Green Design: Creative Brand Identities (4)

Hempel

Marnich Associates recently designed a new packaging for a paint company named Hempel. Their previous design had an outdated feel, which Marnich Associates modernised.Their design uses a sleek and sophisticated monochrome palette, with a splash of colour, running through different tones, at the top. A traditional paint shape and handle has been kept in use.

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Chroma Paint

Stephanie Kuga designed packaging for Chroma Paint, an environment conscious line of interior home paints, during her study at university. I was particularly interested in this design due to its eco-friendly image. The exterior of the packaging is created from cardboard and is easily collapsible for recycling purposes. The shapes stray from the traditional, appearing more square and rectangular, and look wholly unique. The interior has a plastic lining, to keep the paint safe and make sure that its chemicals are securely contained, and this is the only waste generated from this container. The logo is written in a bold, legible font on the cardboard, while a label wraps around the packaging to display additional information. Soft, organic colours add to this eco-friendly appearance.

The overall feel of the packaging definitely hints at being environmentally friendly, yet I am unsure if it also looks premium. It does look sleek and sophisticated, though it is very far more traditional. Therefore, I don't think it would be wholly appropriate for my target audience.

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Orchard Supply Hardware (OSH)

Another student project, this one by Thanyaluck Keawkingkeo, was for Orchard Supply Hardware (OSH). This company was originally formed in 1931 by thirty farmers. The company is also seen as a green, environmentally-friendly brand and Keawkingkeo reflects this in her designs. A large plant emits from the paintbrush, seen on the front of the paint container, linking both paint (their product) and the environment (their consideration). OSH also supporst Farmaid, a non-profit organization that protects and supports family farmers in America. A farmyard theme has been used throughout the design to symbolise this. The colours work extremely effectively together, making the product look fresh and inviting, while also keeping a hint of the farmyard (the yellow looks like the colour of corn). A traditional paint container shape has been used, yet the design stops it from appearing anywhere near bland. The paint container looks premium, though maintains a quirky feel.

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Dutch Boy

Again, another student design, this by Neha Hattangdi.

Dutch Boy was founded in 1907. Lawrence C. Earle, a famous artist, painted the original logo, which remains an icon for the company even today. The logo is of a boy wearing overalls, Dutch wooden clogs and carrying a paintbrush and bucket. Hattangdi keeps this familiar logo in her design, seen largely on the front of the container. Years ago, the Dutch boy also featured in colouring books. Taking inspiration from this, Hattangdi decided to create a storyworld for the Dutch boy to live in. She created this through beautiful illustrations seen on the back of the containers. Hattangdi writes, "When a number of cans are lined up next to each other, they create a unique shelf-experience, and give us a glimpse of the world Dutch Boy lives in."

The use of colour is extremely subtle and adds to the premium feel, as do the sophisticated illustrations. This is an extremely fun paint container, which works as a story and still manages to be very subtle and elegant.

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Milk

Darren Custance created unusual new packaging for the milk bottle. I was immediately struck by this bold, sophisticated design. The card packaging presents a environmentally-friendly appearance and the strong, graphical image of the milk bottle adds elegance. The bright white colour of the milk also compliments the brown of the card and makes the packaging stand out more vividly. The design is simple, with no added frills, yet I think this is why it works so well. A handle has also been included, to ease transportation.

Wine

Wine glasses can be an annoyance to pack, for they extremely delicate and without packaging to keep them in place they can be easily smashed. However, using a massive amount of packaging to do so is nowhere near eco-friendly. Fortunately a concept has been created to avoid this, designed by Joona Louhi. The target audience were young adults who were used to moving around a lot, perhaps because of studying.