OUGD601 - PROJECT STATEMENT

PROJECT STATEMENT

Within this module, I have been looking into the influence packaging design has on consumer purchase, researching into the different factors designers need to consider when designing packaging. The essay discusses various theories that can have an affect on consumer purchasing such as Ian Pavlov's classical conditioning theory, and more psychological elements that can effect how a consumer responds to a product, such as colour theory. Gaining a better knowledge of the theories behind consumer purchasing allowed me to discuss within the essay what really influences consumers and how they respond to certain things. Trends was one topic that I discussed, looking into how popular trends can have a large impact on the sales of particular items, and looking into how brands respond to these trends through their advertisement and branding.  Throughout the essay, I have evidenced various examples of packaging designs and analysing how consumers have responded to various types of packaging design. My main focus for the essay was to discover what design methods were the most impactful when it came to packaging design, looking into the aesthetics and practicality of numerous products on the market. Referring back to the theories and linking it with particular products and brands was an interesting insight into marketing and how brands use certain colours and typefaces for example to appeal to particular markets. One example within my essay focuses on gender stereotypes within design and how brands will design their packaging to appeal to their specific target audience, even if that means using stereotypical methods such as the use of harsh masculine typefaces for a protein brand. A main part of my research was looking into the bigger brands such as McVities and the power they have within the supermarkets, highlighting the importance of having a loyal customer base when it comes to highly competitive markets. The advertisement of food packaging is something that can have a huge impact on the way consumers perceive a product. Within my essay I have discussed various examples of good and bad advertisement and the effects these advertisements have had on these brands. Cadbury's Gorilla advert was my example of good use of advertisement, and Nestle's Yorkie bar as the bad. 

The practical piece I designed to work alongside my essay were inspired by the practical packaging methods that I had looked into, considering how a consumer would interact with particular products. The boxes I have designed focuses on portion control and how to avoid food wastage, relating back to my topic of sustainability and how that is a 'trend' that people are getting more involved with. The boxes both have guides that the user would use to accurately manage their portions as in my research I conducted I found that people struggled to make the perfect amount of spaghetti and rice. The boxes also include clear cooking instructions that the consumer would follow as it adds another way that they could interact with the packaging. An example within my essay was researching into the positive effect good packaging design can leave on a consumer, resulting in repeat purchases. My practical piece considers the aesthetics of the item and how it would stand out on a shelf amongst its competitors, whilst using a relatively simple design, I wanted the boxes to look good and in comparison to a lot of the items on the market, I believe I achieved this. 

I would have liked to experiment a little more with the shapes of my boxes, and also would have liked to do a test of functional packaging like what I designed, vs packaging design that focuses solely on the aesthetics. I also would have liked to look more into the other theories behind consumer purchasing, and looking more into the psychological aspects. I also think that I could have applied my knowledge of consumerism and potentially applied that within my essay, however I wanted to focus more on the design of the packaging rather than consumer behaviour. 

I believe that my essay and practical piece work well alongside each other, as I was able to apply research from my essay to my practical piece. I considered how consumers respond to packaging design, and I took techniques from successful packaging designs and applied it to my own designs.