As part of my distribution which is already covered in the hangover packaging and the adshel posters, I wanted to look further into the retail side of promoting the Panamax brand. This has turned out to be a bigger job than I thought. I first of all thought about creating little pricing labels to go onto the shelving, but realised once I had done a little more research how much I could do and how far this could be taken.
I remember attending the Gratterpalm talk and I remember the work they did for Asda in particular. After refreshing my memory with the examples from their website I know a little more about how this could be taken further right from basic labels I was looking to printing floor graphics to direct shoppers. I could have done signage or a full free standing displays, counter pos's or gondola end displays. This would have really given my product the edge against competitors, particularly as pharmaceutical products have a minimal ammount of promotional and advertising material.
Not looking so much at the design approach and more on the shape of the displays and how they are formed I can take ideas from these images and possibly use them to start to propose ideas for a Panamax display. I like the idea of the gondola displays and the compact nature of the counter displays, which I believe would really work well with my design approach.
Here are the examples I found. These are from Gratterpalm and Michael John Design Ltd.
Scope for even more development
Till Wiedeck
Just discovered this freelancer's site and he an approach that I am looking to achieve on this brief. All his work is clean and considered with some slight variation when he is allowed to experiment. I particularly like this split text effect. I'm unsure of it's purpose but aesthetically its really pleasing. The reversed out type really does appeal to me. This may be something I try. Looks like Helvetica typeface or something similar.
Hangover concoctions
As part of my research I have been looking for the best hangover remedies that I could find. I've never personally tried any of them but there is a great list on this website I found of the top 10 best hangover concoctions. I don't really need to think about the details as I am just getting an idea of the ingredients to put onto my packaging.
Heres the complete list
No.10 - The Suffering Bastard
Ingredients:
1 part bourbon
1 part gin
3 parts ginger ale
1 dash bitters (optional)
To make: Combine all ingredients over rocks, stir well and garnish with a lime.
The Suffering Bastard is a classic tiki cocktail, and as the name suggests, it's meant to go down easy on a hangover. Do yourself a huge favor, however, and try one of these delicious libations in the evening (you don't need to be suffering to enjoy the taste of this old standby). Light and refreshing, the gin and bourbon mix surprisingly well, so the ginger ale isn't drowned out.
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No.9 - The Brass Monkey
Ingredients:
½ oz dark rum
½ oz vodka
4 oz orange juice
To make: Pour into rocks glass with lots of ice. Stir well, garnish with orange wheel.
This is another hangover cure you’ll enjoy without a hangover. The addition of the dark rum makes this the thinking-man’s screwdriver. One sip and you’ll see what the Beastie Boys were talking about. As far as hangover cures go, the orange juice will put some sugar and fluids back in your system (at least it’s a step in the right direction).
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No.8 - Hair of the Dog (Shot)
Ingredients:
½ oz tequila
½ oz Irish whiskey
¼ oz Tabasco
¼ oz salt
To make: Combine first three ingredients in a shot glass. Layer salt on top. Shoot.
Ever wonder where the expression “Hair of the Dog” came from? From what we know, it originated in the time of Shakespeare, the product of some of the weird folk remedies that were popular then. Specifically, they claimed rabies from a dog’s bite was prevented by rubbing the wound with the hair of the dog that bit you. Thus, the tradition of drinking a little alcohol in the morning to ease your hangover was like rubbing the wound with the hair of the dog that “bit you.” This shot takes its name from that bit of folklore.
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No.7 - Jeeves' Secret Concoction
Ingredients:
1 raw egg
¼ oz Worcestershire sauce
¼ oz Tabasco
To make: Pour all three ingredients in a glass. Stir well, consume in one swig.
Made famous in the novels of P.G. Wodehouse, Jeeves the butler has become an icon. Even if you’ve never read a Wodehouse story, the name brings to mind the picture of a perfect gentleman, poised and polished. But if you haven’t read the books, you may not know one of Jeeves' most unusual talents: his ability to solve problems with drinks, including the mixture above.
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No.6 - The Prairie Oyster
Ingredients:
1 egg
½ oz vodka (optional)
2 dashes vinegar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon ketchup
3 splashes Tabasco
Salt and pepper (optional)
To make: Crack the egg and pour into a glass without breaking the yolk. Add other ingredients and drink in one swig.
This classic hangover remedy is the great grandson of Jeeves' Secret Concoction. The addition of vodka and vinegar gives it more kick, and the ketchup covers some of the slippery feel of the egg. Other than that, the two have quite a bit in common (like sounding absolutely disgusting).
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No.5 - The Red Eye
Ingredients:
12 oz beer (a light beer will work best, save the good stuff)
4 oz tomato juice or V8
1 egg
1 oz vodka (optional)
To make: In a glass, pour tomato juice, then beer overtop. Crack egg into the glass and drink.
