Packaging design is not a general graphic design

"Package design is not a general graphic design." This was originally a matter of no debate. However, at present, some professors from the Department of Advanced Art and Design, and some professionals engaged in packaging design, theoretically shout that packaging is a graphic design, emphasizing that packaging is a category of graphic design, and the concept of graphic design is used for packaging design and teaching. The packaging design evaluation, as well as some provincial packaging technology associations, also changed the original “Packaging Design Committee” to “Graphic Design Committee”, and directed the packaging design to the purest pursuit of plane visual art design. This one-sided misdirection of theory and behavior has caused some young teachers and designers of art and design students and school students to have confusion in the understanding of packaging design, which directly affects the healthy and orderly development of packaging design and packaging design education. For this reason, this article intends to discuss the similarities and differences between the packaging design and the graphic design in terms of the concept and the original source.

About the concept of packaging design

Packaging, as an indispensable means of linking human production and life, develops synchronously with human civilization. In different historical periods, the functional meaning of packaging is not the same. However, packaging can never be separated from the basic functions of using certain materials and containers, wrapping, binding, containing, protecting contents, and conveying information. In 1983, China's definition of packaging in the "Packaging Common Term" national standard was: to protect products in the circulation process, facilitate storage and transportation, promote sales, and use containers, materials and auxiliary materials in accordance with certain technical methods. Name: Also refers to the application of certain technical operations in the process of using containers, materials and aids. The term “package” is clearly defined as a type of thing, such as food packaging, household electrical appliance packaging, stationery packaging, and daily chemical product packaging; at the same time, it is defined as a verb for the operation of things, such as commodity production. Before the product is shipped out of the factory, a series of operation activities such as filling, bottling, loading, packing, sealing, wrapping and bundling the product by the packer in the packaging workshop are called packaging. The so-called modern packaging design is to protect the safe circulation of products, facilitate storage, transportation and consumption, and promote sales. Based on the nature, form, and circulation intention of a specific product, the concept is formed through planning and positioning, and a combination of art and technology is adopted. Appropriate materials, modeling, structure, visual information transmission, and protection technology processing are integrated to create new packaging entities. Obviously, packaging is aimed at solving the combination of material protection and practical functions and the optimization of aesthetic and information functions in the circulation of specific products, and has a diversity of design. The natural (substance) function of packaging—that is, the nature, shape, and quantity of contained and protected contents, the protection of consumers' safe use of commodities, and the convenience of production, storage, transportation, display, sales, carrying, consumption, and processing; The social (spiritual) function of packaging is to shape the brand image of goods, beautify the goods, attract attention, and accurately and promptly convey product information through certain materials, shapes, structures, and visual communication design, and guide consumer goods correctly and effectively. Product added value performance. Obviously, packaging design is the key to achieving the packaging function objective. It is the integration of packaging technology, commercial marketing and visual communication art into an intermediary layer of commodity packaging entities. The design plan directly relates to the packaging production process, quality and performance, cost accounting, and market economic and social benefits. The packaging design includes the packaging process technology, and the overall systematic design of packaging materials and packaging modeling, structural design, visual communication design, packaging add-on design, and packaging protection technology processing.

In June 2004, the Ministry of Labor and Social Security announced the occupational definition of packaging designers in the new national occupation standards: in the field of commodity production and circulation, it is engaged in packaging process design, storage and transportation packaging design, and sales packaging design. Professionals. Clearly define the career scope of the packaging designer, including the design of the process technology and processing equipment for the material and commodity packaging process, and the design of transportation packaging for various goods and products (including heavy machinery products, etc.) entering the circulation of goods; Color TV, refrigerators, matching tableware and other large and medium-sized commodities are integrated into the design of integrated transportation packaging and sales packaging. At the same time, packaging designers are also responsible for the development and application of new packaging materials and packaging technologies, and the development of computer-aided design software for packaging products. With design etc. In view of the integrated, systematic, and application-specific characteristics of the packaging design profession across multiple disciplines, the differences in requirements for the professional skills of the sales packaging, transport packaging, and packaging process design in the design operation practice make it difficult for one person to complete the packaging design. All aspects of the design task, so in the packaging designer professional standards allow designers in the sales packaging, transport packaging, packaging process design can choose one of the main design direction, no matter which direction of the packaging design, are difficult with the plane Design concept is equivalent.

