deliver what he needed.

papertube cylindrical boxes

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sleeve

tray

the slide box variants

shivani singh | graphic design | gdpd 2014

diploma project documentation | packaging pik studios | national institute of design

Perforated tearable portion

the hinge box

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cigarette style box variants for twenty pens

shivani singh | graphic design | gdpd 2014

diploma project documentation | packaging pik studios | national institute of design

12

18.5

19.5

219.5

119.5

19.5

18.5

12

19

19

19

19

44.5 120.5

ed (engineering drawing) of the tray. measurement in millimeters.

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122

46

20 142.5

46

20.5

ed (engineering drawing) of the sleeve. measurements in millimeters

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diploma project documentation | packaging pik studios | national institute of design

the final boxes in the market

interacting with the box

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shivani singh | graphic design | gdpd 2014

diploma project documentation | packaging pik studios | national institute of design

what is a production note OC#2595_Pik Pens_14 In a small studio, the one advantage is that you get to poke your nose into all the ongoing activities.

Our client servicer, Namita often encouraged me to create the production notes and understand

To,

Aug 05, 2014

the way client servicing worked as well, since I would need to know if I was to freelance and so on.

is a note we sent to our client about the printing details sent to us by the PENS Psample VT LTDproduction .

PIK This printers (Positive I Printing, Mumbai).

7, Parsian Building

V.P. Road, Andheri (W) Mumbai 400 058 PRODUCTION ESTIMATE: Pik Pens - Eye liner Packaging Particulars

Rate

For 3500 units

Each box @ Rs.

Elements:

Eyeliner carton - Sleeve & Tray

Size:

Sleeve: 12 (w) x 4.5 cms (h)

(Rs.) 39,375.00

11.25

Tray: 12 (w) x 2 (h) x 4.5 cms (l) Printing:

4 colour printing for sleeve 1 colour (black) for tray

Material:

Sample shared

Finishing:

Varnishing (or) Glossy lamination

(he will share sample and basis our approval will go ahead that) Duly punched & pasted.

Agency commission @ 15% applicable on Total Billing Amount PLEASE NOTE: •

Taxes applicable as per law are not included in the estimate.

•

All jobs outsourced will requirea 100% advance.

•

No jobs will be executed without relevant advances being remitted.

•

In the event of project being shelved / postponed post a formal approval from client, 50% of total estimated value shall be billed as Rejection Fees.

•

All concepts presented (and not formally approved) will remain an intellectual property of ‘Yes yes, why not?’.

‘Yes yes, why not?’ reserves the right to use / represent them at any time in the future, at its discretion.

•

Concepts presented & / or executed at a later date (with or without formal approval) shall be remunerated for as per rate card.

•

This quotation is deemed to be valid for 2 months from date of issue. Any confirmation post that would have to

meeting the printers

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This was a quick revision of our printing course. We were in conversation with one of the best printers in town - Parksons, who do the packaging for the Maybellines and Liptons of the market.

They told us - we can break the paper options down into 4 main categories, namely Gloss/Coated, Matte/Coated and Smooth/Uncoated or Textured/Uncoated. (we later chose to work with Positive I, because the Parksons acted with unprofessional delay for a small client like ours) New things I learned 1. Physical properties of paperboard such as tear strength, burst strength, fold ability and stiffness increase as fiber length increases. Just like wood, there is a directionality to the fibers of paper.

Tearing, folding and cutting is easier along the grain (Machine Direction) than against it.

2. Folding boxes and cartons come in a few types - Tube styles, tray styles, baskets and clamshells.

There are other type of boxes that fall in the category of ‘cannot be knocked down’ which are setup boxes (rigid) which we didn’t need to get into because they occupy more space than our client had.

Then there were the carded display types of paper packaging (colossal and eyeconic packaging) These ones are theft and tamper resistant but we had decided against these earlier on.

There wasn’t much need to get into the structure, but at this point we realized our huge mistake - that we should have involved the printers right from the beginning of the process, since their experience would help us chalk out the best option for our client.

Digital Press Proofs Your order is set-up to print on the HP Indigo Digital Press we always suggest a hard copy proof. This proofing option will most closely represent how your labels will look when complete. It will print full color on your specified material and you will see a die-line where the labels will be cut (please note these press proofs are not varnished or laminated so the finish varnish can alter the colors slightly). Hot-stamp printing, embossing and windowing are off-line operations post offset production.

Why bother with a proof?

In printing you should always double (even triple) check your work, and then check it once more. You want to avoid the realization of your mistake that will haunt you for a long long time. Small typo or error made during the type-setting/proofing process are only human. Proofing is all about preventing mistakes BEFORE the mass production.

shivani singh | graphic design | gdpd 2014

diploma project documentation | packaging pik studios | national institute of design

part vi

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campaign design + other miscellaneous things

shivani singh | graphic design | gdpd 2014

diploma project documentation | packaging pik studios | national institute of design

the campaign design

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This was my favourite brainstorming session of them all. I realized at this point that I was in a space full of advertising enthusiasts. Design was an after thought, or a hobby for them. But that did not dishearten me, instead I took it on as a great opportunity for me to learn the nuances of a neighbouring, tangent field, from one of the bests in the city. They were all alumnus of Grey and O&M, and I was going to make the most of it.

