Project #3 Packaging

For this project we were asked to develop a packaging concept for our item-if you'll recall mine was a bird stencil. I researched and observed stencils and their packaging on the internet and at Michaels. Most had nothing really fancy about them: they were either in a plastic sheath or as is with a a piece of cardboard at the top.   So I began thinking about my design and the flaws I saw in current design of stencil packaging. 

For my target audience, the average crafter, they are a resourceful bunch. They are all about dual use of items and I wanted my packaging to reflect this. The package needs to be able to contain the stencil and protect it from damage. I wrote these thoughts in my sketch book and started sketching ideas as seen in these 2 photos. I began to examine each idea further to help me edit my ideas. I had to think about what I could feasible accomplish and which would actually protect the integrity of the stencil best. The plastic sheath seemed the easiest and most practical idea. Stencils are relatively cheap so the more "stuff" you add to it, the higher the cost to produce therefore the higher it

 will cost for the consumer. The plastic allows the consumer to see what they are buying (real size and shape) and it could be saved or tossed afterwards. Plastic has a temporary and "toss-able" connotation to it so it did not reach my goal of being reusable. 

The next idea was a folder that would have ribbon to hold down the stencil (you would slide it in and out) and it would also contain ideas for projects using the stencil. This would encourage buyers to hold onto the folder and refer to it often for its ideas. My last idea was to create a box that would have an impression of the stencil so it would hold it in place and maintain its shape. Prof. Anderson gave me the idea of using the duality of my stencil to my advantage. Since I had mentioned the reusable quality and longevity of items I would like to create, the fact that a stencil has a positive and negative image should be played upon. From there I investigated the idea of using the bottom of the box that contains the stencil impression as the negative and the stencil itself as the positive. The stencil would have a handle for pulling it out easier from its mold and if, for some reason the stencil breaks or is damaged, you can pop out the mold and use the negative of that to continue using it. And even when the mold is removed, the box can then contain other items so that after you are done using the stencil you can save the packaging and use it for something else.

So this week I will be constructing a box either out of chipboard or foam board....

Posted in: Packaging