This drink must have been invented by somebody without the ingredients to mix a Bloody Mary (or by somebody too hung over to mix one). Either way, the Red Eye is a hilariously low-brow mixed drink, and the tomato juice is designed to help a man get back on his feet. So, if you really want to slum it in a hangover, skip brunch and Bloody Marys, and grab one of these and a big plate of bacon.
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No.4 - The Bartender's Breakfast
Ingredients:
2 oz vodka
1 handful cherry tomatoes
1 basil leaf
Pinch of ground coriander
Pinch of celery salt
Pinch of pepper
Pinch of chopped chives
Ice
To make: Throw all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.
While all the vegetables and liquids in this drink do make for a good morning-after drink, we'd still like to meet the creator of this nightmare. We have a couple questions for the sicko who thought a Bloody Mary would make a good frozen drink. A cherry tomato daiquiri? What was wrong with strawberry?
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No.3 - Deep-Fried Canaries
While the ancient Romans gave us all kinds of wonderful creations, they also filled the history books with some truly disturbing behavior. Make room in your mind next to the famous Roman orgies and gladiator battles for this bit of information: a staple food for the morning after drinking in ancient Rome was deep-fried canary. And if you think that sounds cruel and unappetizing, just wait till you see what their great-grandchildren dreamed up at No. 2 on our list
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No.2 - Dried Bull's Penis
If you're like us, the only way you can even imagine somebody eating dried bull's penis is on an episode of Fear Factor. The fact is, though, Sicilian men used to rely on this folk remedy to shake off the haze from a long night of the vino. Between the food, the cars and our own Mr. Mafioso, we can be thankful to the Italians for all kinds of good things -- a great hangover cure isn't one of them. And while this may sound like the grossest thing a person could ingest to cure a hangover, that “prize” definitely goes to our American-bred hangover cure at No. 1.
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No.1 - Rabbit-Dropping Tea
As far as historical hangover cures go, this takes the cake. Sure, eating a bull's penis is nasty enough, but to actually cook with droppings -- blecch! Drinking rabbit-poop tea was a famous cure in the Old West. The drink was popular at the time -- cowboys weren't known to say no to a drink. There are tales of all sorts of heroes of the Wild West tending their hangovers with this vile concoction. And even though we normally approve of anything that was good enough for Billy the Kid and Doc, there isn't a hangover in the world that would make us go near this stuff. We take our 10-gallon hats off to the men and women of the Wild West -- this is hands down the most legendary hangover cure of all.
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Now theres a few in the list that are beyond weird but some I can work with..
Alan Clarke
Noticed these on David's blog and thought I might add them to mine, as I am looking at working with type and layout. The swiss element is really coming through on these posters. The typefaces used here alone communicate that though. The simple black and white colours work well across this range of 10 typographic posters.
The negative space on the second image in particular gives the print a sense of balance. That is something I like look for on my posters.
Multistorey
I have just been browsing around on the net again, as its the easiest way to get to see agency work, when I came across September Industry which is a website dedicated to the best examples of typographic, retail, etc (you name it type thing) and I happened to see this for London based agency Multistorey. This example of packaging got me thinking about colour variation. Each package in my range could have a different colour depending on its content or its quantity perhaps. Just an idea. Again, the type work has a definate structure that I admire.
Projects Projects
New york based agency this time with a really good example of using overprinting to form hierarchy but also keep other text readable. I could use this effect on my leaflet when I am short of space.
Even though it has a large ammount of small copy it can still capture attention with the use of larger headlines.
Browns Design
This book design by Browns is a much more contemporary alternative to what I am looking for. The tight leading spread of copy do not conform to the rules of a hard nosed typographer but I like the effect that is given. It's like a wall of information. It's difficult to read but perhaps that's the point being made.
Looking for inspiration
I have started to look at anything that gives me some sort of spark to kick start this project again. I have a design style that I like, but I feel I am limiting myself a little. I need to experiment within the decisions I have made, and the stuff I have looked at here will hopefully feed straight into my development.
First of all we have some nice chocolate coffee packaging from freelancer Natalia Bungert. The design approach is something I could emulate and is also similar to the kind of thing I have been doing on this brief. She uses the space of the more effectively than me however, and uses a tailored stock. The whole packaging range works well as a set and is distributed in this handy carrier.
I also found this example that I believe I used last year. It is an eco-minded project and uses bio-degradable materials. Now that doesn't really make a difference to what I want to do, as my concern is not saving the planet, but I choose this once again for its structured, yet simplistic approach to packaging graphics.