From schmaltzy film-lyrics hoarding ideas (all those nazarein, aankhein and naina poetry) to underwater make up shoots and bold OK please cliches - we discussed various catch-lines and imagery. We were sure of one stereotype we strongly wanted to break and that was the plastic aspiration that every make-up brand abuses. From Maybelline to Lakme, it was all supermodels and superstars.

Pik Studios was about de-alienating. It was for you and me. We had that much to stand for. We noticed is an underlying social current on the rise that we wanted to catch onto - the movement against fairness creams and the acceptance of the girl next door; from talk shows to television ads, there’s a growing acceptance of the erring side of superstars, their mistakes and their obese pasts. The idea of loving who you are, and finding pride in the way you are born (a little credit to ‘Dove’ in the realm of advertising) is slowly catching up. The ‘love who you are, we’re only here to enhance your expression’ seemed to us something worthwhile. The final strap-line that the client chose was - Fun, Funky and Fully Fashionable borrowing from colloquial hinglish way of prefixing an expression of emphasis with ‘fully’.

shivani singh | graphic design | gdpd 2014

diploma project documentation | packaging pik studios | national institute of design

the ratios

2:1

1:1

1:8

1:2

1:3

1:5

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the initial sketch

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going retrosensual

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This was an idea churning in my head for quite sometime.

Small cards or stickers, given out with the eyeliner at first. Maybe even posters or as print ads for magazines - even though ‘going retro’ is becoming a little ubiquitous and even cliche - these visuals have a certain recall value that isn’t being tapped by any brand right now. All of cosmetics are focusing on supermodels and current actresses. The charm of old Indian actresses is left untapped.

The stylized eyes of those decades was so iconic and significant that I couldn’t think of a better way to describe our brand.

I had Google imaged the term ‘old Indian brands’ (try it) and I found hilarious advertisements from the sixties and seventies, that made me think ‘wow the advertisement industry must have been freaking out playing with the mind of the customers, using hilarious copy and even crazier images.’ The ads we see today are so boring in comparison - so influenced, and so lazy (barring Amul, Vodafone and a few others of course) I thought this language of advertisement would definitely make you stop and look if nothing else. I recalled the jade blue ads in Ahmadabad, that had a memorable value to them just because they used the illustration style of the amar chitra kathas - a juxtaposition of eras - that may not necessarily have a cerebral layer of association with the brand itself, but hey it made me look and remember- task accomplished.

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diploma project documentation | packaging pik studios | national institute of design

kaliedoscope

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As a maverick business idea, we decided to use a college festival to promote/launch the products. No high budget releases with superstars and models - just hitting the audience right where you know they will be - A very well established, long running festival at the best girls’ college in south Bombay (with coverage in Bombay Times, Mid day etc) The free eye-make-up-stall of the PikStudios Eye-liner at Sophia’s College Fest - Kaleidoscope was a huge success. I just returned from their campus where I’d gone to document the event. It was definitely the most crowded and popular stall. Who doesn’t want some free eye make up anyway.

Thought I’d share it with you (Find attached a few photographs). Pik Studios was the make up sponsor of the event (kaleidoscope)

shivani singh | graphic design | gdpd 2014

diploma project documentation | packaging pik studios | national institute of design

all that advertising jargon below the line (btl): advertising that encourages the consumer to respond somehow (getting into a dialogue with them) - getting them to click a link or post something back or make a call, for example - such as the examples on the side. Print ads can also be BTL. one of our ideas, for instance was to stick a eyeliner pen into a magazine.

above the line (atl): advertising that delivers brand messages to the consumer that doesn’t aim to start a dialogue with the consumer and is not interactive - such as billboards, tv, radio and a lot of print ads.

through the line (ttl): a mix of above the line and below the line advertising.

b2b & b2c & b2g Business-to-business (B2B) describes commerce transactions between businesses, such as between a manufacturer and a wholesaler, or between a wholesaler and a retailer. Contrasting terms are business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-government (B2G).

pos and pops A common term used is the Point of Sale, particularly when talking about this area from the customer’s perspective. Retailers and marketers will often refer to the area around the checkout instead as the Point of Purchase (POP) when they are discussing it from the retailer’s perspective.

This is particularly the case when discussing planning and design of the area as well as marketing strategy and offers, such as chocolate displays at point of purchase. It’s basically what we designers call display stalls.

touchpoint A point of contact or interaction, especially between a business and its customers or consumers.

