Experimentation: Practical

Some experimentation I have done in Illustrator while playing around with practical ideas. I am trying out the idea of making packaging that is visually similar to that of confectionary and snack packaging, which I am looking at in my dissertation.

What kind of font is suitable for children? I've tried out various typefaces that are child friendly. Many kids' brands use rounded or quite thick sans serif letters. 

I first tried out Comfortaa, as the shape of the letters is very clear and yet playful. I used a dull green colour paired with brown letters: not enticing to children at all! I also added a rough smiley face to add to the dreariness.

In particular, I have looked at the Haribo starmix packaging that I am studying in my dissertation.

From this, I have tried to mimic the letters in some ways, such as the colour and the light bouncing off.

It makes for a very playful look and would be quite enticing for children.

I quite like this exploration, as the colours work well together and it has definitely come out similar to Haribo. 

I next tried some bolder letters. I looked at the packaging of Snickers.
I tried to mimic it using the font Clarke, the letters are very clear, bold and eye catching.

I searched for a download of the Lego font, but none seemed worth it. I took inspiration from the colour scheme and the use of outlined colour around the letters.

These experimentations proved difficult, and I have discovered that it may just be very confusing to children if the graphics look incredibly similar to well known brands.

CoP: Practical Brief: Colour & Behaviour

Brief

Produce an educational activity for children. It must be in the form of packaged material, and informed by your research into colour, branding and packaging manipulation.

Create a response that utilises the manipulation you have learnt about to benefit children's development.

Include:

• An appropriate use of a wide range of colour
• A form of packaging
• A clear synthesis with the extended essay

Background/Considerations

Are children manipulated by brands and packaging? What was discovered through your practical and theoretical research?

How can the research you have explored and the analysis of case studies you have undertaken be applied to a practical exploration/outcome?

The outcome should be enticing and easy to understand for children. The use of image to support the use of colour may be appropriate.

Brands use these techniques for profit and to create young consumers, whereas this brief will be using them to create something more abstract: the packaging of behaviour.

Taking the manipulative skills of brands out of context and placing them in a simplified situation should show the capability of the use of colour to convey emotional connections.

Research: Branding - online articles and papers

McDonald's rolling out green logo in Europe
Associated Press, 2009
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/34111784/ns/business-us_business/t/mcdonalds-rolling-out-green-logo-europe/#.VnLiGUX-COk


"With this new appearance we want to clarify our responsibility for the preservation of natural resources. In the future we will put an even larger focus on that," Hoger Beek, vice chairman of McDonald's Germany, said in the statement.



Branding – why red & yellow is used by the fast food industry

Karen Haller, 2011
http://karenhaller.co.uk/blog/branding-why-red-yellow-is-used-by-the-fast-food-industry/







When you think of red & yellow do any brands come to mind?… I’m guessing you thought of a fast food brand. That is because they predominantly used red and yellow? This isn’t by accident.  The feelings, the mood this combination of colours emits is perfect for their target market.

Looking at the positive psychology qualities of red & yellow in relation to the fast food industry, red triggers stimulation, appetite, hunger, it attracts attention.  Yellow triggers the feelings of happiness and friendliness.
When you combine red and yellow it’s about speed, quickness.  In, eat and out again.
Yellow is also the most visible colour in daylight, which is why the McDonald’s M can be seen from a far distance.
The language of colour is communicated quicker to the brain than words or shapes as they work directly on our feelings and emotions.



Branding: The Past, Present, and Future: A Study of the Evolution and Future of Branding Anders Hampf & Kirsti Lindberg-Repo
https://helda.helsinki.fi/bitstream/handle/10138/26578/556_978-952-232-134-3.pdf

This challenge was accepted by Marquardt et al. (1965) when they decided to investigate this issue by focusing on an everyday product. The results revealed that consumers wanted products with a well-known brand and that only 25% of the respondents did not pay attention to the brand at all, instead considering the price as the most important factor in buying the product.

