MADE TO PERSUADE
This self-initiated project asks me to design and manufacture a graphic design product in a multiple of five. My product should initiate an interaction with a public audience that aims to make people think, act, smile, laugh or cry. The aim is to find ways to make people pay you for a new way of thinking about or interacting with the world. For the project, I developed a strategy to attract attention to my work and to persuade people to interact with my work and ideas. I thought about the display, pricing, packaging, and prospective audience and promotion. On Tuesday 8th December, I displayed and sold my work in the Crossing area at Kings Cross .
I was inspired by Piero Manzoni's "Artist's Shit", 1961 where he packaged his own faeces in a can and it is now valued at 124,000 euros. For this project, I responded to the research with an idea of packaging something that nobody would want to buy such as fart gas and I would design and package the fart to sell on the Made to Persuade event. This gave me the opportunity to engage in packaging design and explore the potential of packaging in adding value to a worthless product. As the final product, I decided to replace actual fart with fart bombs as I will be selling these boxes to people in the event. Therefore, I handmade 17 boxes of the "Fart Pack" each box containing a single fart bomb. The boxes are made of thinner cards and the graphics are screen printed on to sugar paper and cut to create sleeves for the boxes. I made a total of 14 black boxes and 3 coloured boxes in pure white, pink and orange.
This was my display on the Made to Persuade Event. I created a poster and put it on a stand behind the product display. In the end, I sold all 17 boxes but the prices varied throughout the event. I began pricing the boxes at 3 pounds but gradually reduced it down to a pound and sold the last box on the very last minute of the event.
RESEARCH
These Shit Kits are quite similar to the 'Garbage of New York City' project, where the artist simply packaged trash he found around NYC and sell them for a lot of money. It was such a genius idea because while being a very low budget project, it gives a very powerful message. I like that even though the packaging for the Shit Kit is not very well made, the kit still sold out within a short period of time because of its comment on consumerism and the fact that people will buy anything no matter how useless if it is probably packaged and sold for a reasonable price.
I like that this Love Letter Kit is created from a very simple idea of wanting people to connect using more traditional means like writing a letter. The kit is very well made, neatly contained in a box and it has a very handmade charm to it. The box contains instructions and every other equipments needed to the write the letter including postcards, a pen, a note book and notepads. I think it is very sweet and the blue colour nicely convey that sense of serenity and peace which is quite important when initiating an interaction with visitors.
This COOK kit is my favourite because of its professional packaging and the attractive display. It is very simple but the red logo really captures your attention when you look along with the chopsticks. The boxes are neatly displayed and designed. They are nicely made as well and look like they could really be a real product that encourages people to cook through easy recipes and easy to find ingredients.
The idea behind Wipe'n SHINE is probably quite simple as the designer simply repackage tissue paper rolls and make them more appealing with the blue stripes and the bold text. The package is very nicely designed and also well made. It is very interesting to see how a new fresh package adds more value to the original product no matter how simple it is still sold at a higher price than it would originally be priced.
This project initiates a more intimate interaction with visitors. I like that it is not a product to be displayed or sold for money but a meaningful spiritual exchange. I believe that with in that few minutes or seconds, the artist has established an incredible, might also be awkward, relationship while they look into the eyes and notice each other's facial feature as they exchange a quick portrait sketch.
Judging the box by more than just its cover
"There are certain elements that are necessary to appeal to consumers, which may or may not appeal to designers. Like any category of design, you need to identify your audience and understand what appeals to them. For example, when designing packaging for certain foods, the product either needs to be visible (through clear packaging or a clear window), or there need to be an image of the product on the packaging. The majority of consumers want to know what the product they’re purchasing looks like. While a lot of people like new designs, many consumers assumed that the products are expensive from the austere appearance of the packaging.
Responsible package design attempts to use the minimum amount necessary to hold the product safely. Excessive packaging creates a lot of unnecessary waste, additional cost, and has a significant impact on the environment. Excess packaging is also used as a marketing tactic by many companies to fool consumers into thinking you are getting more product than you actually are. The way the package is assembled is also very important when it comes to responsible packaging. Ideally, a package should have no glue spots, which allows it to be transported flat and assembled after delivery. Simple designs with straight lines and that fit easily around each other are more economical and environmentally friendly.
