Project 5: Kiosk Final

Working in a group has taught me a lot. The one thing I really enjoyed with this project, although in the end I think may have hindered us was the amount of ideas that bounced around. Because there were three of us, we were all able to think of something the last person wasn't. This was helpful, but also hindered us. It was helpful because of I came up with an idea, Lynn was able to see that it was not feasible, when maybe I thought it was. I think it hindered us because we did end up going through a lot of ideas, which made it hard for us to decide on one.

In the end we ended up with a concrete concept. Our concept was tree-tops. Our product, an all natural nail polish, led us in the direction of having an organic space. We wanted the customer to feel as if they were in the middle of the trees, feeling and seeing that fresh air, and the beautiful light that makes its way through the branches. We chose oranges and yellows to color the inside of our space because it was natural. They are calming color that invites on it to the space. The white on the outside and the center display gives it the birch wood tree feel we were going for all along.

The image to the right shows an interior view of the space. The brown ledges on the trees would be shelves for the nail polish.
Our next step was to focus on the packaging. after doing a lot of process work on packaging, we decided it did not make sense to singaly package just one nail polish. Instead, we decided to design the end result of ones shopping experience. I designed a bag that customers could put their purchased nail polish in and take it home with them. the bag could be reused then for something else.

The last part of our project was the display system. We ended up with a center display, which was a floor to ceiling tree. We chose the white to have it stick out from the rest of the space. The tree has four "leafs" allowing for traffic to flow around it. The cash register would also sit on this display, allowing the employee to interact with customers.

Project 5: packaging section

We are currently reworking our space and I am focusing on the product to have it better correlate with our concept and space. Below is a couple ideas I have so far for our packaging. We want it to feel light and airy, and visibly noticeable it is part of the space.

Project 5: Kiosk

For this final project, which is a group project, my group and I have decided to use nail polish as our product. We want to create a space that is welcoming, and pulls the customers in. We are using an eco-friendly nail polish that is non toxic. We want to use the idea of "green" and how the space can correlate with the product. We have a lot of ideas for the interior: we want a nail service station, an area to display the product and a counter for the cash register. We want to use a lot of wood with natural light.

We are struggling to come up with a concept. At the moment we are exploring something with tree tops, air, movement and hight. We need to find a way to incorporate this in a concept, and a way to sell the product to women.

Final Display Product

My display is finally done, and seeing the progression of my model has made me feel very good about it.

My display started as a table top display and turned in to a free standing one. It started being only accessible from one side, and now accessible from two. I chose the hot pink color because I wanted it to really relate to my package and the product. I also knew that it would stand out much more in  store if it were a color, instead of white or black.

I am very happy with my display, with a few minor hick-ups, as expected with any project. This project is one of the first I have really seen my sketches and sketch models change my final. I feel this project, more than any, has gone through many many transformations, which has lead it be be a very successful project.

Sketch Models

I have decided on my display. The display will almost mimic the shape of my packaging. the bottom, where the makeup will sit will have a whole in it in which products can be taken out of to purchase. The top flap will be the mirror so customers can try the sample, but the mirror will not actually function as a cover, it will be stationary. I have been playing a lot with the shape of the display, going from something very rigid and concrete to something much more organic. As seen in the images below, I first started with 4 different ideas, and made them as different as I could. I  then narrowed it down, realizing I wanted the mirror to have more curves to it, almost a rococo influence.

Rococo has definitely been my influence from here on out, realizing it was organic and fluid, and also feminine. The next image is of mirror ideas I had. I want the final mirror to be curved, but no over the top.

The third step I took was looking at colors and ways of putting the product on the display. I decided I did not want the flap above the hole anymore. Instead, now the testers will be on the flat surface in front and then the products one can take to purchase will sit in the whole in back.

At this point, I want my display to be table top, but that could potentially change. The mirror will sit on the back of the bottom case and act as a vanity.

Display Sketches

At this point I still can not decide which way I want to go for this project. I know I want it to be very feminine and flirtatious, but I don't want it to look like it belongs in a little girls room. I feel this project is my chance to really show the idea of fluid lines and playfulness that came through on the packaging. I don't know if I want my display to be colored or plain. The upside of having it a natural color is that the product will pop, but what if the product is too small, will a costumer be intrigued by it and want to go up to the display? That is why I think I may be leaning towards a color, if you saw a large blue or pink display you would be more likely to go up to it, because it is more flashy. Below are some sketches from my sketch book I have made so far. My next step will be to come up with a concrete idea and move in to building sketch models.

