Product packaging is both highly integrated and plays a significant role in our consumer heavy society. Effective package design not only takes the visual aesthetic into account, but also user interaction, and overall experience. In addition to that, smart use of space and efficiency holds importance as to how reproducible the packaging is. Although this project does not focus on reproducibility, we were to still explore ways to design a packaging that is effective for what it holds.
9/21/19 cube corners
To start this project, we were asked to create 6x6 inch cardboard cube corners in different ways. We were to explore different joint mechanisms, using various methods whether using adhesives or not, to join sides together.
What Was Successful and What Was Not:
- When creating the corners, I first started with tape and realized that the corners had to be lined perfectly to prevent one edge from being shorter than the other.
- The puzzling corner worked pretty well, except that it was weak and if it were pushed to any side, it would disassemble itself.
- Hot glue was sturdy.
- Tabs was also sturdy, but the inner flab had to be glued down otherwise it would loosen itself. It was also hard to disassemble as the cardboard was too thick.
The tape and hot glue were the most successful to me, as both were the sturdiest out of all the cube corners and was easiest to assemble. The puzzle pieces would’ve clicked together well, however, I measured some of the notches a little off and it was loose. The tab was also extremely stable, but it was too solid, making it hard to get disassemble and reassemble.
Overall, I thought this assignment was useful as it was a warmup to the main objective of the project, which is to create a special carrier for the object you picked out the hat (for me, it was the pear). Another part to that is to get used to the cardboard, start to get to know it better.
9/25/19 pear prototypes
From the hat pick, I picked out pears. Immediately, I was able to see things I needed to consider to create cardboard packaging that effectively (and comfortably) held pears.
Things to Think About Summed Up:
- Pear Species: different species have varied shapes (i.e. ‘Asian’ pears are rounder).
- Sizes: even with pears in the same bunch, there will be pears either bigger or smaller than the rest.
- Ripeness: softens faster than i.e an apple, meaning the cardboard edges could rip the skin.
Attempt #1:
The pears I got came in a bulk of 10 from Target. They were on the smaller side, but had an obvious pear curve. The pears were roughly 8 cm in height and 5.5 cm in width.
For my first attempt, I wanted to construct the pear using truncated cone shapes to 1. capture the roundness 2. create the classic pear curve. Using the digitalized cone template, I printed it out and traced it on tracing paper, in which I then transferred onto the cardboard.
For the most part, I think my first attempt stayed almost true to size of the real pears. However, one issue is that when I cut the cone shapes, the pieces didn’t fit well so I had to rearrange the order in which each component attached. This in turn caused the cardboard prototypes to lose the distinctive pear curve. They also looked a bit like bee hives or a cocoon (as others have noted).
Attempt #2:
For attempt two, I focused on fixing these major things:
— Emphasize the curves (distinctive feature crucial to make it look pear-like)
— Craftsmanship
In this attempt, I wanted each truncated cones to not line up symmetrically, to resemble a Topsy Turvy cake. To do so, I added a centimeter longer to my pear measurement plans so that when I cut each cone template out, I could roll it, tape it, and then shave off the excess from there.
After I made the first pear, instead of gluing it immediately, I traced the shapes on another sheet of cardboard so I could replicate it for the rest of the pears.
For my second attempt, I was pretty satisfied as to how the classic pear shape turned out. It was definitely more obvious than the previous attempt, and was more structurally sound.
However, some issues I noticed after making them was that they were slimmer and taller than the expected. This could be because of underestimation as to how much cardboard I actually shaved off, or that the pears I got the second time round were significantly bigger (different species).
9/30/19 carrier component exploration: prototype 1
Before starting the first official prototype, we were asked to create components of our first idea. We were to explore the aspects of the carrier to see what worked and what didn’t.
In brainstorming for ideas on how my container could hold the pear, I first looked at what potential shapes would most effectively hold the classic pear shape (red star). Because pears are fresh produce and perishable, I really wanted to emphasize visibility, breathability, convenience aspect of my container. I wanted to stay away from packaging too fancy and complex like a gift box, as pears perish within a week and no one would want rotten pears in a tightly sealed box.
