OUGD503 - Responsive: Back of Bacon Packaging

I started to look at the bacon of bacon packaging so I knew what information to include on my own packaging.

OUGD503 - Responsive: Shrink Wrap Film

One of my ideas is to use shrink wrap film, as it allows the meat to last for longer and has shelf appeal. So I wanted to research how to do it, and where to buy it from.

This video shows a woman shrink wrapping soap, and it seems so easy! I would have to see if college have the right equipment to do it, but for the latter part where it needs to be heated up I could use a hair dryer.

Here is another video on shrinkwrapping bacon.

How to Shrink Wrap from Specialty Store Services on Vimeo.

Ebay

I found some on Ebay that I could buy as estimated delivery is only a couple of days and it is cheap.

Shrink Wrap Bags

You can also buy bags in various sizes which already have a seal so you don't have to use a sealing machine.

OUGD503 - Responsive: Packaging Materials

I looked at different materials that can be used in meat packaging.

Food Tray
These are really popular with meat packaging, and I could easily recreate one with a vacuum former.

These are some different examples of materials that can be used in meat packaging, and will help me think what would be best for me to use.

As I want to use a recloseable packet, I looked at the different variations you can get.

I then thought a resealable adhesive might be the easiest to mock up as I have to make the packaging myself, so I looked further into this. 

Global Meat Packaging Article

Cryovac

This shows all the different types of meat packaging they sell, and this is useful to me to see whats out there.

Reclose Applications

I think this is the kind of recloseable seal I would have to make due to production limitations. Having said that it is practical, easy to do and doesn't use lots of material so its appropriate.

Food Production Daily

This article shows how there has been a massive increase in the use of vacuum skin packaging now, and it extends the shelf life of products due to no air being in the pack. It is a lightweight tray which means lesser transportation costs, and has driven Booth's meat sales up by 80%. It gives a high quality finish making it more attractive to consumers.

OUGD503 - Responsive: Packaging Design

I started looking at existing packaging, for meat, ranges and ones that I like.

Fran Aldea

I love this packaging because of the hand drawn illustrations and type, as well as the choices of colour. You can tell that the products are related to each other due to the colour scheme and matching illustrations. I think that this helps it to look natural and organic as it looks hand rendered.

Kallo

I think this range of products works really well together, as although it doesn't use the same colour scheme as each other, or illustrations, the style of illustration are the same and the layout is consistent throughout. I like the rough illustrations and think they add a organic and trusting feel to them.

Spink & Sons

This packaging for salmon is really bold and skeumorphic, but I think it works really well. It gives a fresh, contemporary feel to the product and I think it would stand out on the shelf amongst the other boring fish products.

Madej and Wrobel

This concept for meat packaging is very clean thanks to the white, but I also think it looks quite traditional and as though it is from the Butcher's due to the stripy dark red pattern. It also has a hanging feature - this could be good in some supermarkets, but not all of them are required to have this facility therefore it wouldn't be used.

Egg

This is innovative packaging for eggs, and a good way of separating them. It definitely has shelf presence because it can stand up, but it can also be stacked easily. 

Boulder

I just really like the design of this coffee label, with an infographic style way to show the information. I also like the vector illustration which is used - I could do a range of these to put on each version of the packaging.

Jelly Jar

I like how although these labels are different colours and feature different illustrations, they are still part of the same set and have a strong, consistent identity. I think they stand out due to their bright colours and block typography.

Kefalonia

I like how the label on this packaging fits with the shape of the fish, and shows the consumer what it will look like when it is cooked which is the appetising part.

Vacuum Skin

I have seen quite a few packaging like this nowadays where the meat is sucked to the tray, especially with fish, and I actually think it looks really good and somehow makes the meat look attractive - or the product high quality.

William Sonoma

I love the labels on these jars, and they are all different in a subtle way although look very similar. I think the designer has been very clever here because they work so well together. I think the muted colour scheme mixed with the serif fonts make it look ornate.

Bodega

I love how the tray has been embossed with the logo here, and I think that could be easily done by vacuum forming a wooden mould which can be made on a lasercutter or CNC machine. The actually packaging itself is quite basic, but these subtle design decisions make it really nice. It is also recloseable due to the plastic clasp.

Toscatti

I love this packaging which is colour coded and uses a simple typographic system to differentiate the different ranges in the product. I need to think how to combine all of the versions of bacon whether it be through colour or image.