Another new concept that was explored by Cunningham (1956) in the 1950s was brand loyalty; the concept evoked much debate and became one of the biggest controversies of that time. By that time, companies had already invested large amounts in branding; the problem was scarce empirical evidence that the efforts had had any effect. Hence, even though the idea of brand loyalty had already been introduced, there was an uncertainty whether it was something worth striving for. Through his research, Cunningham revealed that household loyalty was strong and consumers were brand loyal in more than 90% of the times while purchasing household goods.

In the early 1960s, another concept was introduced that had a major influence on marketing, namely
lifestyle. The first person to discuss the use of lifestyles in branding and marketing was William Lazer. At that time, many companies still had mass communication and mass production as their main strategy; however, it was mainly in the 1970s that lifestyle marketing attracted much attention.




The Value - Brand Trust - Brand Loyalty
Kurt Matzler, Sonja Grabner-Kräuter, Sonja Bidmon
http://businessperspectives.org/journals_free/im/2006/im_en_2006_02_Matzler.pdf

“Kapferer and Laurent (1993) conceptualize consumer involvement as a multidimensional construct consisting of five determinants: (1) personal meaning and self-reference, (2) ability to provide pleasure, (3) ability to express the person’s self, (4) perceived importance of negative consequences, which means the perceived importance of purchase risk and (5) perceived probability of purchase risk. To sum up, the level of involvement indicates how important a product and the consequences of its purchase are for the individual. Hence, involvement is suggested to moderate the relationships between product value, brand trust, and brand loyalty. For example, individuals with high product or enduring involvement might perceive a greater pleasure potential of the product, and therefore the influence of hedonic value on brand trust might be more dominant than for lowly involved persons.”

“Price consciousness is a crucial factor influencing purchase behavior. Highly price-conscious consumers express lower perceptions of offer value and higher price information search intentions (Alford and Biswas, 2002). According to Alford and Bsiwas (2002) highly price conscious consumers de-rive emotional value from looking for even lower prices. They get rewarded if lower prices have been found and are proud of their “success”.”

“Sinha and Batra (1999) demonstrated that consumers are less price-conscious in buying products in categories with high-perceived risk. As loyalty is one strategy of risk reduction, price consciousness may moderate the value – brand trust – brand loyalty chain. It is assumed that price consciousness weakens the influence of hedonic value to trust and strengthens the path from trust to attitudinal and purchase loyalty.”

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=jSjC8UUdI68C&pg=PA25&lpg=PA25&dq=aesthetics+brand+differentiation&source=bl&ots=NZmAmtAx5D&sig=P1Smidc60pqdCzE8DgbZRQAGG1w&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjpiIWy_qbJAhUEthQKHTZlAysQ6AEILTAB#v=onepage&q=colour&f=false

http://brandcolors.net/

https://www.mv-research.com/images/pdfs/segment.pdf

http://www.acrwebsite.org/search/view-conference-proceedings.aspx?Id=6364

Research: Communication theory - articles and online video

Marshall Mcluhan: The medium is the message

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImaH51F4HBw

5:30 - 6:10

The concern of the advertiser is to make an effect. Any painter, any artist, any musician, sets out to create an effect. He sets a strap to catches somebody's attention. Any painter, any poet, any musician sets a trap for your attention. That is the nature of art.




The Semiotics of Brand Building
Sudio Sudarsan (2015)
http://www.brandingmagazine.com/2015/02/04/the-semiotics-of-brand-building/

Like signs and symbols, brands are also imaginative signposts, signifying sign-object relations and connecting specific signs to definite objects. Take for instance the ‘golden arches’ of McDonald’s: Kids scream for a Happy Meal at the very sight of them. For children, the arches become a clear representation of food and fun, while for adults golden arches symbolize many other things (such as fast food, quick consistent service, and clean bathrooms) – all of which are instrumental brand identity markers in impressing the image of American food in consumers’ consciousness.

Since a brand is a system of sensory signs that incites consumers in a symbolic process, which then contributes to tangible value, semiotics is the keystone of brand building.

