1. Humor sells.
There are instances where comedy-tinged design might be offensive, but if it’s appropriate for the given project, humor can always help. Whether it's expressed via jovial color pairings, playful icons, or pithy copy, amusing elements can draw the right kind of attention. Designers Stefan Mückner and Timo Müller developed the concept of a mac’n’cheese tin can phone to support Frau Dr. Schneiders’ Grilled Cheese Wonderland, a German local business focused on safe food delivery during the global pandemic.
“We wanted to express the importance of social distancing without losing our humor.”
Project: Mac n' Cheese Coronafan
Name: Stefan Mückner, Timo Müller
Position: Both Mückner and Müller are illustrators. Mückner focuses on graphic design while Müller focuses on industrial design.
Location: Hamburg, Germany
Products used
Download FREE icons for Adobe Illustrator created by Mückner and Müller
2. Let nature inspire you.
The natural world has been a source of inspiration for centuries, but how an artist applies pastoral inspiration can create something entirely new. Take cow udders for instance. While the mammary glands of particular mammals aren’t conventionally beautiful, graphic designer Ilya Volgin reinterpreted the cow’s underbelly into a minimalist, sophisticated design for his milk packaging concept, Milk Me. While the final product sketch looks unlike anything of this world, there is no denying that putting multiple packages side-by-side resembles the cow’s underbelly in an understated way.
“The most amazing designs have been created by nature. We just have to learn to notice them and to translate them into shapes and ideas.”
Project: Milk Me
Name: Ilya Volgin
Position: Freelance Graphic Designer
Location: Minsk, Belarus
Products used
3. Know your audience.
Determining who the product is for — and keeping that audience in mind throughout the creative process — is paramount. To ensure the most success, the intended audience should inform everything from colors, to size, to shapes. For example, Studio Lim’s PEEP concept targets young women living in bustling New York City, by utilizing on-trend colors with strong contrast, age-appropriate phrasing, and overall packaging design elements that speaks to the movement of playfulness of the intended demographic.
“We considered the visual impact as the biggest factor rather than the product’s ingredients, so that the brand's atmosphere, package image, and phrases alone can raise curiosity.”
Project: PEEP
Name: Minseong Jeon
Position: Branding, identity, and packaging design
Company: Studio leM
Location: Seoul, South Korea
Products used
4. Imagine you're a shopper.
Where and how the product will be sold can help inform your design. Will the product be on crowded shelves? Will it be sold online or in stores? For Forest Gems, designer Lung-Hao Chiang knew that the high-end coffee package would sit on crowded shelves, so they designed it like a jewel to make it stand out and appear aspirational.
“Imagine your design being placed on the shelf and take a step backwards.”
Project: Forest Gems
Name: Lung-Hao Chiang
Position: Art director, copywriter, illustrator, and commercial space designer
Company: Freelancer
Location: Taipei, Taiwan
Products used
5. Educate and inform.
Centering your project on brand education doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your design. In fact, the brand’s ethos can inspire design — and push you creatively to communicate with design rather than words. Burp is a beer that is made with a bread surplus, so by buying Burp, the consumer is supporting the minimization of food waste. Designer Nichol Mak applied Burp’s socially conscious goals while also communicating its innovative, stimulating, and fun spirit.
“Think less about trying to be different, and focus more on understanding the brand and product, and start from there.”
Project: Burp
Name: Nichol Mak
Position: Designer and photographer
Company: Freelancer
Location: Hong Kong, China and Melbourne, Australia
Products used
