Friday, December 9, 2016

Essay Structure

Introduction
Overview of packaging - why it is important and how it is everywhere.

Paragraph 1
Discuss the psychological way that packaging can affect consumers.

Paragraph 2
How packaging can create a brand experience.

Paragraph 3
Colours used to market products e.g. stereotypical colours used to differentiate female and male products - how that influences different audiences .

Analysis
Compare and evaluate similar packaging designs and how packaging is used to make them appear similar yet different.


Conclusion
Key points that are argued in the essay.

Monday, December 5, 2016

Identities and consumption

In what ways can products/services relate to consumers identities?
  • Representation of self (Goffman). - 'People believe that they are somehow represent who they are.'
  • Reinforce or establish social roles. - 'People use their possessions to express who they are... people's self is reflected by what they own.'
  • Belonging. - 'The process of categorizing individuals can lead to others (and self) becoming depersonalized. Because we tend to focus on the groups people belong to and the types of possessions they own.'
Actual self - the way people are at the present point in time
Ideal self - the self that we aspire to be
Ought self - the way we think we should be

How do consumers use products/services within social interaction?
  • Upwards comparison. Ideal self. Celebrity endorsements. - 'We may end up comparing ourselves to those who somehow are viewed to be more competent or desirable.'
  • Downwards comparison. Presenting one project (personality) as superior to another. - 'Generally people seek out those who appear ti do less well in one form or other, as in that way they can make downward social comparisons, meaning when we compare ourselves to those whom do less well, we appear to do better ourselves.'
  • Community. Bonding and cohesion. - 'The stronger self-connection to the product was explained by the fact that Macintosh computers are less commonly used and hence the user think of themselves as part as a small closely knit community.'
Using the theories discussed: suggests some visual communication strategies that effectively promote a product to it's target consumer.
  • Apple - Associate personality types with products.
  • Nespresso - George Clooney, celebrity endorsement, lifestyle. Upward comparison.
  • Perfume advertisements - the ideal self.
  • Dove 'Real Beauty' advertisement 
  • Humour - social/group identity
Are there any ethical issues?
  • Stereotypes people into categories 
  • Self-fulfilling prophecy
  • Unconscious
  • Perpetuating negative body images  
  • Narcissism 
Consumer identities are influenced by their environment, social behaviours and cultural factors. The item that the consumer buys reflects their characteristics dramatically as it shows their personality through the products. In society we are influenced by role models such as celebrities, family, friends or teachers so whatever they are wearing/recommend, we tend to trust them and potentially purchase them because we trust their recommendations as we aspire to be them in some way. Society also pressures us how we see ourselves from influences such as social media or in public where people seem to have the 'perfect ideal' or a certain body/physique/ the products we own - what we should and should not buy. Body image has a huge impact on everyone as we are taught at a young age how our bodies should be and how they should look and how to achieve that 'look'. This is taught from dolls and toys though childhood and has been reinforced by the media. We all have the tendency (consciously or subconsciously) to constantly compare ourselves to others we find beautiful as we want to aspire to that but without thinking that no two people are the same so we always find problems within ourselves because society has brainwashed us to feel self-aware and insecure at all times. For the practical outcome, this may affect my target audience as people generally would buy products that would benefit them and would make them 'prettier'. The type of product of the final outcome would also influence my target audience as they may see it as too masculine or too feminine or just unnecessary. 

Monday, November 7, 2016

Triangulation


Triangulation & Referencing Task Worksheet

Theme: Politics / Society / Culture / History / Technology / Aesthetics
Focus: To what extent does packaging enhance brand identity and consumer desire


Book reference (author, year of publish) e.g. “Jones, 2015”
Relevant key points in summary (use bullet points)
Additional notes (e.g. for or against)
DuPuis, S., Silva, J. and Braue-DuPuis (2008) Package design workbook: The art and science of successful packaging. United States: Rockport Publishers.

·      ‘A package’s eye-catching graphics and messages make all kinds of products desirable, sellable, understandable, memorable, and entertaining.’ (DuPuis and Silva, 2008, p.g.24)
·      ‘Essentially, in the first three to seven seconds after a shopper encounters a product on a store shelf, marketers have the best chance of turning a browser into a buyer’ (DuPuis and Silva, 2008, p.g.25)
·      ‘Consumers make product decisions based on how a product makes them feel. Going further, she observes the power of design to help elicit feelings. “In a crowded marketplace,” notes Postrel, “aesthetics is often the only way to make a product stand out.”’ (DuPuis and Silva, 2008, p.g.25)
For
Heller, S. (1994) Looking Closer: Critical Writings On Graphic Design. Edited by Bierut. M., Drenttel W., Heller S., and D. K. Holland. New York: Allworth Press.

