Main Project: Tutorial

Question 1:
Materials lightness, suitability for purpose, minimalising of materials use and 'clever or smart' usages of materials were all considerations discussed at CAT with Jo. With your present designs for the Lea and Perrins brief mixed with the research that you've done to date and some of Jo's discussions  (remember there's an mp3 on this year's CAT trip post) suggest 3 ways in which you might minimise your materials use with your package. 

-In terms of the glass bottle, I looked at the differences between the production of clear and brown glass but both had the same value and recyclability. Green glass is more abundant in recycling and is cheaper to produce, but I felt it would detract from the product, and so the clear glass will remain. However, the glass could be made thinner and the bottle shorter to minimise the materials.

-There is a lot of information on the back of the label that doesn't necessarily need to be there, and with my addition of a web/mobile app element I can minimise the text and instead point people in the direction of scanning the QR code to learn more. Therefore, I can decrease the size of the label and the materials used.

-By branding the product in such a way that sustainability takes centre stage, I hope to aim the product towards people who want to shrink their carbon footprint. Therefore, most of the bottles would be recycled rather than sent to landfill, and although this doesn't decrease the initial amount of materials used it would become a cycle of recycled glass bottles.

Question 2:
After our group tutorials in sessions last week we spoke with all who attended about their ideas to date and made suggestions on how they might be improved upon. What 3 considerations did you take away from those discussions and how might they affect the way that you've taken your designs further since last week's sessions?

-Introducing more of a sustainable element to the product seemed to be the main point I took from the tutorial, as it is lacking a major selling point.

-I will be looking towards second use elements to add to the bottle.

-I think the group felt that my rebrand was quite radical in trying to appeal to a new age group, and so perhaps it would be better suited to a special edition bottle, or range of bottles.

Question 3:
Again, on the back of tutorial discussions in sessions last week we'd agreed that most of you needed to add further references/research into products (food-related or otherwise) or precedents that successfully applied some or all of the ideas you were suggesting for the L+P brief. You'll need to have these anyway as part of a rounded set of supporting research. Name or cite 3 precedents or examples of how your ideas for L+P have already been applied commercially.

-The QR code idea is something that I need to look into, and see how other companies have utilised this system. Toys R Us use a similar system where they replace the larger outdoor items instore with QR codes so that customers can scan with their smart phones and see how the product looks in situ, which gives the customers more of an insight into the specifications of the products and saves on shelf space for the company.
http://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/toys-r-us-continues-to-increase-summer-sales-via-bigger-qr-code-push

-In terms of the logo rebrand, many companies have updated their logos to look modern and appeal to younger audiences. Microsoft have very recently simplified and given a more youthful look to their logo.

-I have been looking into materials to make the label from. I was planning to use rough, recycled paper for the label itself with soy or vegetable inks, and will have to look at environmentally friendly adhesives as I want the label to be completely composted after use. I want to look at including nutrients or seeds to the paper so that the product will benefit the soil and perhaps be used to grow vegetables, but I will have to research whether that's a possibility.

The next step in my research will be looking into the possibility of composting the label remains and perhaps including tomato seeds in the fibres of the paper, in order to encourage people to cultivate their own vegetables. Perhaps the bottle could also have a use in gardening, as a growing aid or vase for the plants.

Main Project: Rough Prototype

Seacourt Printing & Robert Horne Group

Seacourt: Naturally Responsible Printing

We received a talk from Mark of Seacourt Printing about their work and how they have become a zero waste company in recent years.

1995 - Seacourt were visited by the 'Paint Research Association' which made observations and suggestions relating to issues of waste, such as the fact that six 5m³ bins of waste were being sent to landfill every week.

1997 - Seacourt made the change to waterless offset printing, which uses silicone instead of water and dramatically reduced their consumption of water and detergent.

1998 - They were registered to ISO 14001 in recognition of their change in approach towards environmentalism.

1999 - Seacourt became only the second printer in the world to be EMAS environmentally accredited, which meant that they had to show year-on-year improvement to keep this honour. They also installed a large five-colour waterless offset machine.

2001 - Seacourt were certified carbon neutral amid decisions to use recycled paper and vegetable oil ink.

2003 - 100% renewable energy used.

2004 - The first of many awards, including the SEDA business award.

