Types of 3D Packages

Each manufacturing industry has its own traditional and legal requirements for the display of information. For the most part, product information must be shown on the front of your container. But the rest is total design freedom, limited only by the client's budget. In most professional situations, you are given the container dimensions up front, so you are free to concentrate only on design.

Let's begin by examining some of the types of packaging you might be asked to work on as a packaging designer and discuss how best to visualize them from a design perspective.

Folding Cartons

The folding carton is the most common and versatile form of packaging. A basic carton is constructed from a flat art design with six panels that fold together into a box. Designing some six-sided pieces is a great way to begin your packaging portfolio. It might appear simple, but it's actually a challenge, and it will give you a good foundation for pitching a packaging design project to a client or designing for some more esoteric shapes later on.

Two aspects of a carton design require very careful attention: the design of each individual panel, and the interaction of the different panels in the overall carton design. You can see both areas beautifully executed in these folding cartons created by Landor Associates for the Coleman Company.

Figure 10.3. Eeek! With this Coleman Exponent package, the eye is drawn by photos of bugs then seduced by the clever use of each panel.

What did you notice? Your eye is immediately drawn to the box by pictures of the kind of creepy-crawlies you might encounter while using the company's camping and outdoor gear and equipment. The contrasting panels draw attention to the clear text treatment. Nice photos and detailing of product features make the product stand out. What could otherwise be a mundane product is positioned as high-tech gear for committed outdoors types.

tip

When you critique packaging, make sure you pick it up and look at every panel. The best designs make effective use of all sides.

To see an example from the cosmetics industry, go to www.CarolinaHerrera.com and view the Classics line of products. You'll see that the designer kept the look very simple, yet added some fun elementsdots. The dots are smaller for the more sophisticated and mature Carolina customers, and larger on the Carolina product for the younger customers. There is a whole graphics story told here just by the dots. All hail to the power of strong graphics!

Look closely at the Carolina Herrera cartons and you'll also notice that the designer wrapped the edges with a gold border. The gold is continued onto the back, top, and sides of the carton. It's an extremely effective use of all six sides. An added detail that contributes subtly to the carton design is the deboss of the dotsthe slight recess of the graphics into the carton material.

If you get a chance, take a look at the packaging at your local fine department store. Packaging design is very tactile; to appreciate the fine details, it's best to have these things in your hands.

Counter Animation

You might not think packaging designers get to do a lot of animation. Well, think again.

If you looked at the Carolina Herrera carton, you'll have noticed it sported an enlarged dot pattern wrapped around the sides. Now imagine seeing several of those cartons arranged on a store counter, set up to show side, front, sideor stacked, showing alternating sides. This effectthe powerful visual impact of repeated design elements in a retail displayis referred to as counter animation.

Suppose you've made your design elements work well on one panel of your carton, and then applied them onto the next panel, the back, the top, the bottom, and so on until you are finished. Then you stack the finished carton or put a few cartons together in a stylish arrangementand suddenly the whole is greater than the parts. It's a very intriguing design detail, almost a design freebie. Nice, right? I always love the surprise of that partit's one of my favorite aspects of packaging design.

Figure 10.4. Stack the Coleman Exponent packages side-by-side and the cumulative effect is fun and quite powerful.

The moral of this story is not to leave any panel, flap, or tuck unloved. Note: Leaving a certain package component undecorated is not synonymous with leaving it unloved, for you have may love a panel and decide that in the overall design scheme it's best to leave it undecorated. Take great care of each part of your cartonpanels, flaps, tucksand the overall effect will reward you in turn.

note

Packaging designs are contextualyou must think about how a package will look stacked alongside comrades and competitors, in good light and poor.

Figure 10.5. This subtle cosmetics package design by Sabine Welty draws attention to her logo and creates an interesting counter animation.

As well as cartons, an experienced packaging designer may be asked to develop related product designs such as bags and bottles. Let's look at those now.

Bags

All along the city streets or in the parking lot behind the mall, shopping bags are fighting for your attention. Shopping bags are a joy to design, especially for high-end stores, which use bags as both a status symbol and a branding opportunity. If you've got a premium shopping bag in your closet, pull it out sometime for closer inspection.

The front and back of a bag command attention. And yet, though consumers don't usually notice it, the sides, top, and bottom of the bag are also ripe for exploitation by a designer. In addition to a front and a back, bags also usually have a side, called a gusset. The gusset is not flat like the side of a carton it's creased down the center and at the bottom. This unusual shape gives the designer an added opportunity to consider. What happens in the shadows? What happens within the folds? What happens when the bag is filled, or when it is empty? Do the gussets need graphics and text, or would a blast of color suffice?

Figure 10.6. The gusset, the inside, and even the bottom of a shopping bag are all opportunities for a designer.

note

A shopping bag design speak for itself, projecting a clear brand message outside the store.

These are great opportunities for designers to get creative. And don't forget to consider the extras. The bag's handlewhat is it made of? Does the bag even need a handle? Should the top be turned over and glued down for a clean edge, or left raw and serrated for a rougher look? Handles are an added detail that completes the graphic story of your bag design.

It should be noted that most bag design projects require working with a printer to identify production options that match your budget. Special manually applied handles, for example, can add to the cost of the bag. Rope, raffia, stringanything that requires that extra stepmeans you'll be paying extra for the labor, and that drives up the production cost.

Bottles

Once you've explored the delights of designing cartons and bags, other many-sided product containers such as bottles and cans will surely beckon. The tremendous variety in container shapes can add challenge and opportunity to the design process. Say you are assigned a gnarly bottle design for a Bavarian beer company. How will your graphics wrap? How can you make that wrap interesting? What color or finish will you use for the bottle top and foil?

Figure 10.7. This Aramis Surface collection, by Steam Design Group, illustrates the challenge of dealing with different shapes and surfaces when designing containers for a product line.

The design and labeling of bottles and cans is a challenging project usually only given to experienced packaging design professionals. A great way to begin exploring this area is by experimenting with label designs (or redesigns) for existing bottles or cans that you own.