Research: Colour - books

Color and Design
Edited by Marilyn DeLong and Barbara Martinson
(2012, Berg, UK)

pg xxv
"Semantics influence our perception of color and function in designed objects; color meanings and use evolve out of significant events and mass media coverage; colors influence marketing and our selections of products and services; branding with color promotes marketing efforts."

experiencing and responding to colour

communication
colour in the designed environment
color: organisational strategies
color in context, culture, and traditions
social politics of white in design
what color is sustainability
color continuity
markets and trends


Colour
Paul Zelanski & Mary Pat Fisher
(Great Britain, 1989, The Herbert Press Ltd)

pg 28
It is universally accepted that colors affect us emotionally. Bright reds, oranges, and yellows tend to stimulate us, while blues and greens often make us feel more peaceful. Colors can therefore be used to express emotions and even to evoke them. Here again, however, we must beware of simplistic assumptions, for very slight differences in colors can produce quite different effects.

We associate the colors of fire- reds, yellows, oranges- with warmth. This is not just an abstract notion, for physiological research indicates that under red lighting our bodies secrete more adrenalin, increasing our blood pressure and our rate of breathing and actually raising our temperature slightly.

We associate blues and greens with the cooling qualities of water and trees, and physiological research shows that green or blue lights will slow our heartbeat, decrease our temperature, and relax our muscles.

healing
colour preferences


Book: Designer's Color Manual
Tom Fraser & Adam Banks
(2004, United States, The Ilex Press Limited)

pg 6
"Color influences everything we encounter, shaping our perception by accident or design. It may communicate complex interactions of association and symbolism, or a simple message conveyed more plainly than words."

brand
religion
nature
psychology
color association
color in branding and advertising


Color & Human Response
Faber Birren
(1978 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc, Canada)

pg 2

I do not exaggerate when I say that ancient man surrounded himself with color and in turn was surrounded by it. All civilizations since the beginning of man’s existence worshipped the sun, and from the sun came light and color.

The bodies of people are very much the same, but their minds and spirits are radically different.

Practical // Development

After taking some time to think over feedback, I have thought about more ways to package these behaviours. 

1 - Make two boxes - one 'good, one 'bad'. Each could have the appropriate behaviours inside for children to find when they open the boxes. Through the use of colour manipulation, they will feel more positively about the 'Good' box as the colours would be desirable, and rather the opposite for the 'Bad' box.

Cons - Each box would have too much content inside for it to be effective. What would children do with what they found and would they bother to properly take in each one?

2 - Use image rather than text on the outside of the box - taken from my research into the imagery used in conjunction with colour in packaging. This could reinforce the emotions associated with the colours, and push the manipulation further. Also, more synthesis with my writing would come from this.

Smiley faces are often used in relation to good behaviour, such as stickers rewarded by teachers or parents. They are a clear representation of positivity, thus a simplified interpretation of the characters seen on children's packaging:

This makes a clear connection in the child's mind, by using a friendly face they will associate it with something fun. With this activity, I am trying to instil ideas about behaviour through associations that already exist in packaging and branding.

Cons -  Would this make the packages more about the faces rather than the colour? Would that change it into less of a reliable experiment (the activity is for children to learn, but also it's an interesting test.)? Possibly using the faces largely on the front of the box would deter from the colour aspect.

3 - For my third idea, I have scrapped the smiley faces (for now). The certain behaviour, for example "Good manners", could be labelled on the outside and when opened could reveal the colour that I have matched with it.

Cons - This defeats the point of colour being a manipulative factor of packaging. In this situation the colour is unable to be used to attract the children to pick up a box. I think that it would be confusing to a child to open a box that has nothing in it.

4 - Moving back to the idea of emotion and it not being clear enough on its own, I have thought that the emotion could be accompanied by good and bad ways of dealing with it. For example, anger negatively affects others. This would suggest to children about ways of behaving in a more detailed manner.

Cons - This could complicate the activity and stray away from the focus, which is colour and packaging manipulation. It needs to stay simple.

5 - Coming back to the smiley face idea, I could create a character much like the mascots of popular brands.

As I am analysing in my dissertation, GoGo Squeez has fun characters to attract children. A character could be added to the boxes that are positive behaviours, or could be added to both bad and good boxes, but with different facial expressions that are appropriate.

Cons - The complications that come with creating a character may distract from the colour - which is my main focus with this project.

