Brief

Our first project for this module required us to design and create a box that represented the celebrity/historical figure we were randomly given. The cube could be as bizarre as we wanted as long as it communicated a reasonable about of information about the person, didnt break out of the dimensions (200x200x200mm) and didn't include the persons face.

Research

To begin we had to thoroughly investigate the person we were given. I was given the historical figure Che Guevara, who I had practically zero knowledge of, so after very thorough research online I manage to get my head around who he was and why he was an important person in our history. 
​
Ernesto "Che" Guevara was a Marxist revolutionary leader, particularly during the Cuban Revolution. He was born in Argentina into a middle class family and studied medicine at the University of Buenos Aires​. During his travels across South America he witnessed the extremely poor living conditions, leading him to believe only revolution could bring them justice. During the late 1950s, he aided Fidel Castro in overturning the Batista government. He was later captured in Bolivia where he was executed in 1967.

I then took my visual research and created a mood board/collage. I include images of Cuban symbols such as their national bird and flower, as well as symbols related to revolution. 

Initial Ideas

After researching I began to get some initial ideas down on paper; ways I could represent Guevara without using his face or name in my finished piece.
​One of the ideas that stuck was to represent him using an animal that I thought could match his personality and the way he looked. He seemed to be a very strong minded person with lots of leadership-like qualities. A raven is a very intelligent and cunning bird, and due to them having black feathers I thought it was a good match.
​I did also think about using the Cuban national bird, but seeing as he wasn't born in Cuba and the bird itself was very colourful I didn't think it would match his persona as well so I stuck with the raven.

I then started to think more about how to design the box itself. I decided I would make my box inspired by a peep show box theatre, adding dimension using layers of different images related to Guevara. 
Some of my ideas involved making it look like a sort of 'box of curiosities', inspired by the work of Joseph Cornell, filling it with little trinkets related to the figure such as maps, bullets, flags, cigars and propaganda posters. 

I also started to think about how I wanted the outside of the box to look. At least three sides had to be decorated with nothing going outside the dimensions so I thought I would just paint the outside using colours inspired by the Cuban flag.

Mock Ups

​Here I was experimenting a little with how exactly I wanted the outside of the box to look as I wasn't sure whether to do it exactly like the flag with the stars or just inspired by it. I leaned more towards the latter as I thought too many stars would be overpowering and I preferred using the big star on the top by itself instead. 

Developments

I needed to create a box that had an open front to it, but so I could also lift the top off in order to insert the inside layers properly. Using scrap MDF and some help from a technician, I created a very sturdy, well constructed cube with a slide out top so I could accomplish this. After being painted and all elements put inside the top would no longer need to be removed and would be more of a seamless cube, apart from the open front. 

After the cube as finished, I started working on the inside elements. Taking an image of a raven, I used Procreate to edit a beret onto its head similar to the one Guevara was often seen wearing, as well as his iconic cigar. I also tried to make its face look more stern and determined. 

Final Piece

It then came to adding all the elements together. I started with painting the outside and areas of the inside using acrylic paint and sandpaper to make it look more old and worn away, like a gun crate from the war. 
I then pasted images of maps related to Cuba and his travels around South America at the back, representing that being the beginning of his motivations. The next layer I pasted onto some thick foam board to give it more sturdiness and a 3D-effect. I used an image of a Cuban street for this. The bottom I used an image of some gravel to give the impression of destruction and war. The layers in the foreground included the image I create of Guevara as a raven as well as a flag and some bullets to further indicate the revolution.

Overall, I am happy with the outcome considering it was so much out of my comfort zone; researching a historical figure I had no idea about in addition to creating a physical 3D object. The only thing I would seek to improve on in the future is the materials I used to create the inside elements as they didn't look as clean and sharp as I would of liked, mainly due to cutting skills and printer quality.
However, I love how the layers give the piece dimension and encourage the viewer to look deeper, much like Guevara himself. 

Brief

Our first project involved us having to identify a product that's currently packaged and distributed using unnecessary single use plastic or mixed materials and design a new packaging solution using 100% carton board or corrugated board. Both the structure of the pack and the surface graphics had to be considered.

Research

I began first by exploring a range of different 3D forms to see what different materials could do and also help inspire a product to package. I started off using plain paper to practice folding and construction techniques and then moved onto using a more sturdy material than could possibly be laser cut. 

After careful consideration, I settled on my product; ear-bud headphones.
I chose this product because they are very often covered in unnecessary plastic which is not only bad for the environment but also makes it very difficult to get into without damaging the wires inside. I decided I wanted to try and design a box that was just as aesthetically pleasing and still protected the product.

Initial Ideas

I started drawing up some concepts for the box, wanting it to still be easy enough to hang on shelfs and be displayed easily. I explored designs that were a little more dynamic with their shape to begin with but eventually thought I would be able to make better use of the space inside if the box remained a more simple shape.

Development

I finally settled on an idea for the box which was to create a slide-out matchbox with an outer cover packaging that would contain all the surface graphics and keep the box more secure whilst displayed. I also explored how to place the headphones themselves inside the box as I didn't want them to be loose. I thought about using layered corrugated card and laser cutting out the shape of the ear pieces and wire but was struggling with the shapes.
Through more research I then came across a concept were people were cutting up old credit cards to wrap their headphones around in order to stop the wires from becoming tangled whilst travelling. 

Mock Ups​

I then began making some 3D mock ups of my design, first just with plain paper and then I experimented a little with the corrugated cardboard. I struggled quite a bit with figuring out how big the box should be so that was a bit of trial and error. I wanted it to be as compact as possible so that the matchbox could also be reused to store the headphones in instead of being thrown away.

Here I did try to create the cut outs for the inside packaging by hand using the thicker brown card which was a lot easier to work with, but the shapes of the headphones were just too tedious. As a result I went with the other design instead inspired by the credit card trick and experimented with a few different shapes for the headphones to wrap around as securely as I could with it being a less study material.

Further Development

After deciding on what size the box should be I began creating the final net and its dimensions. I used a matchbox template from a website called Template Maker as a guide to drawing out my own net. The final net I drew straight onto the brown card so the scans are not as clear as I would have liked them to be.

Surface Graphics Development

​Initially I had the idea of adding a pattern to the matchbox so the buyer would be encouraged to reuse it but I wasn't sure how I was going to transfer the design to the card as I couldn't print directly onto it, and I also quite liked the minimalistic look of the cardboard anyway.
I then moved on to focus more on the surface graphics for the sleeve instead, still keeping to a minimal design. I chose to include an image of the headphones I drew in Procreate to make up for the fact you cant see the product through any plastic. 

I created the final surface graphics using Adobe Illustrator, drawing out the net of the sleeve in the correct dimensions. I used the barcode and other symbols from the vector resources folder we were provided. I kept it modern looking by using purely sans-serif typefaces, with a simple black and white colour scheme so that it would appeal to a wider range of customers.
I also created a little logo for the packaging, using a vector from this website, as well as a little card to go inside the box so it looked more professional.
​You can see the process below:

Final Piece

After I had finished designing the surface graphics it was time to combine them with the 3D pack itself. I used spray mount to stick the labels onto the nets. 
Below you can see the unfolded net of my packaging solution as well as images of the 3D folded dummy version at various angles and containing the product.