·      The scene on the supermarket shelf is like the scene outside a fashionable New York City club on a Saturday night. Desperate people dressed as stylishly as they know how to dress, looking as attractive as they know how to look, stand in a crowd trying to catch the eye of the all-powerful doorman or doorwoman. They wave their hands to get noticed, to be granted permission to pay their money and come inside.’ (Heller, 1994, p.g.187)
Against
Lupton, E. and Phillips, J.C. (2008) Graphic Design: The New Basics. Edited by Clare Jacobson. New York: Princeton Architectural Press.

·      How type, color fields, and graphic elements carry the viewers eye around the dimensional form, often making a visual if not verbal connection with neighbouring packages when stacked side by side or vertically.’ (Lupton and Phillips, 2008, p.g.122)
For
Shaughnessy, A. and Bierut, M. (2009) Graphic Design: A Users Manual. London, U.K.: Laurence King Publishing.

·      ‘"…Packaging can often end up becoming nothing of real value above and beyond the actual product itself - the packaging becomes the brand."’ (Shaughnessy and Bierut, 2009, p.g.228)
·      To use the graphic design, all you have to do is mention soap powder boxes, baked bean pans or confectionery wrappers. Here are good that would be better - and cheaper - it sold in plain wrappers. If you wanted to be even more damning, you can mention that packaging is often cited, along with television commercials, billboards and press advertising's, as part of the corrosive system of commercial high and state that governs our lives as consumers. And you could go even further and point out that today, at the time when awareness of green issues has reached a critical point, packaging is frequently wasteful, and in many cases downright damaging to the environment.’ (Shaughnessy and Bierut, 2009, p.g.228-229)
·      Here was a worthwhile and necessary product, but I was put off by it because it has dull graphics’ (Shaughnessy and Bierut, 2009, p.g.229)
·      The taste for happily aestheticized packaging is now so ingrained in consumers that when it isn't well designed and seductive product is unlikely to sell.’ (Shaughnessy and Bierut, 2009, p.g.229)
·      Use the minimum packaging required for safety, hygiene and consumer acceptance.’ (Shaughnessy and Bierut, 2009, p.g.229)
Against
Heller, S. and Vienne, V. (2012) 100 Ideas That Changed Graphic Design. London: Laurence King Publishing.

·      ‘Style- of fashion-conscious people cannot bear to throw them away, a tactic used by design-aware companies such as Puma or Apple: opening the various containers for the products is a gratifying process of discovery that is an integral part of the brand experience.’ (Heller and Vienne, p.g.136)
Against
Fletcher, A.D. (2001) The Art Of Looking Sideways. New York: Phaidon Press.
·      ‘The identification of needs does not mean persuading people, as the consumer society relentlessly does, of new needs and creating a profusion of them; it means identifying genuine existing needs.’ (Fletcher, 2001, p.g.425)
Against
Klimchuk, M.R. and
Krasovec, S.A. (2013) 
Packaging design:
Successful product
Branding from concept
to shelf. Available at:
/books?id=HZvK5QJFVkgC
&printsec=frontcover&dq
=packaging+design&hl=
en&sa=X&redir_esc=y#v
=onepage&q=packaging%
20design&f=false
(Accessed: 24 January 2017).
·      ‘In packaging design, the right colors can create market success. Over the years, packaging colors began to define consumer product categories. In the personal care, health, and beauty categories, soft colours, including pinks, purples, cool blues, greens, and the neutral shades of black, gray, tan, and cream.’ (Klimchuk and Krasovec, 2013, p.g.22)
For
Ambrose, G. and Harris, P. (2011) 
Packaging The Brand:
The Relationship Between
Packaging Design and
Brand Identity.
Available at:
books?id=PKpiYVV0GdMC&
printsec=frontcover&dq=
packaging+design&hl=en&
sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwihrIra
59rRAhVKBMAKHYT-AFgQ6AEISDAD#v
=onepage&q=packaging%20design&f=false (Accessed: 1 January 2017).