Simpler designs will generally stand out more on the shelf, amongst all the unnecessary noise of the products around it. A well designed package will be eye catching without any extra clutter, but will still communicate all the elements and information needed by the consumer."
A sleeve is such a simple solution to packaging. I noticed that many products that are rectangular in shape like bar soaps and a lot of fragrance products use sleeves because they are economical, sustainable and so simple. It is clean and nice to look at and can very practical because it can easily be removed without much hassle which is why it has the on-shelf impact. People can perceive sleeves as relatively more expensive even though they are generally made of paper. I believe that this packaging style is very effective and it will allow me to work on the box and the sleeve separately without them being dependent on each other.
This candle package is so clean and simple. Everything is aligned along the middle and the sizing makes it very easy to distinguish between the most important elements and the least important. The typefaces used make it seem very elegant and stylish. This would be the most simple solution to packaging design, and although it seems so simple, it probably one of the most effective as well.
In this food package, I like the fact that the text is enlarge to a really big size and it became a part to the packaging and the background. It really draws the attention to the package because it is unique and the capital letters shouts at you from afar. When the letters are this big it is important to establish visual hierarchy through the use of colours and opacity so that we know which element we should look at first or last.
I like the different graphic patterns printed on these boxes. They made the box standout and very appealing but maybe more to teenagers than adults. The different graphics also appeal to different consumer groups so a lot of consideration on the target market should be made before deciding on the final design. I like how some patterns make the box look so elegant and high class which can enhance the overall image and quality of the product, while some are more chic and cool and they look a lot like an art piece or a collectible. Packages like these would add a lot of value to the product but I need to be careful on the target audience of the product.
Artist's Breath, 1960
"Artist's Breath consists of the remnants of a red balloon tied to a piece of string on which there are two lead seals. These elements are attached to a wooden base to which is also affixed a small metal plaque bearing the artist's name and the title of the work. Originally the balloon was fully inflated with Manzoni's breath but as it deflated the rubber became stuck to the wood underneath. It is now brittle and, in places, very fragile. The string is attached to the base only where it meets the balloon; elsewhere it can be freely moved about and is kept in place only by the weight of the lead seals, which have the name 'Piero Manzoni' punched into them.”
Piero Manzoni produced a lot of work based on provocative and controversial performances. Although he is a fine artist, he proved the importance of packaging and branding in adding value to products that people would want to buy. He actually did sold his balloon filled with his breath fixed on a wooden base at the time and although what’s left of it is a remnant of red balloon tied to a piece of string, the art piece is still valued highly. I just like the way it is presented so simply without a proper package or box that would contain the product. The purchaser also has the option to buy a kit for them to fill the balloon with their own breath or pay extra money for the artist’s breath.
Artist's Shit, 1961
"Artist's Shit consists of 90 tin cans, each filled with 30 grams of faeces with a label in Italian, English, French, and German. In May 1961, Piero Manzoni produced ninety cans of Artist's Shit. Each was numbered on the lid 001 to 090. The tins were originally to be valued according to their equivalent weight in gold – $37 each in 1961 – with the price fluctuating according to the market. In October 2008 tin 083 was offered for sale at Sotheby's and sold for £97,250. On October 16, 2015, tin 054 was sold at Christies for the astonishing sum of £182,500."
I believe this work gave a strong comment on consumerism and just how stupid it is. Even though this piece of work is produced as a metaphor that 'explores the relationship between art production and human production’, it still shows me just how stupid people can be. For me, anything on earth be it gold, platinum, or a piece of painting only has value because we give it to them. Something items exist as they are but just because they are shiny and pretty, people gave them ridiculous values. The same as this, just because people see it as art, people start to give value to a can of shit produced in 1961. People will just buy anything as long as we can make them believe in the value we give it.
This Japanese denim brand wraps a bamboo matt around a folded pair of jeans and sealed with a small velcro strip on the back. They silkscreened the logo tag on it. I really like this design because it is elegant and very simple and it shows the product on the outside. The bamboo works like a sleeve and the silk screened logo looks so much better than using a sticker on it.
This repeated patterns in black and white really draws your attention to the box. The pattern is very simple, only using geometric shapes like squares, rectangles, triangles and circles. It creates an interesting package.
