Packaging Essay Essay Research Paper Packaging EssayPackaging

Packaging Essay Essay, Research Paper

Packaging Essay

Packaging has grown greatly in response to commercial demand. Originally intended to protect products it is today much more elaborate and developed than at any other time in history. Today we have advanced transportation and distribution methods. We rely on packaging to bring goods safely from A to B , their point of manufacture to where they are put on display and sold. Primarily a package is supposed to contain and protect a product through the transportation process and its shelf life. Packaging can also function as an advertisement or even a part of the product as well.

The roots of packaging can be traced back to the eighteenth century when the industrial revolution brought massive changes to the manufacturing industry. The introduction of mass production brought large quantities of products on to production lines. Soon, along came the invention of the tin can . Tins were used for containing perishable goods such as biscuits and confectionary or where a greater level of protection was needed. Cardboard containers provided lightweight packages that could be printed on and flat packed until required saving space.

By the turn of the century manufacturing techniques had changed so much to the degree of manufacturers being able to produce containers in any shape, size and material. Therefore the birth of novelty packaging took place something that is so widespread today. Printing techniques flourished in the early nineteenth century and was forced to expand their range of techniques to keep up with advances in packaging.

Manufacturers were keen to have their brand image displayed on the container whether it is glass, cardboard or metal. This would give special interest to otherwise bland designs. Having graphics on a product also meant it could display a far greater degree of product information. This in turn reduced the need for informed shop staff to direct customers.

The introduction of colour allowed artists to provide an image for a product, which would often become its identity. Today this plays a vital role in the consumers’ purchasing decisions. Competition at the point of sate has never been more aggressive. It is packaging that plays the vital role of communicating the right message to the consumer.

One packaging design of the past that I am going to consider is that of Savoly designed by a well known Art Nouveau designer called Alphonse Mucha. Alphonse Mucha a well known Czech poster designer and painter, one of the leading artists of the Art Nouveau period. He created poster designs characterized by sinuous “whiplash” lines, flowers on thin, twining stems, women with long, flowing hair, and elegantly attenuated lettering. His biggest achievement was, under the direction of Charles Richard Crane, a Chicago industrialist, he painted The Epic of the Slavic People (1912-1930), a series of 20 large paintings that he later presented to the city of Prague.

The bright colours in the side border of this packaging are what immediately attracted me. These stand out, as they are very vibrant and appealing. The thing that grabs my attention the most is the very flat 2D image of a woman with long flowing hair that has also been depicted in a bright colour. This is a very common sight in Art Nouveau.

The designer has used a number of images within this design. That of the female s head and also images of flowers that have been constructed with the use of longs flowing, curving lines. Another image used is that of a kind of grass this has been used as a repeated pattern witch is featured in the border area of the design. I think that these images have been used to construct a feminine feel to the product and perhaps the use of the female s head to show that this is a beauty product.

The colours used in this design are very varied. Some of the colours that have been used are yellows, oranges, greens and reds that are very bright colours that stand out and are very visible. I think the designer has done this to attract the attention of potential customers and to draw you to the writing, the products name so it sticks in your head. Some techniques that have been used are long flowing lines and ornate images. I think these kinds of techniques have been used, as that was the style of the time.

The lettering in this packaging design varies greatly from line to line. Some of the lettering is very intricate whereas some of the lettering is very simplistic I think this could be because of the importance of text. The text varies in another area that of size. The size of text varies greatly again I think this is again to do with importance. Most of the writing is legible apart from the ornate lettering which is, I think, the companies name.