For my first idea (image on the right, blue star), I wanted the container to have a handle on top and have a predominantly triangular tent-like shape. This is because triangles are one of the strongest geometric shapes and I wanted my container to be sturdy. Furthermore, I also wanted the container to be held like a bag instead of being held by hand as this would provide convenience for when someone is grocery shopping or just carrying numerous pears.
My first prototype consists of two main components:
— Exterior ‘tent’ like cover + handle built in.
— Actual carrier of the pears.
Exterior:
Interior:
As I made the components of my first prototype, the pears I had previously had softened and bruised so much that they needed to be discarded. I tried to get the same pears again from Target, however they sold out and I ended up purchasing pears from Giant Eagle. One issue, however, was the fact that the pears at Giant Eagle were significantly larger than the ones from Target. As a result, I ended up making two different bases for both the cardboard dummies and the real pears.
For this prototype, I focused on the no adhesives aspect as I wanted it to be easily assembled and disassembled, and more importantly, collapsable. The main mechanism of the container is lifting the sides of the exterior to unhinge the tabs, thus revealing the pears. If the container wants to be flattened and stowed away, the exterior could be taken off and folded in half and stacked. This makes it so that the packaging is now more convenient for the user after they’ve taken out the pears and has no use for the container anymore.
In addition, I made it so that the handle was integrated with the exterior of the carrier for easier access. I also cut it in the opposite direction of the corrugation for strength and stability.
Prototype 1 Concept Summary:
- Simple design — does not have too many complex components.
- Base holds pears with tabs on side — can be detached from exterior.
- Multiple functions integrated into one piece of the carrier.
- Purpose to carry pears — not a gift box.
- Two ends of the container give good breathability.
Prototype 1 Issues:
- Container was too simplified, holds no element of surprise.
- Once the exterior was unhinged from component where the pears sat, there is no support at the bottom of the inner component to set the pears down.
- Weak support for pears — if the carrier were to be swung around slightly, chances of pears falling out is high.
Additional Notes:
In the original sketch, I wanted to include a folding mechanism that held the top half of the pears in place. I ultimately took it out due to the fact that it was physically impossible to implement, as it needed corners to be created (which the walls of the exterior component lacked).
10/2/19 prototype 2: collapsing X
After coming up with the first prototype, I decided that because the idea was more boring than my intended ‘simple and interesting’, I discontinued it. I then set out to brainstorm even more, drawing down anything that came to mind.
In the previous critique, we went over numerous elements/questions we could focus on for our containers.
As such, as I was brainstorming for another idea, I kept a few questions/things I thought was crucial to the pear packaging at the back of my mind:
- Don’t confuse ‘surprise’ with ‘confusion’.
- Quality of interaction: How can you use the surfaces to provide information?
- How to deal with the weight of the pears? Stability: Will it tumble?
When I decided to come up with an entirely different design, I wanted to incorporate simplicity but also an element of surprise to pique interest and show creativity.
For the second prototype, I decided on a collapsable mechanism formed by two planes intersecting each other like an X.
For this prototype, I wanted it so that all three pears would be held within the structure of the two planes, and would be taken out by collapsing the X shape. By attaching the handle on the top of the X shape, it stabilizes it which allows it to stay.
Critique — Prototype 2 Observations/Issues:
- Cardboard was too flimsy, the more you collapse it and move it around, the connections get weaker. (= will not stand on its own.)
- Collapse mechanism is interesting, however, it’s forcing cardboard to be what it doesn’t want to be.
- Intersecting the two planes worked, however it fell apart as soon as circles were cut out of them.
- Shape of prototype doesn’t give a lot of visual cues as to what it is carrying.
- Circular cuts ended up digging/scrapping against the pear—bruising it.
10/7/19 prototype 3: hourglass
After realizing how the second prototype only worked in theory, I tried to create a third with elements from the previous one in mind.