This is a small bag used for seeds. I like the idea of testing with different material instead of just paper, however, this would obviously appeal more to women than men. It would put a spin on my product though. This was designed by Visualingual.
More structured packaging using colours to differentiate between product lines. I could apply this tactic to my product range of different quantities and experiment with colour. This seems like an effective approach too. It has a structured, hierarchical feel to it and suits the choice of typeface too. This was design by A-B-D.
A combination of illustration and type with an injection of colour makes this packaging stand out and has purpose behind it. Cleverly designed to leave space for the user to colour in the packaging, and child like illustration means that it speaks to the kid on their level. The design approach needs to be catered for the target audience, otherwise whats the point? This was designed by Alice Chair
Target Audience profile
Target audience: Young working class adults, who commute to work on the bus and regular socialise.
I selected some questions and found the answers and have used imagery to visualise them below. There is a real diverse range of graphics here from shop fronts to packaging and there is no real set aesthetic that will interest my audience, possibly with the exception of colour.
Aisle One.net | Typography
I came across a new resource today, which I will undoubtedly use again as it has some stunning pieces on it from designers and agencies the world. The examples I have posted here are all typography based as that is the basis of my design practice for this brief and hoefully my focus for the rest of the year.
The first example was designed by Australian agency, Hofstede Design. It's a double sided A2 for Tobias Frere-Jones which promoted Tobias' visit to Melbourne for a conference and typographic masterclass.
I like how the poster would be folded and opened to reveal more information. Each panel works alone but once fully opened it still holds up visually as one piece of work.
The next piece of design is from Tank Boys, a multidisciplinary Venice based studio.
I am unsure about what this piece represents or whom it was designed for but the tankboys website is jampacked with typographic print design, which all looks a little similar but has a clear design aesthetic taste that is easily recognisable.
This is poster designed by Barcelona based design agency, Astrid Stravo created for the International Piano Competition in 2007.
It holds solid ties with the Swiss/International typographic style I am looking to adopt to use for this brief.
It has a clear hierarchy and is precise because of the grid system imposed. Once again, like most pieces associated with the swiss approach the type of choice is sans serif.
This minimalist approach taken by freelancer Peter Bruce. The prisoner dillema is a game and these are the visuals created for it.
My only reason for the inclusion of this piece was down to the use of the itallicised typeface which gives the visuals a different dimension. I also like the use of the coloured stock as a way to add colour to the one colour print job. Seen as my product is budget product, this may be of use to me.
This is a booklet created by well known agency, Design has no name. It is a publication based on the life and work of Oscar Wilde. Although some of the type is a little hard to read and/or understand. There is still an obvious grid system in place but the type pushes the grid to its limits. It's a clever piece of work, which engages the audience and gives them the facts they need, which is the same thing I want to do.
The next examples come from Studio Sport. These are examples of some of their publication work. This is a redesign of the annual report of the Museum der Kulturen Basel (museum of ethnology). Due to some corporate identity relicts, we had to use the old format and the typefaces.
I love the simplicity of the layout designs. The simple grid imposed here helps create some continuity throughout the publication.
Aisle one is definitely a resource that I will continually pull designs from as the quality of the things I have found thus far have been so good.
KeepsMeSane.co.uk
Keepsmesane.co.uk is the portfolio website of Darren Firth, which I stumbled upon when looking for inspiration for my brand identity. I was browsing through his work and noticed his work for Brand fluent, and the development of that identity.
I think this could be a good way of working to manipulate an existing typeface and alter its appearance to create something unique to the brand. He extended some of the serifs, combined letterforms and altered their spacing accordingly.
Books
I decided to get into the library to give me some ideas and background information on how to tackle my brief. I got a book entitled 'Logo', which gives an insight into some of the most influencial and inspiring identities from designers such as Paul Rand, Saul Bass, Otl Aicher, and Lance Wyman, as well as contemporary designers and agencies including North, Sagmeister, and Johnson Banks.
As well as showcasing the solutions, there is a small explanation given, which helps one understand the thinking behind some of the design decisions made. Many of the identities here are pretty timeless. I have taken some of the ideas contained within the book as well as adopting the design process of Darren Firth (keepsmesane.co.uk) to manipulate typefaces and creating something unique.
The next book I looked at was a type treatment book which will give me some ideas on which way to take my work. Obviously any information I do present I want to be clear and concise so it is easily accessible and understood. Some of the type treatments did not meet these parameters, such as the first example, but others used type in a creative way but without hindering the clarity information given.
The third book I took out was a packaging book. It was quite old so I didn't take as much from it as I would have liked. I instead chose to look at some packaging nets, which I will document later. I did, however, find a good example of an alternative approach to pharmaceutical packaging. This could be a good approach to take but highly expensive for a product of so little value.