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Zifei Ding

BFA in Graphics — Graphic Design
Course:
GPKG-202 Package Design 1: Design Principles
Faculty:
Daniel Hoy

Conceptual Kit Packaging: Craft Kit

The theme of this project was to create a kit with information and items related to the subject matter I had chosen. I chose to design an at-home crafts kit for the Craft Contemporary Museum for people who want to try or enjoy arts and crafts. My design concept is to use modular packaging itself. Different packaging can be stacked into different shapes to increase storage and playability. And I tried to build the model of packaging by hand in the process.
Learning Outcomes:
It was my first time participating in a packaging course. During this process, my instructor's many valuable revisions made me understand that there are many areas about packaging that are not only illustrations and text layout but also more areas that consumers will overlook but designers definitely need to pay attention to. For example, doing PDP analysis for different similar products helped me understand what information needs to be included on the packaging.
For this conceptual kit packaging project, my design concept is to use modular packaging itself. Different packaging can be stacked into different shapes to increase storage performance and playability. Craft Contemporary is a non-profit, non-collecting arts museum dedicated to showcasing contemporary craft in Los Angeles.
During the epidemic, Craft Contemporary Museum was dedicated to providing new ways for people to stay creative. They created easy at-home craft projects which enable people to enjoy craft without going out. But they only provide video tutorials and require viewers to purchase or find the materials themselves. So I think they should have a craft kit to go with this project. Provide tools to people who are willing to try and love art.
I started my brainstorming session, which included the properties I felt a process toolbox needed to have.
Finally, I think my sample kit is a soft oil pastel scraper kit, this is just an example, Craft Contemporary Museum can change the content of the instructional videos and craft kits according to their exhibition theme.
Here is what should be included in the soft oil pastel scraper kit This includes drawing paper, soft oil pastel, different scraper knives, and a frame to display the finished product. I purchased these items and measured them for size.
The next step is the analysis of the characteristics of this craft kit. Here I found five key words, which are ingenious, infinite, aggressive, instructive, and engaging. I think these are the words that describe the handcrafted art and the artist's character.
Based on these five keywords, I started to choose the name to give to this craft kit. These are some of the ideas that I wrote out. Finally, I chose mod as the name of my craft kit. Because for this series of kit packaging I want to use modular. Different packaging can be stacked into different shapes to increase storage and playability.
I tried a lot of sketches and finally chose to use the black triangle element from the Craft Contemporary Museum's own logo.
This is my sketch of the design, such a craft kit should have three different shapes so they can be stacked together. They also have the function of storage to prevent the loss of tools when people use them.
I tried to use art boards to build a model for this craft kit.
Then I will put the physical art-making tool into it to test the size.
This is what it looks like from different angles.
The next step was the design of the visual elements, and I created a mood board.
I then created the visual elements of the kit packaging, based on the thematic colors often used by Craft Contemporary Museum, as well as the triangles.
Then after a PDP analysis of many art tools, I made the first version of the pdp. It includes an introduction to the brand spirit of the Craft Contemporary Museum, what is included in this craft kit, and important logos like age restrictions and warnings and AP Seal.
At the suggestion of my mentor, I made substantial changes to my typography. The layout of the second version became cleaner. Make the information look more concise and easy to understand.
This is what it looks like after the logo is added as well as the pdp.
Then I printed and glued it to my physical model. This is what the model looks like from different angles.
What it looks like after putting all the real tools into this craft kit.
Since this is an at-home craft kit for making art, I decided it would be a monthly subscription item to purchase. This craft kit is to be delivered to the purchaser. So it also needs a courier package. This is the design for the corrugated box. the front and back of the corrugated box will be slightly different.
Then I used corrugate cardboard to make actual size corrugated box models. This is my working process.
Then this is the corrugated box after the visuals are applied.
Then this is what the craft kit looks like when placed in a corrugated box
Because this product was to be shipped, I felt it also needed a shipping label that better matched its visual elements. Then I analyzed the common points contained on the different-shipping labels.
Then this is the design of my shipping label. The size of some warning signs in the lower right corner can be adjusted according to the quantity.
This is what a shipping label looks like when added to the corrugated box.
The above is the whole content of my conceptual kit packaging project, thank you for watching.