·      ‘Branded product packaging has to stand out and communicate its qualities to consumers more successfully than its competitors. However, for brand loyalty to grow, branded packaging also has successful transition to the consumer's home or wherever the product will be used or kept.’ (Ambrose and Harris, 2011, p.g.27)
For
Clifton, R. (2010) 
The Economist:
Brands and Branding.
Available at:
?id=Meox4MYrPN0C&pg=PA96&dq=
brand+loyalty&hl=en&sa=X&redir_esc=
y#v=snippet&q=experience&f=false
(Accessed: 8 January 2017).

·      ‘Brand experience design. Often customers will experience the brand through touch points such as packaging or retail stores. It is crucial that the experience is designed rather than just badged with the logo. This means designing the ambience, music, lighting and service behaviour as well as the visual elements.’ (Clifton, 210, p.g.81)
For
Hellström, D. and Olsson, A. (2017) 
Managing Packaging Design for
Sustainable Development:
A Compass for Strategic Directions
?id=ARKcDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA35&dq=
packaging+design&hl=en&sa=X&sqi=
2&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=brand&f=false (Accessed: 8 January 2017).

·      ‘All kinds of products are now sold in one self-service store without a specific sales person. This meant that the package developed from just being a product protector to becoming "a silent salesman" and the carrier of the brand name; in other words, the natural interface between the product protector and the consumer.’ (Hellström and Olsson, 2017, p.g.21-22)
For

Berger, J. (2008). Ways of Seeing. 1st ed. London: Penguin.
·     'A woman must continually watch herself... From earliest childhood she has been taught and persuaded to survey herself continually... as so she comes to consider the surveyor on the surveyed within her as the two constituent yet always distinct elements of her identify as a woman. She has to survey everything she is and everything she does because how she appears to others, and ultimately how she appears to men, is of crucial importance for what is normally thought of as the success of her life. Her own sense of being in herself is supplanted by a sense of being appreciated as herself by another. Man survey woman before treating them. Consequently how a woman appears to be a man can determine how she will be treated.' (Berger, 2008, p.g.46)

       
      'Men act and women appear. Men look at women. Women watch themselves being looked at. This determines not only most relations between man and woman but also the relation of women to themselves. The surveyor of women in herself is male: the surveyed female. Thus she turns herself into an object - and most particularly an object of vision: a sight.' (Berger, 2008, p.g.47)

     'The ‘ideal’ spectator is always assumed to be male and the image of the woman is designed to flatter him.’ (Berger, 2008, p.g.64)
For


When browsing in stores, the first thing a customer will do it look at the product and the way it is packaged. They do not have to know what the item is but if it is eye-catching and grabs their attention, that is where the intrigue first starts. DePuis says ‘In the first three to seven seconds after a shopper encounters a product on a store shelf, marketers have the best chance of turning a browser into a buyer’ (DuPuis and Silva, 2008, p.g.25). Once the customer has spotted the packaging of a product that has piqued their interests, they are determined to find out more about the product as the visuals has already made the product worthy of their time.

However, some can argue that packaging design should just be simple and simply be what it is rather than having it look a certain way to attract customers as they see it as pointless and a waste of time. Heller argues that ‘The supermarket shelf is like the scene outside a fashionable New York City club on a Saturday night. Desperate people dressed as stylishly as they know how to dress, looking as attractive as they know how to look, stand in a crowd trying to catch the eye of the all-powerful doorman or doorwoman. They wave their hands to get noticed, to be granted permission to pay their money and come inside.’ (Heller, 1994, pg.187) Heller describes packaging in the supermarket as a ‘desperate’ marketing attempt to stand out from their rivals/neighbouring products and increase the sales of their products. He says that brands are determined to make their design look the best so it would stand out and would be the worthiest one of being bought. Heller makes it appear useless as he is saying that in supermarkets, there appears to be many of the same items on the shelf yet all their packaging design are made to look dissimilar and more appealing so they would be the ones to be chosen.

Then again, DuPuis and Silva argue that ‘Consumers make product decisions based on how a product makes them feel. Going further, she observes the power of design to help elicit feelings. “In a crowded marketplace,” notes Postrel, “aesthetics is often the only way to make a product stand out.”’ (DuPuis and Silva, 2008, p.g.25) Postrel reinforces that packaging is supposed to stand out and to look good to not only make products sell, but can also distinguish a relationship between the consumer and the product. People are more drawn to what they think that would benefit them and choose that individual product from just looking at the packaging rather the one next to it as that specific one evokes a certain emotion/feeling than the others around it.