Packaging is everywhere. Kids grow up seeing 45,000 different package designs per day (give or take a few), and probably don’t give them a second thought. Unless they are plastered with Dora or Spongebob.
Other package designs must rely on a combination of font and color scheme to help sell what is contained within.
I was trying to think of a way to teach Fen to be aware of graphic design and logos and packaging, when she sort of figured it out for me. She peeled the label off of the peanut butter and wrote Peanut Butter on the jar. So I took it one step further.
First she decided what size label to make and cut out 3-4 of them. Fen made a traditional rectangle that wraps around the jar, but you could go smaller or even cut out a different shape.
Next we rummaged through the pantry, and I had her pull out 3-4 packages of food that caught her eye. We looked at the designs and colors together and she told me what she liked/ didn’t like about each one.
She sketched out three different designs, keeping in mind that normally the name of the product is the most prominent aspect of the label. She decided to rename the peanut butter FEN peanut butter after herself. She is pretty nutty. During her first sketch, she realized her product name wasn’t as large as many labels she had seen, so she changed this for her second and third sketches.
By her third sketch, she was happy with the results and chose a couple of colors that worked well together and with the color of the peanut butter. She also added a special tip to the label to make it that much more appealing. (Tip: try our new peanut butter spoon.)
She then sampled her product and decided it was pretty delightful tasting.
Some other package labels to mess around with:
- cereal boxes
- candy
- clothing labels
- video games
Have you seen this logo game? My kids are obsessed with it, and it’s a good way for them to become more aware of logos.
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This is a GREAT idea! I am definitely going to do this one with my kids. It will increase their awareness of graphic design and its fun challenges. It should be a required project in schools!
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Ann’s right, this should be a required project in school! my 14 year old and i were cooking a few days ago and she looked at the folder coffee jar, the diamond salt and the Pam oilve oil spray and asked why most food labels were red and yellow. we got into talking about what color represents in advertising and marketing and she’s decided she’s going to personally brand herself. lol
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It was really fun to do, and I loved listening to Fen’s running commentary as she thought out what she was doing and why.
Jeanette Nyberg recently posted…I Miss Moose and Zee
She should brand herself! Did she decide which colors best represented her?
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Thanks for the nice post. There is something quite nice about the “A Little Graphic Design Lesson for Your Kid”. I like the idea and can see it working well printed on sportswear. I guess the introduction of this new Graphic Design has gained more attention probably because it has a famous person’s name attached to it. If all graphic design had this advantage then it may be noticed more. Celebrities are followed and noticed a lot by the media and the general public. To know more information please Click Here.