1) The student developed their packaging design skills through multiple iterations of designing an IRN-BRU energy drink can. They focused on technical elements like ensuring accurate sizing and aesthetic qualities like using the brand's signature orange and blue colors. 2) Through planning colors, fonts, and layouts, they were able to efficiently create and modify designs. However, more exploration of color shades and creative copy could have strengthened early planning. 3) Refining initial ideas through development led the student to their final design, which featured a cartoon character and stood out from their other stripe-focused concepts. The development process significantly impacted their chosen final product.

1. Evaluation
Savannah Hardwick

2. Packaging Final Product Evaluation

3. Packaging
What are the technical qualities of
your work?
I think throughout this project I have developed further my ability to design and
produce a good quality product featuring many technical parts, especially with the
packaging design. I had decided very early on that I wanted my product to be based
on the theme of pop art, and that each product I made (packaging, magazine advert
and web banner) would all have the same theme and look to them. When creating
the packaging, we had to design it to a real life scale, making sure that we kept
within the guidelines so that it would fit on the can flat plan we had been provided
with. I think that the can design I created first well on to the can image and when I
adjusted the design, using the warp tool and trimming it down, I found that it fit
very well without changing the design very much. On the packaging, I created a
small ginger haired stereotypical Scottish man, running across the bottom of the
can. I think the technical quality of this image is very good because I spent my time
rotoscoping over an existing image, and changing it completely from what it
was, adding the beard and hair, the tartan kilt and the speed lines. I kept the basic
elements of the existing image but changed them to suit my needs. I think this
image changes the design of the can totally, making it more fun and interesting to
look at. I think it adds more style to the packaging design, but it still is in keeping
with the theme I chose to use. I also made sure to keep the IRN-BRU
colours, orange and blue, because I know that these are what makes the product
recognisable. Another technical quality of this packaging design is the nutritional
information box that I created, the overall look of it is very professional looking, and
the colours used all relate to the product. The copy in the box isn't overwhelming
and is easy to read due to the colour and font choices.

4. Packaging
What are the aesthetic qualities to
your work?
On each of my developments for the packaging design I used a similar theme, and for
this I used a variety of aesthetic techniques. One of the main aesthetic qualities that I
considered was the two main colours that I was using on the packaging and how they
would go with each other. When I was planning the layout and designs of the different
development I made sure to try out the colours in a variety of ways. I decided that
orange was a better colour to be in the foreground, having it for text and images, as it
was made brighter and more vibrant by the darkness of the blue. I also decided very
early on to keep the two colours that IRN-BRU have become known for, orange and
blue. Another aesthetic quality to my work is the small cartoon character on the
bottom half of the can. The stereotypical Scottish man helps to relate the product to its
original roots, as this is where IRN-BRU was originally made. I think that the image I
used is attractive and fun looking, which will help with drawing in the audience to the
product. I think that another aesthetic quality of the packaging is the bubbled font
that I chose to use. ‘’Badaboom’ is a fun, bold and easy to read font that is appropriate
for the design as well as appropriate for the target audience. This same font has been
used throughout each of the products I’ve produced. The text is always in bright orange
with a white stroke making it stand out even more off of the dark blue background it is
placed on. I also chose to create a bar code to put on the packaging, I created it
online, and chose to pit the phrase ‘IRN BRU 32’ as the code instead of number. I think
that this is a great way of making the design unique and individual. The colour, image
and font choices also all stick with the pop art theme.

5. Packaging
Are there opportunities for further
development of your work?
My final packaging design, I left a lot of room for improvements or further
development if I wanted it. When looking at my final product, I can see many
things that I would change or add to it, I would develop the placement of the copy
on the can, as well as the images and smaller areas of text. I think that the overall
design of the packaging is very similar to existing products that are already on the
market, specifically the Relentless can design. Both my final product and the
Relentless can feature a colourful can, minimal text and then and image. I think
that because they are very similar, I could develop this design further to change
the layout. I think that another area of the packaging that could be developed is
the cartoon character I created. I think that I could have gone further with the
design, adding more detail in where it needed. I could've added the can into the
cartoon, having the man carrying the drink itself to directly have the product
relate back to the image used even further. I also think that I could develop the
nutritional information even further, ensuring that I have all the relevant
information and that this information is all correct. I think that I could've also
further developed the copy used on the packaging (the copy within the nutritional
information box as well as the main copy on the can). Another way I could further
develop this work would be to change the theme completely, which would also
change the look of all my final product.