Here, I tried to resolve the issue of connection issues by making sure that at least one of the diagonals were not cut out by anything but the three circles to hold the pear.
In this model, I used one long sheet of cardboard instead of two planes to create the main component. Doing so allows for better stability, which was one of the main issues from the previous iteration. Here, the two triangles act as the legs of the container, and the holes were cut in multiple sections for a more comfortable fit.
Critique: Prototype 3
- Interesting idea, could be developed more (turned in with tape on it still).
- Twisting mechanism is not intuitive: pears could’ve been taken out from the top as instead of the ‘surprise’ element of twisting and revealing more of the pear.
- Handle is slightly uncomfortable
- Pears sit in carrier well — sturdy.
Additional Notes:
- By this iteration, we were beginning to venture in the no adhesives route.
- In this prototype, I wasn’t able to figure out how to create the single sheet hourglass shape without using adhesives.
- The tabs would have gotten too messy and/or complex—which could muddle with the clarity of the package.
10/9/19 prototype 4: final
Still striving for a full no adhesive carrier, I decided that it wouldn’t be worth it trying to make an idea with too many issues (most fundamentally hard to fix) work. For my final, I wanted to incorporate elements from my previous designs to find the right compromise.
ITERATION 1:
For the main shape of the carrier, I wanted to go back to the first prototype ever made and incorporate the element of semi-covered + breathability.
I decided to fold the outer shell this way in an attempt to vaguely remind of a pear shape.
In addition to that, for the mechanism of how the pears would sit in the carrier, I kept the same idea of them sitting in a row. This way, it would be a more efficient way of using cardboard. Sometimes, the less pieces the better.
In making the interior of the carrier, I made it so that the pears sat in a row as it would be most efficient use of cardboard. The triangular shape I ended up using helped with stability, as the first prototype had pears falling out of it. In addition, by cutting out windows on the sides, it not only reveals whats in the carrier but also covers/protects the pears.
As for the closing mechanism, I made it so that I cut one side of the handle all the way through and one almost all the way so that it could loop through the other side. This way, it would provide comfort that the previous prototype handles lacked and at the same time, become the tab that holds the flaps together.
Critique: Prototype 4 Final Iteration 1
- Effective handle, comfortable.
- Handle is, however, a bit on the thinner side, too frail-looking.
- Corners too sharp, with the rectangular windows, it looks like a bus.
- When the carrier is opened, the flaps are too long, too awkward.
- Circular windows are too small, too high up; rectangular windows muddies the clarity of whats inside.
Prototype (Idea) 4: Iteration 2
After the critique session, I remade the same idea but changed and experimented with a few things:
- Windows
When Stacie suggested bringing the circular windows down and enlarging it, I was worried about how that would weaken the stability of the pears as they would fall through. To compromise, I kept the shape narrow but rounded, which would show the whole pear but keep it in the container.
The longer shape also allows for more visibility, which helps people see whether or not the pear is ripe.
2. Flaps
One issue I really wanted to address from the previous iteration were the awkwardly long sides when you open the container.
To fix this, I decided to cut tabs over the handles and cut slits on the interior component of the carrier. This then allows me to push the flaps down, folding the sides in half to save space. This not only fixes the issue of having too much material that hangs awkwardly, but also adds an element of surprise that I was struggling to find with all my designs.
Final Carrier: Iteration 3
Overall, I’m glad I was able to reach this point of my project. One big takeaway was probably knowing when to stop. Throughout the seemingly endless cycle of planning and making, I’ve learned to know when to scrap an idea (whether it be because it only worked in theory or if I wasn’t treating the cardboard right) and use the little time I have to brainstorm even more. Through numerous explorations and experimentations, I was able to learn a lot from the different types of critiques (group/personal) and each time I did an iteration of an idea. It was honestly hard to keep an open mind and not keep thinking about the same designs. However, once I got out of that rut, the payoff was satisfying and it was worth it.