This may be applied in business-to-business as well as business-to-consumer environments.

footfalls - the number of customers coming into the shop is usually measured on the basis of footfalls per day / per month / per year

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shivani singh | graphic design | gdpd 2014

diploma project documentation | packaging pik studios | national institute of design

barcodes - design considerations There are online barcode generators (that I did not know existed), which I had to use to generate the different codes for the eyeliner pen and boxes. There are several types of barcodes from alpha numberic to specific width ones and so on. They vary in number of digits or type of code and so on. Two common formats in India are EAN(International Article Number) or UPC (Universal Product Code) format. The EAN is more popular. Some customers prefer the 12-digit UPC barcodes, especially if they are selling within the USA. Others choose the 13-digit EAN barcodes which are usually more useful worldwide. We used the UPC-12 system to generate it. I also learnt (thanks to our wonderful printer, Akshay, who checked our artwork at the last minute and got us working on a saturday) that barcode scanners scan only single colour barcodes and not four colour blacks.

The barcode image is an ideal way of automatically identifying an article.

Since the dependence on barcoded information is continually growing, the ramifications for nonscannable barcode symbols are severe. In addition to print quality, there are other factors, which affect the scanning performance/ acceptance of barcode symbols.

Quiet Zones - Barcodes require an area of free space on both the left and right of a symbol. These spaces need to be clear of any stray marks or graphics that the scanner may interpret as an errant bar. it measures .125 inched on the left and right.

Height - Truncation (shortening of symbol height) should only be used as a last alternative - and if you must, there are several creative ways of doing so too. The shorter the barcode height, the more difficult it is to scan the code in most scanning environments. Truncation has a dramatic effect on UPC symbols, and some retailers penalize suppliers for reducing the height of a barcode on a package which has the space for a standard symbol.

good contrast

poor contrast

full symbol

truncated symbol

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pik - the brand?

Rajiv, my client, was now looking ahead. He was confident and wrapped up about pikstudios and actually looking to explore new ventures with his business partner. He met with several people who produce varied things from frozen parathas to nutribites.

Above is the rough structure of the same that we discussed during the end of my tenure.

We were going to do a brand architecture, mother logo and brand manual for the whole thing which I was excited about, but couldn’t stay to see through.

shivani singh | graphic design | gdpd 2014

diploma project documentation | packaging pik studios | national institute of design

part vii

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where it ends.

shivani singh | graphic design | gdpd 2014

diploma project documentation | packaging pik studios | national institute of design

in conclusion, Tapan had told me at the end of my internship, if there’s anything I must take back as a learning from the project and from Yes Yes, Why Not? it should be the ability to foresee a fall or anticipate error. Only time will judge if I have indeed learnt that, but I think there are several other things I take back from my wonderful four months working at YYWN and staying in Mumbai.

It’s the small things mostly, like working weekends at the office because someone can’t make it, or putting your feet into your clients shoes at all times. Taking projects more personally, diving in whole heartedly, and even falling. The studio was eclectic - sometimes throbbing with energy (I can still hear the roar of laughter from our two hour lunch times which I terribly miss) and sometimes as calm as the sea after a storm (when we wouldn’t know anyone else was even around, till the cat would purr for food). However good bad and ugly it’s been, it’s been thoroughly consuming for my mind and soul - more than I’d imagined.

It’s not been a fairytale, and it’s not the best packaging job ever, but it’s definitely my best project so far. Please do feel free to purchase a pikstick on your way to the cosmetics market next time, it’s only a hundred and fifty rupees. Do contact me for packaging related feedback.

Thank you for reading, Shivani Singh

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bibliography the two books out of the box: ready to use pop packaging by lianshun shao & lang hu packaging structures published by sendpoints 2012 the generic websites http://www.thedieline.com http://www.google.com http://www.wikipedia.com http://www.issuu.com http://www.pinterest.com http://www.behance.net the specifics http://johnsonbanks.co.uk/thoughtfortheweek/the-search-for-a-voice/ http://www.barcodesinc.com/generator/index.php http://www.imcreator.com/free http://blog.unitedreprographics.com/8-packaging-trends-for-2013/ http://wholesalers.about.com/od/marketingpromoting/qt/7-tips-for-wholesale-product-packaging-design.htm http://researchpub.org/journal/ijad/number/vol1-no2/vol1-no2-1.pdf http://www.icanbecreative.com/packaging-designs-for-inspiration.html http://asiaobscura.com/2013/04/amazing-old-bollywood-poster-shops.html http://blog.artoflegendindia.com/2010/12/indian-folk-paintings-regional-art-of.html http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2014/04/21/jerome-bruner-on-knowing-left-hand-creativity/ https://forums.adobe.com/thread/765556 http://www.afaqs.com/news/story/41645_colgate:-black-is-the-new-white http://www.sweetandbitterblog.com http://www.indianbeautyforever.com *view my document online on my issuu account to be able to access these links more easily.

shivani singh | graphic design | gdpd 2014