The concept and role of graphic design

Graphic design is the design of specific information content, through visual elements such as text, graphics, colors, etc., expressed in the same plane by artistic means. For example, various posters, newspapers and periodicals advertisements, street sign advertising designs, books, product samples, corporate image brochures, etc., cover and interior page graphic design are typical graphic designs. At the same time, graphic design can be extended to the visual communication design of more things such as commodity packaging, and its application range is extremely wide. However, everything has its own specific relative limitations. Regardless of the area of ​​application, graphic design is based on visual communication and the effects of aesthetic arts. It disseminates specific content information in the visual arts as much as possible. For the goal.

The main object of graphic design research is: designing the text, graphics, colors, and its composition and presentation methods under the specific application environment conditions. That is, using the concept of dynamic research to understand graphic design, no matter where it is transferred to graphic design, or it will never change - based on visual art design.

The similarities and differences between packaging and graphic design

From the above brief analysis of packaging design and graphic design features, it can be seen that in the three different orientations of the packaging designer's occupational division of labor, the packaging process design is mainly to study the packaging operation process technology methods and equipment in the packaging production and processing process. Design, in fact, more closely linked with industrial design, is definitely not a graphic designer can solve the packaging problem. Transport packaging and sales packaging design are based on the overall functional goals of the packaging. Based on the nature of the packaging and the flow objectives, the packaging materials, modeling, and structural design are the first considerations for the protection of the contents of the packaging and the convenience of consumption. At the same time, we must also consider the appearance of the packaging material and the aesthetics of the packaging design and structure. As a variety of packaging materials of various shapes and structural design of packaging containers, is obviously not a graphic design can solve the problem. Moreover, for different characteristics of the packaging of goods, but also to adopt appropriate packaging technology, such as the use of cushioning shock-resistant packaging technology for fragile products, food preservation and packaging technology, the use of air, temperature, seafood, fruits, vegetables, etc. , moisture conditioning packaging technology. These continuous application and development of packaging technology are by no means a problem that can be covered by graphic design.

The most important aspect of graphic design and packaging design is the visual communication design part of packaging. The general domestic practice is called packaging and decorating design, which uses graphics, text, color and modeling to convey product information through artistic means. Packaging and decoration as an important aspect of the overall package design, through the packaging design of the material, modeling, structure, visual communication design of the entire process, but also not exactly equal to the graphic design.

The so-called packaging graphic design, in the past generally known as packaging design, that is, the packaging surface text, graphics, color design. It is just an indispensable part of the visual design of the packaging. Obviously, using the concept of graphic design for packaging design evaluation and teaching, only stays in the visual design of the packaging surface, and has not yet penetrated into the overall systematic design of the inner protection and convenience functions of the packaging.

In view of the difference in professional orientation between packaging design and graphic design, the Department of Packaging and Graphic Design of the Los Angeles Art Center's School of Design has long established packaging design and graphic design majors to fully demonstrate the different advantages of the two professions.

In summary, materials and commodity packaging include sales packaging design, transportation packaging design, and packaging process design. All packaging designs need to achieve the optimal combination of packaging's natural and social functions as perfectly as possible. It is an overall design. concept. Graphic design is only an indispensable part of the packaging visual communication design; it is impossible to use the concept of graphic design to complete the overall functional design of product packaging. In order to adapt to the modern packaging design and packaging education, we must establish the concept of the overall system design of the packaging, and carry out an overall systematic design of the packaging.



Author: Bai Bing