6. Packaging
Are your final pieces fit for purpose?
I think that the final product itself is fit for purpose because it is an energy drink
packaging design with the name ‘IRN-BRU 32’. I think that by keeping the two
main colours as orange and blue has also helped to make this product fit for
purpose because these two colours help to symbolize the current product that is
being made ‘IRN-BRU’ therefore people will associate the energy drink with this
drink. I think that the design is simple but effective, and gets the message of what
the product Is to the consumer very quickly. I think that the chosen tag line ‘Faster.
Stronger. Better’ is very effective as well because It make it inherently clear that
the product will boost your skills, making you faster, stronger and better. I think
that the stereotypical Scottish man cartoon is a great way of showing the drinks
nationality, showing its Scottish roots without being too in your face or making It
to obvious. In an obvious way, the product Is fit for purpose because the design fit
on to a plain can flat plan, so when I added my design and then warped and cut it
into shape, it fit perfectly, therefore becoming the product, which makes It fit for
purpose.

7. Packaging
What areas of your planning and
development worked well?
My final product is very different form my initial plans, where I did basic ideas
and didn’t elaborate very much on specific details of what I wanted on the
packaging. I had originally decided that I wanted the can to be shaped in the size
of a 32. having it like a flask instead of a can, but I quickly realised that this was
an interesting and fun idea that would be very hard to create in the time given.
For my further planning I looked into text sizes, fonts and colours as well as the
type of image that I want to use on the packaging. Planning the types of
font, colours, theme and general layout of the packaging helped me to be able
to create it very quickly, and to be able to adapt it further if I needed to. I think
that planning out and developing the fonts and colours was a great help to me
and allowed me to be able to experiment with what I wanted to do. I think that
because each font I looked at had a similar look, It made it obvious to me that I
would be having a certain look on each of my products. I decided that I wanted
my theme to be pop art by looking at the two bright and bold colours, orange
and blue, which are frequently used in pop art images. By going into production
having a vague idea of colours and fonts helped me to be able to develop other
aspect of the product, including the image I used and the layout on the
packaging.

8. Packaging
What areas of planning and development
could have had more work?
The first area of panning and development that I think could’ve been improved
would be looking into the colours more. I think that I could have looked at
different shade of the two colours, orange and blue, and seen how the variety of
colours worked with each other. During the production of the packaging, I found
that you had to be very specific with the shade of orange you chose, because
when adding the design to the can template, I found that the shade of orange I
had been using looked very yellowish. I then had to go back to my planning and
evaluate the shades of colour that I used, I decided to try a much darker orange to
see if it had the opposite effect and would look brighter on the can template, I
found that it did. I also think that the copy itself could have had more work. I think
that I needed to develop the text more and see how I could make it more creative.
I have used minimal copy on each of the products as a way to draw in the
audience, but I could see how I could change that, by using copy as a way to draw
them in. I also think that I could've developed my can shape more, in my initial
ideas, I thought about doing the can itself in an unusual shape to make it more
unique and attractive. I think I could've developed this more and used it as a
possible design due to it being a more interesting can than what is out there
now, and also because I feel that my final design looks similar to those that already
exist.

9. Packaging
What effect do you think your
development had on your final products?
I think that my development had a huge effect on my final product. I think that if I
hadn't developed my initial ideas then I would not have been as happy as I was
with my final packaging design. Developing my ideas helped me to think about the
layout, the shade and intensity of the colours, the text and the font as well as what
I actually wanted on the packaging. I had a very decided idea in my first few
designs, they all consisted of the two colours, orange and blue being striped on
the can, or having the two colours merged somehow. I used this style for the
majority of my designs, it was only on my last development that I moved away
from this and chose to do a completely different packaging design, which ended
up being my final packaging design. I had also designed a character to go on to the
can but I hadn't had a chance to use it yet, so when I decided to do this design in
all blue, having the text in orange, I knew that I would have room to add the image
onto the can and it not look to full or cluttered, which is what I was worried about
with the other designs. I think that developing my ideas helped me to work
towards creating something that was very different from my other designs, which
helped me massively because it became the design that I chose to use.