Pad printing (tampography) in packaging design

Pad printing is for round or irregular surfaces. There is million of way to use from keyboard to golf ball here I collected some examples of nice pad print  used on packaging.

When it is advisable to use pad printing?

 – When you need high quality printing

– When the surface is irregular

– When  the graphic is detailed with fine lines

– When you want to use multicolor

– For larger volume projects

Advantages:

 – Vary usage, flexibly technic

– Fast

– Print on nearly every material

– Save money on labeling ( ie. cost of label material, printing, application and the cost of transport if they are not located in one place)

Disadvantages:

 – This method is wear but there are different inks which are highly resistant

– Using only ink no enamel or paint

 Inks types:

 The ink systems currently available to the industry fall into seven different catergories:

• solvent evaporating
• oxidation curing
• reactive (i.e., catalyst curing, two component)
• baking
• UV curable
• sublimation
• ceramic and glass

More detailed information about inks and methods here

via ambalaj.se

via ambalaj.se

via ambalaj.se

via ambalaj.se

via ambalaj.se

via lovely-package.com

via lovely-package.com

via lovely-package.com

via lovely-package.com

via packagingoftheword.com

via packagingoftheword.com

via packagingoftheword.com

via retaildesignblog.net

via retaildesignblog.net

via ambalaj.se

flat design in packaging and illustration

As the flat design is trending in the website world I would like to see how it will go on other subjects such as illustration or packaging. I really like flat design because I like minimalist and clean structure, I always did and always will. Scandinavian purity is back. In the case of a website is good to have a simple, user-friendly surface and system. The attributes are the following:

01.Srong typography /02.No shadows and gradients in the graphic elements /03.Focus on colors, and there are certain trending colors / 04.Focus on words/content and simple (UI) elements

Ok, but what about packaging and illustration? Is there any flat design trending? There are illustrators who has his/her style flat and vectorial like Lotta Nieminen (and the Maeven identity project which is good example of flat identity design) Other nice example is Patric Hruby ‘s  and Neil Stevens‘s work. Also, Heystudio, Design Surgery and Vincent Mahé (his style reminds me Hergé) have many similar project. We can say that flat design is already has its own place in the world of illustration (not to mention patterns) Easy to capture flat design in icon elements for websites and that is clearly trend not personal style.

What about packaging?

Well, that is other point of view. Websites are for online presence, you can see on the screen and it doesn’t have any visual competitor at the same time when you are visiting it. In the case of packaging, design is depending on the way of selling. If the product is sold in the brand’s shop there is more possibility to use clean and delicate design. If the product is in a chain store or a pharmacy where other competitive designs are together in the same shelf, well, you have to be strong and remarkable. Like the flowers on the field they “fight” for the bug’s attention, packaging has the same intention. Also very important fact that, flat style is not for everybody. I can imagine for products and brands targeting youngsters and babies or for beverages, perhaps for sweets or certain pharmaceutical products.

For conclusion: to use flat design for packaging can be challenging due to marketing and corporative reasons, and that’s  why we find this style more in the editorial and online presence than on the shelves.

bottle design trends

As I was reading different websites and blogs about packaging, a new trend has appeared to me, among mainly food packaging design. It is clearly a new way of visual strategy. Or fashion. We know very well that the beer or vine goes this or that shaped bottle, Coca Cola is recognizable of its silhouette, we learned to verify a drink because it has this or that form. The new concept is simple: use bottles that normally used for other products. Hot sauce goes to water bottle, sangria to the cava (spanish champaign or bubble vine)  bottle, vodka goes something like a shampoo or a cereal in a jam jar. Is it bad or not? I think is depends on the circumstances and the products. One hand, for instance in a big supermarket a whisky bottle shaped milk will shout out among other b

rick milks certainly but probably nobody would buy it for his kid. Even is clearly communicated that the milk does not contain any alcohol would not convince the prospect.  On the other hand, a colorful and playful bottle for a vodka or cokctail mix is working, because is promising  fun and a delightful consuming.

The most appealing trend is among the olive oil packaging, I found several example to use bottle that often (originally) filled with alcohol.  All these packagings are very nice and I like the smart graphic design. Still I am wondering which circumstances are appropriate to sell these products. Maybe on-line shopping? Tesco? Small delicate grocery?  Check out these photos, and play the game: to guess what is it,  for the first sight without reading the name.

olive oil

spicy souce

lemonade

olive oil

sangria

vodka

olive oil

honey

cereal

via lovelypackage.com

This spring I had attended in a workshop, organized by Pati Nunez. It was very useful and I realized what I don’t know yet and I have to practice, practice and practice. The task was a packaging of a spanish sweet bakery product. To cut the long story short, I did this packaging during the workshop, but it wasn’t the final version, because it was waaaay to much. This workshop pointed at I have natural attraction towards drawings rather than typography.

My concept was to show a little “tale” of the history of the product with illustration on the front face of the packaging. Here it is.

Click on this if you would like to see every little detail: bonbon