Ducks @ Oregon - University of Oregon

A Designer's Obsession

Leah C.

December 28, 2009 - 12:00 PM

For some people a box, a bag, or a bottle is just trash, but for me its inspiration. Now I don't want to sound like a pack rat, but I tend to collect things that other people would consider throwing away. Cool looking boxes, bottles, and bags. Stuff that I would love to design and make. I love package designs, and if there was such a major that specified in that, I would be the first to sign up. Of course my major in digital arts would help me cover the graphic aspects in such work.

I for one have great admiration for the designs in packaging, and I sometimes feel like I'm the only one who appreciates it. Yesterday, while my siblings eagerly ripped open their boxes of green tea flavored Kit Kat bars from Japan, I took great care in opening the box, and peeling the wrapper so that I could save it. Crazy? Maybe I'm a little over obsessive, but I've never seen such a beautifully packaged Kit Kat bar, let alone a flavor other than chocolate. If the flavor was wasabi I'd probably still buy it just because of the packaging. This brings up the point of why packaging is so important. For me, the quality of the design enhances the item and the opening experience by a thousand times. It makes the item special, just like a wrapped present with a bow.

One of the best box designs I have in my collection has got to be from Apple. The first generation Ipod Nano came in a square black box, the name and logo printed in silver. A front and profile image of the product on either side. Sleek and simple. Just from looking at the cover you know something special is inside. The cover box slides off to reveal another box that opens like a book to reveal nothing but a smooth black surface and an Ipod nicely fitted into its own slot. The item is also neatly wrapped in thick clear plastic. The Instructions and cables were hidden on the side of one of the box's "pages" so that when first opened, the main product is revealed without the jumbles of wires and papers. Opening that package, to find the then thinnest Ipod, was a beautiful experience. There is probably no better packaged Ipod than the first generation Nano. The iTouch and other recent ipods have come in small simple plastic cases. It's still nicely packaged, but it's just not the same.

If I want to design boxes, bottles, or bags, I might need to consider adding a major or minor in product design as well. The material, the shape, how it's opened, and how it's put together is something one would consider in a package design. If I were to design a new water bottle, it would fall into physical objects and product design would seem to be a valuable thing to learn if I consider getting into that field. In the meantime I will need to reconsider how long I want to stay in college and what I really want to do in the future. The traditional four years may not be enough for me...we'll see.