Packaging

Packaging

1. Materials

   • Packaging has to be made of something, and there are usually a set few things that it is made of.
   • Card
     • Card is normally used on packaging to create an easy to open box, but these are not resealable.
     • Cardboard
       • Cardboard boxes are a heavy duty version of the card box you might find your Belvita in. These could be used for washing machines, TVs or 3D printers.
   • Plastic
     • Plastic can be used in many forms.
     • Plastic boxes
       • A plastic box has the advantage of being harder to open and steal what's inside, but that also goes for getting what you've bought out. This is why, in many cases, the entire box won't be plastic, just the front.
     • Plastic bags
       • A plastic bag is the generally accepted way to get something granulated home, for example rice or peas, as well as where all the shopping goes to take it home. To save the environment, the British goverment has recently introduced a 5p  charge on those 5p bags.
     • Bubble wrap
       • When a product is fragile, leaving it in a box, bag or even tight wrap may be unsafe. To keep the product safe from any damage, you may wrap it in bubble wrap.
     • Box windows
       • Quite often, when you buy a product, you'll want to see what's inside the box, so there's a windows on there.
     • Cellophane wrap
       • With products like fruit, boxes and bags aren't a good idea, but you wouldn't want to leave it out there for people to put their dirty fingers all over. With a cellophane wrap, you can make it more hygeinic, while also not having too much... stuff around it.
   • Wood
     • Of all the packaging materals, wood is the most heavy duty. It's tough, and could be used to transport a tractor.
     • Boxes
       • A wood box could be used for storing something big and heavy, like a car, or bricks,
     • Pallets
       • So you have a bunch of boxes in the back of your lorry. How do you get them out? On a pallet (with a forklift to carry it)
   • Polystyrene
     • Packing peanuts

2. Environmental impact

   • Eco-friendly materials
     • Plastic is horrible for the environment. It doesn't biodegrade very quickly at all and while it's wasting hundreds of thousands of years, it takes up an enormous amount of space. Here are some more eco-friendly materials.
   • Overpackaging
     • Quite often, a product will have too much packaging on it. A good example is a shirt, in a cellophane wrap, in a plastic box, with a piece of card, in another plastic box, with a cardboard sleeve. It's completely unneccesary,

3. Symbols

   • To give you an idea of what to expect from a product, it will have a selection of symbols on it.
   • Age ratings (media)
     • Video games and films have age ratings to tell parents whether they are suitable for their children. These ratings may be based on violence, drug use or strong language, and can range from U (universally OK) to 18 (you must be 18 or over),
   • Small pieces warning
     • Some products may have small pieces, and the icon on packaging reflects that. It effectively tells buyers not to leave it with small children because they might choke. :(
   • Copyright
     • All products have packaging, and you don't want somebody to steal yours. That's what copyright is for - it makes it illegal to copy the design of the product under punishment of substantial fee.

4. Design

   • Logos
     • Brand names
     • Shape
     • Relevancy
   • Aesthetics
     • Patterns
     • Pictures of the product
   • Instructions
     • Simple
     • Easy to follow
     • Diagrams
     • Only keywords
   • Promotion
     • Memorable
     • Forms..
       • TV
       • Radio
       • Newspaper
       • Stands in shops
   • Protection
     • Products that need it
       • China
       • Glass

5. Manufacturing

   • Types
     • Mass production
     • Batch
     • Continuous
     • One-off
   • Ways
     • Factory
     • Hand-made
     • 3D printer

6. Purpose

   • Extra part of product
   • No purpose

Images and files in the map