6 - Working from the downfalls of the last ideas, I have thought to create boxes that are just simply different colours on the outside, with no other features until opened up. When opened up, they could reveal a behaviour that is either good or bad. This way, it is like the behaviour is the product that is wrapped with the coloured packaging.

Maybe smiley faces could be used inside to reinforce the effects of the chosen colour, just like how children's packaging works? They work together.

I have (more or less) selected the behaviour traits that I want to use in the boxes. Half of them are positive and half negative, which will be appropriately paired with colours.

Above is a further sketch showing how the boxes may look, each with a vivid colour differing from the next.

What shape would be most appropriate for the content? 

The word would snugly fit in a rectangle shaped box, and would slightly mimic the shape of many sweet packets. However, when fit together the boxes would not look as fun for the children than if they were cubes.

The packages could come with a leaflet that explains it further.

Practical // Crit 2

Where I am so far, and what I proposed to the group:

• an idea I have is to use colour to teach young children how to treat other people and behave well.
• I have found from my research that they respond well to certain colours.
• it will take the form of packaging, as thats what I've focused on analysing.
• fun for the children to unpackage almost like a game, and there could be something inside it like a toy or cut out shape.
• on the contrary, it could be blank and ready to be coloured in.

Feedback:

• make something effective, rather than just 'nice'
• watch the film 'Inside Out' - as it has psychological themes and colour is used to portray different emotions
• children tend to associate certain colours with things that they have experienced in that colour (Billie said her nephew associates small black things with liquorice, which he didn't like the taste of)
• Simon said his son got a glimpse of bright green sweets and latched on to them just purely from getting a glance of the colour.
• look at behavioural colour therapy

This feedback has been effective, as the experiences of people have added to my research and shown that yes, children are affected by colour.

Practical // Development of ideas

Since my last tutorial with Amber, I have had some more ideas on my practical. When we discussed packaging an 'emotion' or something similar, this stood out to me.

I could package emotions according to how children perceive them; taking from my ongoing research. Using the manipulation I am researching, I could package these abstractions through supermarket product style packaging.

Although these could be interesting outcomes, what is the purpose? It would be difficult to create this and aim it at children. What would they gain? Something like emotion is difficult for children to understand.

It's also hard to communicate through graphic design the ups and downs of emotion, as even though some emotions are good and some are bad, they can all be valid depending on the situation. Yes, children do think some colours are linked to certain emotions, but would I be teaching them not to feel some emotions because they are bad and it is wrong to feel them?

This has led me to think that this would be complicated to execute, and I wouldn't be creating something that takes enough advantage of the research I am carrying out - creating something real that attempts to teach children something through the use of colour would.

-

I have then thought of using colour to promote good behaviour; something me and Amber discussed. We talked about making something that adults can use to bribe children - from this I have thought about making something that reminds children of good and bad behaviour. This is still on the abstract side of things - but is something children can utilise and (hopefully) learn from.

What behaviour could be included?

From watching the documentary 'The Life of 5/6/7 Year Olds' I have become very aware of certain traits in young children. They are constantly learning and making mistakes.
Perhaps some of these behaviours are a little too detailed for some children to understand - they should be simpler.


I could package each of these behaviours using 'positive' and 'negative' colours - all based on what I am researching. Could there be something inside to make it more rewarding for children to open certain boxes?

CoP Tutorial 4

• For thursday's practical crit, I need to fill out a brief template that outlines what I'm doing.
• look at Richard's lecture online to gain information on formatting of dissertation.

Practical notes:

• could create packaging for something abstract, such as politeness, or good behaviour, to help children do things that they don't want to do via what I have learnt about colour.
• children are bribed into doing so many things, so it could be a kit that helps adults deal with childrens behaviour etc.
• think about what children are drawn to - characters, colour, stickers, things they can play with.
• certain tasks/emotions/things/characters can be colour coordinated so that each colour has an effective meaning
• could be a packaged board game, or a simple 'please & thank you' designed colourfully.
• follow colour semiotics or challenge them?
• try to talk to someone with young children about what they are drawn to, as this would be some useful research.