Design Research

Main Brief Research - Looking at competitors / other paint container designs.

Pantone - interesting shape, makes it stand out from other tins and a flat surface can showcase the design and info better. Basic white colour with black font and large block of colour looks modern.

Farrow & Ball Paint - I like both designs, one is minimal and modern and the other two use nice traditional colours that give a 'premium' feel.

Little Greene - I like the cream font on dark background, it again gives a premium sense, and the neutral colours dont clash with the different coloured paints inside. The green and gold design looks high end with script style font.

Marston & Langinger - Again nice traditional colours and minimalistic style looks modern and high end. 

Auro - Use of metal and plastic tubs. The design and logo makes it look like low-mid range quality paint, and there seems to be a cluster of info imagery, not sleek like the other designs. 

Interesting information from the Q&A Blog - A question I was going to ask has already been posted by a peer, regarding changing the colour scheme of the paint containers corresponding with the colour of the paint they hold. Peter Lawley answered -

"My only comment on a different colour for each colour in the range is that we would end up with 50 (soon to be 72) different packaging solutions. Some colours sell a lot, some hardly ever and we could end with a surplus of unpopular colours. would look noice for the end consumer though."

So it seems that this option might not be the best route to go down.

Another interesting find. In my initial sketches and designs I contemplated the idea of a square paint tin/bucket, as it would reduce storage spaces and transport, resulting in reduced environmental impact. It would also stand out on the shelves from competitors with traditional round containers. I came across these designs for Dulux paint, I think they look elegant and sleek and have further inspired the possibility of a square container for my end design.

http://lovelypackage.com/dulux/

CAT Trip

Center for Alternate Technology, 14th November 2013
On Site Research Task.

An Innovative use of materials in architecture - The 'rammed earth' lecture theater. It was suprising how warm it actually was when we stepped inside.

An Innovative use of water for transportation - unfortunately we were unable to use it but have witnessed its process in a video.

Interior of the shop - where you can buy books on sustainability, green food and drink and other interesting items and gifts. 

Jo Gwillim Lecture - I found it very useful to learn that it's important not just to look at what materials are recyclable or natural, but to look deeper into how much energy has been used to process that material, how much it takes to recycle, how much it has to travel about to achieve this and so on. An interesting example - Steel processed in Korea takes half the amount of energy as Steel produced in the UK, due to technology and so on. 

An interesting thing on sight - The Treadmill of Happiness. Something to reiterate that energy is needed to make and buy things, and that the concept of generating that energy yourself (on a treadmill for example) can bring you happiness. Work More, Buy More. 

An interesting display on site - Pieces of wind turbines scattered around. It was interesting to see the size of them in comparison to a person.

A curious thing I came across on sight - an art installation that mimics a tree trunk sticking out of a wall, but serves as a platform to grow fungus and a perch for birds and wildlife. 

Client Visit

Peter Lawley Client Visit for Edward Bulmer Pots of Paint Ltd. 

I noted down some rough notes and important information from the talk that Peter gave, that I will take into consideration with my design ideas. 

The talk as well as the brief Q&A Blog have helped me narrow down design ideas, such as I know not to go with transparent buckets and that the powder paint option isn't viable. 



Paint travels in big plastic tubs 
metal can rust
Different sizes available (2.5 ltr for the brief)
Leaflets can be in design (ie please re-use bucket) (similar to what the Innocent Veg Pot did) most end up in skip anyway
Needs more protection during travel, in sets of 2 (as brief states)
Worcester resource exchange - paint pots
Cornstarch is used to absorb spills (spillage has been a problem)
Need to be able to be picked up easily (include handles) otherwise couriers struggle and drag/kick things about with feet
Cardboard box with plastic bag inside - difficult 
Premium market expects metal containers
Paint in powder form idea - no. Decorators expect easy paint
Cardboard box + cardboard inserts   (like wine boxes? 6 pack)
shredded paper - protection?
packaging generic saves a lot of money
Tagline and logo have to stay
Label covers a large surface, generic size label wanted, info on back
Or 2 large labels - front + back
Eco/Green side of it should be emphasized
Hierarchy of design - premium paint first with environmental message supporting it.
clear container? No. paint separates and looks bad until it is mixed
Standard traditional container or something completely different? If it can be done, do it. 

Research Task

London Bio Packaging

 14 million ready meals consumed at Olympics

B.     8,500 tonnes expected waste to landfill

C.     120 million pieces of packaging supplied,  all responsibly made, all responsibly disposed of.

D.     5 stages in the closed loop system,  supply, dispose, collect, process and re-use.

E.     Bio Plastics are made from plants. They behave in a similar way to conventional plastics and are suitable for most packaging applications.

