COP 3: Project Statement

Throughout this project the influence of gender roles and characteristics on skincare brands and packaging has been explored. Research looked at the idea of gender as a social construct in order to help understand how stereotypes surrounding gender roles have been established. This stems from dressing and naming babies in a certain way at birth based on genitalia (Lorber 1994). These roles are sustained through social performance as individuals represent themselves in a way that matches their gender category. This is sustained through social arrangement that is justified by religion and law with any alternatives made to be unthinkable. Within the practical elements of this project the aim has been to provide an alternative, to provided a brand that is gender neutral but also isn't confined to the traditional clinical aesthetic associated with gender neutral personal care products. The practical elements of this brief consisted of multiple packaging outcomes for the essential personal care items, cleanser, moisturiser, deodorant and razor. This is an important aspect of the brand as men and women use 'products as a way to define themselves to others and purchase brands with a particular personality to express their self-concept' (Malar et al, 2011:36). By creating a brand with limited gender connotations, Heka is providing an alternative for people who don't conform to traditional gender roles. It was also important not to alienate those who do conform to traditional gender roles as Heka is for all, as everyone uses the products featured.

The main approach to the practical element has been to explore if it possible to create an outcome that appeals to both men and women without this being the main focus of the brand. This has been achieved through the use of colour and pattern to create an engaging design that appeals to young people aged 18-25. However this approach had its limitations as a result of how heavily ingrained gender stereotypes are within society and the subjectivity of colour theory. This made it difficult to use colour throughout the designs which explains the use of black and white within most gender neutral brands such as Aesop and The Ordinary. The designer recognises the difficulties of designing gender neutral outcomes as the focus of making it neutral tends to take over, becoming the main focus of the design decisions. This is evidenced as although the final packaging outcomes are gender neutral they don't look like a traditional skincare brand. Despite this the final outcomes are successful as the break boundaries within the gender neutral skincare market by challenging the existing aesthetic as well as assumptions about masculinity and femininity. The final outcome could have been approved if another focus group was conducted with a wider range of people of different gender identities involved as this would have allowed for greater evidence of success.

COP 3 Practical: Final Outcome

Overall the final packaging outcomes (see figures 1-9) successfully answer the brief as the designs disrupt the clear ideas of masculinity and femininity within the skincare industry by creating packaging that appeals to all through the use of colour and pattern. Furthermore this use of bold engaging colours and pattern counters the established 'clinical' aesthetic commonly associated with skincare brands. In addition the use of bold colours counters the assumption that a lot of gender neutral products need to feature minimal colour, creating a cold and clinical aesthetic. The use of colour and pattern creates a fun and engaging outcome that appeals to young people aged 18-25 who are already aware of gender fluidity but have the opportunity to carry that awareness further, promoting change within society and consumer markets. Peer feedback also allowed for the opinion of the target audience to be heard as those asked where between 18-25 allowing more accurate adjustment to be made. 

One of the main issues faced throughout the development of the final outcome was colour, as the colours used need to limit gender connotations as the packaging needed to find a balance between masculinity and femininity. The brightening of the colours used allowed this to be achieved as the use of pastel blues and pink created links to gender due to the assignment of blue is for boys and pink is for girls. Despite this it will always be difficult to create an outcome that is completely gender neutral when colours are used due to the subjective nature of colour theory, as what is masculine or feminine to one person could be completely different to another. Furthermore the main aim of this brief was to produce packaging that appeals to all without gender neutrality becoming the focus of the brand however this was very difficult due to how heavily ingrained gender roles are within our social structures. This was discovered due to the ongoing issues with colour within the packaging as although both pink and blue where used some found this created too many connotations to traditional gender roles. Despite these concerns both colours where used as the aim of the packaging was to appeal to all and not discount traditional gender roles. Furthermore these connotations are limited due to the incorporation of additional colours such as yellow and orange. 

The final outcome has printed and constructed well with colours being shown accurately allowing the bright and engaging designs to be shown clearly. Overall the packaging works well to target men and women as well as those who don't identify with traditional gender roles. The final outcome successfully targets aesthetic value, functionality and attitude, as according to Tilburg (2015) if these elements of a brand are targeted successfully the increased purchase intent associated with gendered products is eliminated. 

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COP 3: Ethical Statement

Throughout this module ethical considerations have been made due to the sensitive nature of gender fluidity, making sure the correct terms have been used throughout. In relation to the practical elements of this brief, as the design has been based on limiting gender connotations I feel the final outcome is appropriate as the colours and pattern used convey little gender connotations, therefore allowing the practical element to appeal to most individuals. In addition another key consideration throughout this project was to not alienate those who do identify with traditional gender roles as the aim of the project was to provide a brand that appealed to everyone and highlight the unnecessary segregation within the skincare market.