2006 - They won the Green Apple Environmental Award

2007 - They were awarded their most prestigious award, the Queen's Award for Sustainable Development

2009 - 99.5% water reduction saves 140,000 litres per year and they even installed four wormeries to help compost food waste, which contributed to them becoming the first printers in the world to become zero waste to landfill.

2011 - They received a second Queen's Award.

This talk opened my eyes to the amount of waste that can be created by a printing firm and the fact that it is possible for a business in an industry like that to become zero waste, a benchmark that more businesses should look at striving for. However, as Seacourt are a business, not an environmental organisation, they are concerned about publishing a series of guidelines for other companies to follow as they try to keep their niche in a competitive industry. 

Robert Horne Group

The second talk was from Mary Warren, an Environmental Products Sales Manager for Robert Horne Group, who supply many different materials including papers and plastics. They aim to reduce the amount of carbon, water and VOCs (volatile organic components) in their products. Some points raised included:

• 5,000,000 tonnes of paper are sent to landfill every year instead of recycled
• One problem involved with recycling paper is the de-inking process which isn't widespread
• Many paper mills have closed down, which means that most virgin fibres are from Scandinavia, mostly Finland, while recycled paper is only produced in France, Austria, Germany and Italy.
• We will always need to use virgin fibres for paper products as they are essential to add strength but should be used responsibly

Mary Warren also spoke about the DEFRA Green Claims Code, and how important it is to ensure that all products used fall into their guidelines if you include their logo, to protect yourself, business and client. Both talks made me realise that we can continue to use paper and ink sustainably, provided we reduce any petro-chemical involvement. This means that I don't have to worry about changing my initial ideas, and will keep many of the materials used in the current Lea & Perrins bottle but ensure they are sourced sustainably.

Main Project: Further Development

Following the talks from representatives of Seacourt Printing and Robert Horne Publishing, I felt more comfortable using paper or card for the label and coloured inks, provided that they come from a sustainable source and are not harmful to the environment. This is why I chose to bring in the orange element to my designs to match the Lea & Perrins brand.

When thinking about how to appeal to a younger generation it made sense to utilise social media to help advertise the product and promote environmental issues. The use of a QR (Quick Response) code allows a user with a smart phone to scan the label with their camera, which then takes the customer to a website or app.

Designing a mobile website would allow me to keep the packaging minimal, while introducing some extra elements, such as the recipe ideas that Lea & Perrins were keen to promote. This could also be used to highlight environmental issues and a 'guerilla' social media campaign using Twitter hashtags. This initial mock-up uses the rough paper style background of the label and similar typography and icons to tie into the branding, and has these web elements on separate pages, however I was thinking of featuring one statistic or fact about climate change per day and a 'recipe of the day'. The hashtag element '#bottleit' was an initial idea for a campaign to challenge people to reuse the bottle in different ways, as containers or art and so on.

Main Project: Design Development

I decided to develop the idea of using the ampersand as the main focal point of the design, while bringing in elements of sustainability and environmental issues. I sketched out various ampersands from different typefaces and styles, and also iconography associated with recycling, trying to find a crossover point to adapt them into one image.

Most ampersands use a combination of curves, bowls and swashes, while recycling icons are almost always circular to show the cycle and use arrows to denote reuse. In this way I found there were opportunities to adapt either shape to include elements of the other. It was hard to tell if this would be a viable design solution as they were so I decided to sketch a mock-up:

 Although the colour scheme is set at orange and black, I felt that a natural recycled paper colour may be aesthetically pleasing and would reduce any colouring and therefore make the product more environmentally friendly. I wanted to incorporate some form of second use into the product, and thought about using the cap as a removable measuring cup. The use of the large ampersand is meant to be eye-catching and draw the customers in, and introducing a recycling-style element would appeal to the eco-conscious, which would increase the chances of the bottle being reused or recycled. Using one long strip of recycled paper or card as the label would minimise the amount of adhesive needed.

I tried out various options on Illustrator to test how it would look in a more professional and usable format and found that there were many ways to mix the two elements. I was a little disappointed with the traditional '&' shape, as I couldn't find many fonts where the end points were rounded enough to elongate into the circular recycling sign, but the effect is the same. On the whole it seems to be a concept that I can definitely use on my packaging, but I wanted to see how it would apply to the label.

