It was more difficult to select a product than I first imagined - did I really want to spend several weeks thinking carefully about razor blades. I realise that in the real world you can't pick and choose clients but in this instance I could so I wanted to choose something that would be of interest and motivate.
I chose a bottle of Flemish Sparkling Red Grape Juice partly because I'm quite interested in food/drink packaging and partly because it's akin to wine and it strikes me that wine labels present a little art-form in themselves.
Receiving this brief over the summer break produced unusual time management considerations: How long should I spend on this work? What direction should I take the brief in?
I decided to set constraints and tighten the brief to make it manageable. Research, and through it identification of the USP, aided in this process. Red grape juice is a natural product which has cholestrol lowering properties. Consumption, therefore, has implications in terms of improved cardio-vascular health.
The brief condensed itself: to relaunch the product; for the branding to appear healthy, youthful and fresh; for the product to appeal to as wide a market as possible (I couldn't see any sense in narrowing the target audience for this product) but specifically the health-conscious; and, to promote its health-giving properties.
I wanted the brand to have a strong name that consumers could immediately indentify with the product. Research led me to 'Angel' and 'Grapevine': Angel for its pure, protective, guardian-like qualities, and Grapevine because of the way in which heart forms could be utilised as leaves on the vine.
I was influenced by looking at existing branding in this, and associated, fields. This had pros and cons. It certainly gave me a step-up and a feel for the type of brand that I wanted to create but it also created a situation where I felt that what I was doing was akin to plagiarism. I kept viewing my attempts as obvious pastiches of say the 'Innocent' brand. Maybe its not so obvious to the onlooker.
I learnt more about the software applications - especially mocking-up products in Photoshop. I'm still not sure that I'm using the most appropriate or efficient methods but I seem to find my way through.
I am understanding more about the requirements surrounding image size and resolution when working with multiple images, but, once again, it's all intuitive rather than technical savvy.
I am sure that greater knowledge here will offer improved imaginative use.
In future I need to consider:
- the impact that colour has on consumers and which colours are considered appropriate for certain products
- type hierarchy, its correct use and the power it has in directing our attention
- how the branding is attached to the product: in the instance of a bottle it could be thermally printed/embossed onto the surface
- the shape of the label and how it might be pierced to reveal the product beneath
- technical information that the branding might need to carry