Abe Froman

This sausage packaging is actually quite basic, as it is just a tray with a peel film on top with a card label wrapped around it. But the graphics are really modern and clean with a stand out illustration and colour scheme which makes it more appealing.

Blue Goose

I love this packaging for a range of meats by Blue Goose. By using a blue tray which matches the labels, it is very different to what you normally see, as trays are usually black or white. So this is a new thing to see, which would draw consumers attention. By shrink wrapping the meat onto the tray this also makes it last for longer. The design itself is very well done and makes it look a well established brand.

Tesco Sustainable

This packaging for meat is sustainable because it encourages consumers to use it afterwards - the question is how many people do actually use it afterwards?

 Barton and Childers

This is really luxurious packaging for meat, using diecut methods to create striking illustrations. It is very contemporary, and I like how the accent of colour is used on the illustration and the sides.

Lithells

This has a really strong identity, and the label goes really well with the photography as they both feature BBQ coal. Although I don't actually like the packaging, you can definitely see that it is intended to be barbecued and works well.

 Confit of Duck

This is luxury packaging for duck, and there are a few different variations. It shows how it can be presented very differently just by using different windows.

Trata OnIce

This is really modern seafood packaging, and I like how it has incorporated the illustration and diecut area together and gives a concept to them both rather than just a rectangle window. I also like the layout of the packaging and think it is minimal but gets the point across.

Dyroy

I think this is really innovative packaging for meat as it stands up, and this is something I wanted to try and see if I could do. By using the beige duotone stock, it allows the red meat to really stand out against the shelf. This has made me think how colour can also affect shelf presence, as when you go into a supermarket everything looks the same on a black or white tray.

Yorkshire Meat Dales

Choice Cattle Company

This is a good way of packaging meat, and the concept behind it really makes sense. By having these containers, juice doesn't get everywhere, so making my own having a bigger depth is a good idea and you can choose how many portions you want as it is in separate packaging, although this isn't very eco-friendly.

Chesil Smokey

I love this allunimum packaging, as it would really pop on the shelf and is shrink wrapped which makes it last longer. Opaque packaging actually makes it last longer too (as I've found in my research) so this is better.

OUGD503 - Responsive: Danepak Packaging

I looked at the current bacon packaging for Danepak to see what information I needed to include, and the range I needed to consider.

I don't think it is very exciting at the moment and doesn't stand out a lot. They have used photography at the moment to advertise the bacon, and so I will consider using that as well as illustration in my designs. 

I don't think it looks very modern and the design is quite average - but then the customers they have probably don't care that much about the packaging as much as the quality of the meat and reputation of the brand, considering the brief says its customers have been loyal for 40 years.

OUGD503 - Responsive: Food Packaging Primary Research

I went to Marks and Spencer's to look at the meat packaging they have, as they sell premium products which is what Danepak is. As I looked at Plan A for Marks and Spencer's, I wanted to see how they have made their packaging an environmental concern.

Multiple Resealable Pack
This packaging for steaks is good in the sense that it will keep the meat fresh for longer, but it uses a lot of packaging which is bad for wastage and cost. None of the packaging is recyclable, which is an environmental concern. It has lots of mini bags within one another, therefore allowing the customer to pick what they want to use without having to open another one. However, this is quite a bulky pack which would take up a lot of fridge/freezer space - is this necessary? 

Here is a steak in skin packaging, where it is completely vacuumed to the tray to stop air getting to it, making it last longer. This is good technique for back packaging, but I don't know how I would actually produce it.

This is similar to the previous, but it only uses one piece of material to protect the meat in the skin packaging.

I like this packaging as by using an indented area of the tray for the bacon, the top is all the same height. I also like how the sticker fits in the shape of the remaining tray.

I would love to do something like this packaging where it is stood up and the label covers the top of the packet.

I love this cheeseboard packaging, and think having it on the cheeseboard makes it more interesting to the consumer as well as providing a function for the packaging which makes it sustainable.

This is the label for the cheeseboard.

I looked at the tag for this, and saw that it says the wood is sustainable and suitable for food preparation which is helpful to both the environment and the consumer.

I thought it was quite good how there are two compartments for these burgers, as it is easier for the consumer to use. It doesn't take up that much extra space either as the burgers are quite compact. However, this probably wouldn't work for bacon because it is much bigger.