Product Display thoughts and ideas

I am struggling as to which direction to go with this project. I still want to stay true to the Benefit brand, but a lot of their displays are very simple. Their boutiques and stands in department stores are all very similar, and can be recognized by any customer. For the most part, the actual display, or holder, for the make up is very simple. I think my challenge here is to find a way to incorporate the style of the store in this display. I want consumers to look at it and think Benefit, so it could be sitting in Sephora and people would know right away it is Benefit Cosmetics. Below are some images of benefits makeup bars and boutiques.

Final Product

The final is finally done, and I am very happy with it. Over the process of this assignment I found myself focusing most on the graphics. I wanted to stay true to Benefit cosmetics (who my products was designed for) but also make sure I was happy with the end result. I think the colors work well together and the graphics are simple yet very apparent. The words and the photograph were so important to me that I could not get rid of either of them for my final, so I am happy I found a resolution for my dilemma and created something I am happy with. Below are images of my final from different angles.

I will say, if I had to do this again I would spend more time developing the closure of the compact case. I had always intended on using a magnet to close it, but did not spend enough time experimenting with it. I had a plan of wrapping one layer of magnet underneath the cardboard around the blush and another strip of magnet bordering the mirror. When I went to create it the magnet did not work...they were not strong enough to go through the chip board. I then decided to just let the magnet show and put a little square on each side of the compact. I know it is not as asthetically pleasing, and I know the magnet still does not work, so again, if I were to create another version of my model I would get it to stay perfectly closed.

Almost there!

Things are moving along very well with my packing, I am definitely coming to a concrete idea I think I will be very happy with. I am trying many different models, playing around with colors, layouts and text. The shape of the image is set, so now it is all about the graphics. Below are images of my latest sketch models. The pink and blue model is closest to my final product. I want the graphics to be simple yet playful. It will get the idea across with out being super overwhelming.

Package influence

As mentioned before, my company I am using is Benefit Cosmetics. The brand is fun, girly and playful. The packages are always aesthetically pleasing and very unique compared to other make up brands.  Here are just a couple images of great packaging by Benefit.

Packaging Progress

 This past week I worked on developing a concrete shape for my package. The package is something one would buy the blush in and keep in your make up back. I first explored different shapes for the package in my sketch book, thinking of how practical I wanted my package. In the ended I decided one a square shape that would hold a brush as well as the powder blush.

  

after creating my sketch models. I realized my packaging was too large, no one would want something so thick in their make up bag. In the models above it is an inch and a half thick, so I need to make it thinner. I also realized having a separate compartment for the brush is a waste of space. My next models will explore ways of making the packaging smaller.

The next step to my process is working on the graphics of the packaging. I want my packaging to be cohesive with my advertisement, and be recognizable. Below are ideas for the front of the package (image with photo of two people) and ideas for the inside and sides of the package.

Branding

For our second assignment, I knew I had to create something much stronger than my postcard. I originally started with a similar image. I really liked my first idea, but needed a new way to execute it. I began to play around with different images and finding more "playful", or "soft" images. The two images below were in my first stage of this assignment.

After I created these two templates it was still not accomplishing what I wanted. I realized what I wanted was something more natural, even more unexpected. I am selling blush, so I wanted to tell a story, focus on why women wear blush and why people blush in general. The next image was my next move going away from my first idea - getting out of a rut. 

This image was a step in the right direction, but still not exactly what I wanted. MY influence for my advertisement was benefit cosmetics, which definately always has a fun and unexpected touch to their products and ads. I started trying crazy images, like a 70 year old woman in black and white and then the blush on her cheek. The image below is my final product. I am very happy with it, and I would say I am 90% to my final goal of where I am taking my product. I created a composition which was playful and told a story. It lets the audience take what they want from the ad.

Postcard

This was our first assignment for the course. We were given two days to create this postcard, which I realized was really not long enough for me. With only two days it is hard to go through a design process which I have realized is imperative for me. When beginning this process I had an idea of a silhouette of a face and the cheeks having a lot of blush on them. My execution did not work out. If I were to do this again I would have made it more playful and gone through several drafts before completing my final product. 

Other blogs

Looking at other blogs all week has been very inspiring. My favorite one so far is Tommy Kane's Art Blog (tommykane.blogspot.com) Kist sketches are beautiful and fully developed. I feel as if I am really looking through the world through his eyes, either by the way he does se it or how he wants to see it. His sketches have humor, yet make a point of you want them to. The one of the women on the beach is very good. The use of color in the swim suites and simplicity in the sketch is what stands out to me the most. I am very excited to get my blog started and see what creative ideas I can come up with.