Packaging design is closely related to the area of action of two different profiles: The graphic designer and the industrial designer. This discipline is established at a point of convergence between both branches of design and is integrated into one with the other. For example, the figure of the graphic designer is in charge of solving problems or situations related to the message and visual discourse as well as the information of this nature spilled on different media. However, the figure of the industrial designer is characterized by being the figure of a professional whose objective is to develop, create and implement projects for mass consumption, industrial consumption or series.
And is that there are many factors that influence an effective packaging project. The graphic and formal component of the package as well as its complementary characteristics have great implications that largely determine the success or failure of the sale of the product that is behind the entire discourse developed. But we cannot ignore the importance of the industrial designer in the construction of our visual text since he will be in charge of creating objects for distribution and commercialization but also of solving all kinds of functional problems (which also hinder the graphic designer's speech) and aesthetics through the application of appropriate materials and adaptation to the latest production technologies and trends. We could say then that his capacity as a creative agent in the process is focused on the optimization of industrial products through the design itself. The industrial designer has the necessary capacity and experience to build, design and manage different areas of design and ranges from the creation of a product's packaging to the design of all types of furniture.
Within the context of packaging we can distinguish two well differentiated areas:
- Graphic design comprises everything that is related to visual language and brand communication. Here we talk about a more specific way of brand design (the company logo and its subsequent renewal), the development of the catalog or the corporate color palette (as well as the development of the corporate identity rules structured in the corresponding manual) , the graphic style that must be used and used by the brand in question and a wide etcetera. We could say in very general lines that the graphic designer tries here to combine functionality and emotion, so the psychological component is also closely linked to the development of their work. Colors, shapes and visual structures also have a clear effect on the perception and attention of the user (and the potential client), which is why it is also closely linked to the marketing department. The graphic designer must take into account a series of factors (the nature of the product, the company, the clients and audiences that follow a certain brand, formal, structural, emotional and psychological aspects) to transform a forceful speech into images. It is responsible for the design of the information to be contained since the container exposes a large amount of information about the content of a certain product: the ingredients and characteristics, the origin, the usefulness, the restrictions, precautions or the instructions for use.
- Industrial design It consists of a series of actions that determine the structure of a container, of course taking into account factors such as the nature of the product to be packed, its shape, dimensions or texture, as well as its weight and density. The fragility or resistance of the product that will be covered by the container is also of vital importance, so you must be in charge of developing and designing a container that provides the optimal conditions to preserve and protect each of the elements. In this regard, you must also have some knowledge about the materials to be used and the location itself where the product will be, since external and environmental factors such as pressure, temperature and humidity can influence the product and the container itself. To all this we have to add the possible risks that may exist of distribution and of course the practical and functional nature that can be deployed from the design of a container, something for which you will need support or consensus on the part of the graphic designer and other departments.