A focus group has been used within the practical element of this project, however verbal consent was received by those involved  as they agreed to both be involved within the focus group and allow for the documentation of the discussion. This documentation was written up as a discussion with no names being used, as key points and suggestions where recorded. Due to the anonymity within the documentation their is limited ethical impact as there is no direct link to those used within the focus group. 

COP 3 Practical: Final Photos

In order to present the final mock ups I've experimented with a number of coloured backdrops and settings to see which best portrays the final products (see figure 1-24). Both the orange and pink backgrounds (see figures 16-24) worked the best as they complimented the designs well without being distorted by the lights used. However although the pink gives the impression of a personal care/ skincare brand more than the orange the use of pink could create impressions of femininity influencing the perceived gender of the brand. Therefore orange (see figures 19-24) was chosen for the final outcome as it compliments the packaging well without creating any unnecessary gender connotations. Furthermore the use of bright orange further add to the fun and engaging nature of the packaging complimenting the overall theme of the brand more effectively than the use of white (see figures 3-15) which created more of clean, clinical aesthetic.  

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COP 3 Practical: Production

In order to produce the final packaging outcomes the digital print resource within university was used as this allowed the bright colours within the designs to be printed accurately, allowing the vibrant nature of the colours to be shown within the physical packaging. Furthermore using digital print allowed the packaging to be printed on thick stock (matt 245gsm) which gave stability to the boxed one they where built. Originally black card (figure 1) was considered as the background colour of the packaging is black however this would have limited the brightness of the other colours within the designs. Therefore white card (matt 245gsm) (figure 2) has been used and black printed which has allowed for a high quality print to be created. Olin regular (300 gsm) was also considered for the packaging as the higher gsm would have created more a durable outcome however this stock would have gone through a different printed to the labels creating colour difference as the brightness wouldn't have shown through using this stock figure 3). In addition to using digital print to get a high quality print, the binding tool (figure 4) within the cutting room was used to achieve clean folds within the packaging so the print quality would be dimensioned as the packaging was built. This allowed clean indents to be made within the packaging which didn't disrupt the colour or print allowing for a professional finish to the final mock ups.  In relation to the labels these where printed on matt adhesive paper using the same printer used for the boxes to ensure consistency with colour. Printing the labels onto adhesive paper (figure 5) allows them to be stuck to the model bottles easily, creating a more realistic and professional representation of the packaging. The only issue with using labels is they can be difficult to apply correctly on a curved container due to limited control over how you can turn the label itself as once its stuck there little room for movement (figure 6), whereas with paper its a little easier to create a consistant curves as it holds it own shape more. Despite this difficulty adhesive paper was used as it allowed for the more professional outcome to be created.

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COP 3 Practical: Bottle Label Design

Bottle labels have been designed in order to compliment the boxes as the pattern on the box will correspond to the product in order to create a decisive visual language within the packaging which allows each product to be easily identified. One of the main issues faced by the designer when creating the label design was consistency with type size due to the varying sizes of the bottle. It was difficult to determine a consistant and appropriate size due to the placement of the type on its side and the varying length of each word (see figure 1-3). Furthermore some colours needed to be edited in order to aid the legibility of type when the ingredients are included (see figure 4) due to the use of yellow. Throughout these designs it was decided to feature the ingredients within the label design so the consumer knows what they are using even if they don't keep the box as initially the name of the product was going to be featured on its own (see figure 1). In addition to colour considerations the placement of the pattern itself has been considered in relation to how the label will wrap around the bottle, to help limit the pattern being cut of when the sides meet. In order to help determine an appropriate type size for each product mock ups where produced too see how the type printed (see figures 5-7). This allowed the designer to see the type in relation to the pattern more easily to judge which variation was most appropriate. The examples seen in figures 5-7 where the most appropriate when printed at they fit the dimensions of the bottle more accurately as larger type was too overpowering, distracting from the pattern relating to the product.

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COP 3 Practical: Net Production and Testing

Nets have been more accuratly developed in relation to the bottles used to demonstrate each product, allowing the boxes to be produced in proportion to the products. Furthermore this has allowed considerations fro the placement of the pattern to be made as the length of each side of the box is known helping limit the possibility of cutting the pattern off at tabs and around corners so the whole pattern can be seen across each section of the box. In order to test the nets to see if any other alterations needed to be made mock ups where produced to test the sizes of the box and check the type used was in proportion. Although the type used is proportionate to the new nets some of the patterns where cut of when the nets constructed (see figure 3-4), meaning the patterns need to be altered slightly. However due to the large size of the pattern this isn't a major problem as the pattern is still visible and undisrupted due to the removal of the black box surrounding the type. Furthermore once the nets where constructed I realised the logo was the upside down on the lid once it was put together (see figure 5) meaning the logo needed to be upside down within the illustrator file so once it was printed it could be read on the lid. 

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