The simple black ink on a rustic coloured background works well, and I feel would also look good against a more orange colour if required. I still wasn't sure about the adapted '&' shaped one, as it doesn't convey the effect I had hoped but the boldness gives it an eye-catching quality. I prefer the ampersand within the circular icon, both as a stand alone design piece and within the brand name 'Lea & Perrins'. It also brings the design up to date and appealing to today's style, including the serif 'the original & genuine'. I also created a piece for the back of the label to encourage reuse and recycling, and informing the user that the product is 100% recycled.

The labels look good on the bottle, and compliment the dark brown of the product, with clear or coloured glass. I used two different label styles, the first one piece of recycled paper wrapped around the centre of the bottle where the current Lea & Perrins label sits and one with a smaller label around the middle and a thin label around the neck of the bottle declaring the strapline 'the original & genuine'.

Main Project: Initial Ideas

Initially I began by separating the current design into its constituent parts which forced me to looks closely at the design and decide what works best and what doesn't. It seems that there are a number of unimportant components on the label, such as the fancy border and the portraits of Lea and Perrins, and a crest near the top. I prefer modern simplistic designs like the Sainsbury's own brand Worcestershire sauce, and feel that it speaks more to a younger audience than elaborate old styles. As Lea & Perrins are looking to appeal to a younger generation then I think this is the route they should take.

Sagmeister & Walsh logo

My initial ideas were inspired by the design agency Sagmeister & Walsh who use a simple ampersand as their logo, which is instantly memorable. I felt that using a simple icon like that would give a product great visibility in the supermarket and decided to incorporate it into my sketches. One example I tried was adding an advertising strategy to the label like was used in their 'Leasagne' advertising campaign, to expand the brand's appeal. In this design I again chose a large ampersand as the main visual point, adding Lea & Perrins to the top of the label and 'Bolognese' to the bottom, to give a similar advertising strategy.

Main Project: Existing Designs

Lea & Perrins

Playing on their 'Original and Genuine' slogan, Lea & Perrins retain a very traditional style with their packaging which shows their pedigree as the market leader and more high-end than its competitors. The front of the label includes some old-fashioned features like the autograph behind the more modern lettering and the portraits and border. The back of the label is quite cluttered, featuring a lot of information that maybe doesn't need to be included.

Biona Organic Worcester Sauce

The biona packaging features a purple base colour which seems to be used as often as black and orange for Worcestershire Sauce, including on the Walkers crisps of that flavour. The bottle is very reminiscent of the Lea & Perrins design and features a similar styled cap, but the label is much more simplified, and the actual flavour is very clear, unlike Lea & Perrins which relies on the brand identity more.

Life Free From Worcester Sauce

This Worcestershire sauce design is aimed at people who like to watch what they're eating, with the company showing what the product is free from prominently on the label. Again, the shape of the bottle is very similar, but in this case the bottle is an opaque black colour, and again the style of the sauce is very visible. This design includes a photographic element at the bottom which gives it a stand-out quality on the shelf.

Spring Gully Worcestershire Sauce

Spring Gully present a more colourful approach to the packaging design, including bright yellow and red and again use a similar shape and the clear glass of Lea & Perrins. The design isn't very modern, but not in a traditional sense like Lea & Perrins, but instead is reminiscent of the early nineties. I don't feel that this is an effective design and it wouldn't persuade me to choose their sauce over the other brands I've looked at.

Tiger Tiger Worcester Sauce

The style of the actual bottle is very similar to the Life Free From example, but the style of the label borrows more from the original Lea & Perrins design, using the black and orange colour scheme. The design makes this offering seem like a cheap alternative maybe due to the bold typography which is reminiscent of fast food restaurants. This design seems to be aimed at customers who want Worcester sauce but aren't prepared to spend too much money, and for that reason the style is quite successful.

Worcester Sauce by Sainsbury's

This is my favourite design of them all, and is more eye-catching to me than Lea & Perrins when they are stacked on the supermarket shelf. Again, the bottle shape is the same, as is the cap and the orange and black colour scheme but I love the simplicity of the design. The 'Worcester sauce' and 'by Sainsbury's' are the same style as the rest of the Sainsbury's own range, and features simple iconography at the bottom of the label. This seems to be a much more popular style at the moment than the traditional approach, and is one that will inspire my designs.