Project Evaluation

This project was he Retail Graphics Project this entailed forming an imaginary company of our choice and producing packaging and swing tag outcomes for the company of our choice. I chose to do a video games company because of my interest in the industry and general knowledge of video game shops, which I thought would help motivate and encourage me to make the best final outcome possible.

I started off by creating a mood board of the logos and of the industry I had chosen to get to grips with the kind of companies packaging and principles our outcomes should envisage. The next thing we did was a large broad ranged mind map of ideas for any type of shop to get a general understanding of the direction we should take our project in regardless of the specific industry. I started to create a logo for my brand and using pencil and other mediums of design started to get an idea of what I wanted to do with my logo and whole I wanted it to look as a base before adding any graphics to it. At this stage I started to develop my logo using computer software such as Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop to develop my logo and try out different ways of editing the base that I had created. After using cross-stitching to edit the logo I found that this was the best way to keep it relevant to the industry I was using.

I then started to concentrate on packaging and the surface pattern for the packaging getting inspiration and influence from the research of packaging of the main competitors in the video game market. I compared them to the best to push my own to be of that standard. I researched nets and fastenings using card templates of different types of fastening and boxes to get a general idea of how I wanted my box to work. I found that combing different fastening and box shapes depended on the product that was going to be inside. I then analyzed swing tags of top brands to understand the significance of them and find out what I need do include on my own to finish of my research.

This research helped me to get a better understanding of the workings of packaging and why they are used and made the way they are this made for my product to be more realistic because my research had given me a broader impression of the use of packaging.

My end product was a box and swing tag which was inspired by all of the brands and packaging examples I had researched and also some independent work on surface patterns especially the marbling technique and chose to use that as my surface pattern for my outcome packaging. I also made a swing tag with the same surface pattern because form my research ad experiments found that most brands kept them the same. I feel that this was a successful project, and I feel it was successful due to the in depth experimenting and research I did into the industry and packaging and also my interest in it also.

Final Swing Tag

This is my final swing tag design similar to my packaging net in surface pattern but but in swing tag form. I decided to keep the surface pattern for the swing tag to keep some consistency with the packaging but used my sub logo of just the 'custom star and exclamation mark'  as well as the whole logo on the other. I also used components form game box art and added them t the swing tag to add the factor of most swing tags to have additional information on the product. I included a barcode on my swing tag to make it authenticity, as usually swing tags would have the barcode on them.

Experiments: Swing Tags

I experimented with different designs of swing tags from my research examples of swing tags and also my in depth analysis of three different brand's swing tags. I found that the tag itself was the most limited in design change because of the purpose it is supposed to serve; as a small source of information on a product and eye catching advertising. Other than shape and surface pattern there wasn't much I could do different for my tag therefore I decided to concentrate on the part that attaches my tag to the product or box.
I first tried using white plastic string which I threaded through my tag and attached to the box but found it frayed very easily because of the very relaxed and loose binding which made the box and swing tag look very unprofessional and messy. The second method i tried was the standard string which i found was more sturdy and stronger than the plastic string but lacked in originality, eye catching abilities or practicality which is probably the reason was not used on any of the swing tags I researched or analysed.
I finally settled on metallic coloured ribbon that complimented the colours of the surface pattern on the tag. I used three individual length of ribbon all the same length to add depth and layers. I used the colours red, blue and silver I used these colours because they went well with the tag colours but instead of standard ribbon I used metallic coloured ribbon to add an eye-catching factor and also the three separate pieces of ribbon to add to that eye catching feature.

Final Packaging Outcome

Final Logo

this is my final logo design after going through several different materials and techniques using several different paints, ink, pencil and pastels before settling on the cross-stitch after practicing on grab paper and colouring in squares to produce a less impressive but base version of this logo. i also took inspiration from other fonts that i found on internet researching the look of font i wanted to go for and putting them all together and making my own 'star and exclamation' part of the goo which will also come t be a side logo used on the swing tag packaging.

Swing Tag Examples

Image Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

The North Face - Swing Tag Analysis

This a swing tag made by The North Face taken apart to illustrate their type of swing tag detail and depth. There are 5 layers of this swing tag all different lengths. the colours chosen are very eye-catching and bold reds and whites with one of the layers just being the logo to catch the eye of passers by that the product is high quality made by the very well known The North Face.
There is a lot of information given on this swing tag and the use of layers makes it that the information is not all congested on a singe layer swing tag which is more appealing to the custom who does not way to be squinting to read the mass of text squeezed on one small piece of card. All these layers lead on to each other showing the bottom of selected layers like a information bookmark to another layer usually about the quality and features of the coat.

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Nike x Supreme - Swing Tag Analysis

Nike and Supreme partnered up for a trainer series and designed these special edition swing tags made from plastic casing and metal bead tag. I think that the swing tag is very well put together and and not as flimsy of insignificant as the paper versions preferred by other brands and also the simplicity of them in terms of information on the tag itself is very limited to a tagline and logos. as displayed these came in a variation of colours according to the colour of trainer you purchased which is, in my opinion very thoughtful on Nike and Supremes part to input such detail for no reason other than minor aesthetics. this style of swing tag is usually better at attracting attention because it is block bold colour with a clear statement also in bold and the branding, this catches the eye of shoppers well because they will catch the colour and statement in the corner of their eye which may draw them to the product, because this style of swing tag is usually plead easily visible on the product on shelf. However the more common swing tag of paper and yarn or string has a lot more information on it which could help in the sale of an item if the customer has a queries and there ant enough or even no information at all on display, this must have been considered but Nike and supreme must be relying on the colour and tagline to do the selling.

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Ralph Lauren Polo - Swing Tag Analysis

Ralph Lauren Polo designed this swing tag using card and yarn in traditional swing tag style. I think the swing tag is very well constructed and designed with a lot of originality and good use of colour coordination, one of my first thoughts when I saw the swing tag was that it looked dated and had a vintage or original look to it which was the desired effect.

I think the designer was trying to represent originality in its design but making the material look dated and worn to show that it is an established brand and is something original and individual to the rest of the market. And this was captured through the swing tag.     

The colours used all accompany each other very well all relevant to the representation of originality beige, black and blue blend together to create the perception that the material is of age. The use of words such as "original" and "classic" really emphasise the point that they want to be considered the top of the range in style and originality.    

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Final Packaging Net Design

This is my my final packaging net that I used to construct my box packaging i took inspiration from the experimentation i did with box fastenings to put different ideas together to come up with a fold in fastening which also locks into to side fastening for added security of items inside the bag. the design is in the fashion to hold a video game case in with limited width room to minimise the amount of movement that can take place which could lead to loss of loose items, damage to the product inside the bag or in the unlikely event that the item drops out of the bag.