Design and packaging
Shops which have a number of different branches usually design them in a similar way so that customers will recognise them. The design can cover everything from the layout of the shop to packaging, and even to the font style and colour used to spell out the name of the shop on the outside.
When did shop design become important?
In the past, most shops were small and run by the owner. In late Victorian times some owners started to buy more than one shop and employ managers to run them. They wanted to create an image for both the inside and outside of all their shops. On the outside they would have their name in big letters. Inside they might have mosaic floors and tiles on the walls in certain colours and patterns. These tiles were practical as well as attractive as they were more hygienic than wood.
Why is there more packaging today than in the past?
Before the invention of fridges and freezers to store food, and cars to transport shopping, most people just bought small amounts of food each day. Shopkeepers would weigh out goods and then wrap them in paper, or measure liquids into the customers’ own jugs. In the 1950s self-service shopping was introduced into Britain. Packaging was needed to protect, contain and present food.
What do package designers have to consider?
Different types of packaging are need for different types of product. Fragile foods, for instance, need to be protected from breakages. Liquids need containers that are waterproof. Frozen foods need packaging that can survive very cold temperatures. Today many people are concerned that we have too much packaging. They want packaging to be recyclable or reusable.
Why is package presentation important?
Packaging has to act a bit like a salesperson, encouraging customers to buy a product and giving information about it. Designers have to think about what colours, fonts and pictures to use and how much factual information to include. Sometimes a particular kind of style is developed so that customers recognise a manufacturer's or store’s own brand. This gives customers confidence in the quality of the product.
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