This is probably one of the coolest and also the oddest package ever. It opens up like a flower. Since this package is targeted at children, I would say that it is quite successful because it is very interesting and it combines the Japanese origami game. This package is very creative, playful yet so simple because no graphics are printed on the surface at all.
I particularly like white graphics on a black background. The white stands out a lot and it is kind of unusual to the eyes since we all are adjusted to seeing black on white and seeing the reverse makes the packaging standout amongst other products. The high contrast makes the text very readable maybe not as readable as the normal black on white but it makes the packaging a lot more interesting. Black also add elegance and make the product seem high quality than if it were to be printed on normal white surfaces.
In the Milk carton, the text are a bit too all over the place. It is quite hard to make sense of the visual hierarchy. This will make it difficult and confusing to consumers when they look at the package and decide which information is the most important information on the box. It might also be harder for me due to the language but I still believe that the visual hierarchy should be clear in order to quickly and clearly communicate and attract people to the product.
In the Shipwreck bottle, I like how the graphic patterns direct our eyes straight to the name. It is very important when establishing brand identity. The big bold letters make it very easy to read and I believe that the white stands out on the bottle well.
"Cubes! Get yer garbage cubes here! Filled with 100% authentic New York City rubbish, freshly picked from the streets."
"Justin Gignac began selling garbage in 2001 after a co-worker challenged the importance of package design. To prove them wrong, he set out to find something that no one would ever buy, and package it to sell. Looking around the dirty streets of Times Square, garbage was the perfect answer. Twelve years later, over 1,400 NYC Garbage cubes have been sold. In addition to original New York City Garbage, Gignac has also produced a number of limited edition cubes. Past editions include: The Republican National Convention, the World Series at Yankee Stadium, New Year’s Eve in Times Square, the NY Giants Victory Parade, the first day Gay Marriage was legal in NYC, Obama’s Inauguration and St. Patrick's Day in Dublin, Ireland. Regular cubes sell for $50, while limited edition cubes go for $100."
This probably sounded like a very bizarre idea at first but the artist found his way to turn trash into a side business. He proved to his co-workers the importance of packaging since he was able to get people to buy something nobody wanted after he packaged them right. People began to consider them art or souvenirs which I thought was very cool. I believe that the trash he picked up was also very effecting. Aesthetically they all look very nice especially when neatly arranged in a cube box with proper labelling logo and authentic text. He really made me think of souvenirs like snow globes from the see through acrylic box. Everything can be seen through all sides and the individual objects really are the big representation of NYC. This really proved to me the power proper packaging has to increase value of worthless products.
“Art is about imagination and that is what my work demands of the people interacting with it. You have to imagine a painting or sculpture is in front of you”, the artist supposedly said
"Invisible: Art about the Unseen 1957-2012 explores ideas related to the invisible, the hidden and the unknown, including work by some of the most important artists of our time as well as younger artists who have expanded on their legacy. Many of the works in Invisible seek to re-direct our attention towards the unwritten rules and conventions that shapes our understanding of art. Other works invoke invisibility to underscore the limits of our perceptual capacities or to emphasize the role of our imagination in responding to works of art. Perhaps its most important message is that that the magic and fear of art, as well as its intellectual and transformative capacity, comes from our mental or emotional engagement with it. When it really gets down to it, there is an awful lot of art that doesn't really need space-age buildings or luxe art fairs -- just a sensitive audience willing to engage in a mental dance with the artist."
"Artists in the exhibition include Art & Language, Robert Barry, Chris Burden, James Lee Byars, Maurizio Cattelan, Jay Chung, Song Dong, Tom Friedman, Carsten Höller, Tehching Hsieh, Bruno Jakob, Yves Klein, Lai Chih-Sheng, Glenn Ligon, Teresa Margolles, Gianni Motti, Roman Ondák, Yoko Ono and Andy Warhol."
This type of packaging maybe quite excessive, but I really like the way the inner box fits into another box. I like the simplicity of the outer layer and the way the colours hidden inside the inner package is kind of like a hidden gem and you can only see it once you open the package. The white screen printed graphic on the outside is kind of hard to read because of the lighter colours of the box. It will not be effect on the shelf because other products will take all the attention away from it.