F.     PSM – plant starch material is a flexible bio based packaging material, which has not been refined into a bio-plastic. It is made from renewable crops like corn or potatoes.

G.     Sugar Bagasse is the waste material produced once sugar cane has been harvested for the sugar syrup is called bagasse. This fibrous material is a renewable source.

H.    Recycles plastic rPET (recycled polyethylene terephthalate) is the most common plastic that is being recycled back into primary applications (i.e. bottles recycled back into bottles and not down cycled into lesser products like park furniture.

Wrap

A.     Wraps work helps people recycle more and waste less, both at home and work, and offers economic as well as environmental benefits.

B.     Design for re-use considerations – consumers willingness to return used packaging, needs to be made simple to fit into everyday life. Design must be robust enough for re-use. Ensure that facilities for cleaning, repair or reconditioning are available if this is necessary before the packaging can be re-used.

C.     Design for recycling considerations – try to avoid materials, combinations of materials or designs of packaging that might create problems in collecting, sorting and recycling. Construct your packaging so that the end-user can easily separate any components that should not go into recycling. Design packaging so that minimum product residues remain when the used package is collected for recycling.

D.    Metal – high recycled content, this has no effect on functional performance. Glass – has high recycled content, this has no effect on functional performance. Paper and board – packaging for non-food contact contains high levels of recycled content, however this may be heavier that packaging made from virgin fibers  Plastics - has seldom contained recycled content mainly for safety reasons, especially for food contact applications. However, technology has moved on and it is now possible to use some recycled plastics for food packaging. This is a fast-moving area and it is worth checking with reprocessors, WRAP and the British Plastics Federation to find out what’s available.

Rough Sketches

I started sketching possible ideas for my paint container, taking into consideration things like materials and shapes. I sketched a few standard round tin designs and looked at glue-less ideas like sleeves and tags, and even considered transparent designs. I looked at square tins as they stand out from the normal designs and utilize space well, and even triangular tins. I also sketched some 'bag in box' ideas, thinking back to how supermarkets sell wine in bags, however this may not be as strong and reliable as a tin. I also drew an idea to do with powder paint, but alas the paint we are designing for is liquid. I also looked back to the Task where we designed paint containers before, and will perhaps take those into consideration for further development also.

Main Brief

Required Client Deliverables - Overview
You are asked to research, design and develop 3D working prototype eco-packaging
concepts for natural paint company: Edward Bulmer: Pots of Paint Ltd. The client is
presently looking to expand their range of natural paints and wants your input as
sustainable designers in terms of prototype eco packaging concepts and research findings.
These client wants are to address their current challenges in packaging materials used,
fascia designs and methods to protect and transport the new range in multiples of 2’s. You
are asked to use innovative sustainable packaging designs, materials and considerations in
your final solutions.

~

I read through the whole brief a few times and noted down key words and phrases to get me thinking about some initial ideas and designs, and the important parts of the brief that I must always consider - 

• consideration of material’s eco-profile (eg the plastic vs metal containers debate)
• Innovative - (i.e paint in tetrapacks or refillables maybe?).
• Advantages and limitations of the different ideas and findings (eg costs).
• Look into PoP’s competitors and others in the sector
• individual 2.5 litre natural paint container
• compliment the company’s working ethics and existing ID
• great ‘shelf stand out’ for visibility and profile in shops
• evidence of value for money; evident eco-credentials; profile of company, ethos outer packaging
• container concept that is strong, (ideally) re-usable and easy to recycle
• packaging needs to reflect the natural and historic tones of colour range, “The Revival of Natural Colour” should be a theme reflected in the colours chosen. 
• best solutions for the transportation of multiples of these containers. 
• take a fascia label –or- be printed on.
• range of sizes to consider.
• incorporate and compliment the company’s existing branding
• reflect that these paints are high end natural products.

"So why use natural paint?

Three reasons - beauty, well-being and the planet"

Green Packaging Research

I started to notice the packaging design on items that I use every week, and particularly liked the use of a sleeve over a pot. The Tesco houmous sleeve has another purpose, as it serves as an idea and recipe guide on how to use the houmous on the underside of the design. The Innocent Veg Pot has a section entitled '101 things do to with your pot' and gives example #100 'Money Box'. It states that not many councils recycle their pots but encourages you to try and find out if they do. The innocent juice bottle is made from 25% recycled material and has symbols stating the bottle is widely recycled as is the cap. They give websites like http://www.innocentdrinks.co.uk/recycle and http://www.recyclenow.com/ to encourage their consumers to recycle and be green. I particularly like the simple design of the Innocent products, and the bright colours are aesthetically pleasing and reflect the use of fruit and vegetables in the recipes. The white background reflects the name and nature of the products 'innocent' as they are healthy, free from additives and try to be green with their packaging.