Burgopak businesscard

For those who don't know Burgopak, got to their website Burgopak.com to find out more. The special thing about Burgopak is that they invented a way that you pull out a card on one side and from the other side something else slides out. However I managed to figure out how it works without even looking at one in real life, but there is still something that is called a patent. Burgopak patented this design so they may only produce this and other companies only may produce it when they buy it out of them. However I can still use this for my school projects because I am not selling it and will use it for the next project. Maybe I will make an tutorial about how it works, however it ain't easy to mass produce it manually. It can only can be mass produces if you build a special machine for it.

Credits to: Burgopak.com for this amazing concept.

Guide / Sliceform prototype tutorial

This is a tutorial I wrote for Computer Arts projects, for how to make a sliceform prototype with use of a 3D software and Illustrator to build a prototype so you can test the look and feel of your design’s physical form

When creating a design for an object like a bottle, you’ll need to make a prototype. Rapid prototyping processes are expensive and require heavy machines and special materials, and clay modelling is not something that’s in every designer’s skillset. Cardboard prototypes are much easier to work with.

In the following tutorial we’ll show you the process of making a sliceform prototype. This kind of model costs very little and the only tools you need are a computer, printer, calliper and scissors or scalpel. Many people think you have to calculate and draw each slice to make these sliceform shapes, but there are computer programs that make this process much easier for you. What’s great about this way of prototyping is that you can reshape a model quickly and also use this method for all sorts of different prototypes, not just for packaging.

Download the tutorial PDF here
Download support files here

Credits to: Computer Art for putting the files online

Review / Hero soft fruit

This is really specia,l just walk by the marmalade section and wow I just spotted this special bottle. It really sprung out from the rest of the bottle, all cause of the shape and the different labeling. The slender body type shape of the bottle really give it a healthy look and the use of shrink wrap really make it look very hip. And making all the other standard bottles with a paper label look old and out classed.
This got totally no pieces anymore inside the jam / marmalade so it's really different for sure people who does not like the bits it probably a good thing. But I just miss them but the jam is still good and tasty.
Really love the overall design of this bottle, it really gets the thumbs up from me.

Review / Indiana Jones Kellogs

Now Indiana Jones is coming out there sure be allot of publicity. Here is a special of Kellogs and I found Coco Pops fits the most from the other boxes also I just like the chocolate taste. Inside the package you find a spoon that is also a straw, so you can spoon up the Coco Pops or suck the milk / coco milk. The brown box fits more than the other one plus the monkey got more to do with things like Indiana Jones. However the other ones really don't fit with the theme. Also there is a game on the back for the kids to play, where you start at one symbol and follow the line to the hidden city. However it's not really a challenging game because all symbols goes to the city. And there is no real price or surprise element in it.

Also on the front the energy value blue bar on the bottom could had been integrated better with the design or used a different color though. It's not really needed because the are pretty small and people won't really read it and also you can find the info on the side of the box if they really want to know about those things.

Event / Graphic Design Festival Breda

From the 23 May till 29th of June there a whole Graphic Design Festival in Breda. A brand new festival on graphic design. For five weeks Breda (NL) will be the centre of attention for those who are interested in graphic design. GDFB presents various forms of graphic design in the public space, but the festival also includes exhibitions, workshops and lectures. Over 100 international designers participate in these projects. For more information visit www.graphicdesignfestival.nl.

PS: I will be volunteering on Monday the 16th and 23rd of June, I'll be helping and guiding 8th grade primary school classes to design a sign for their favorite places in the city.

Inspired / Marié Digby

Just finish watching an live online show of Marié Digby at DeepRockDrive.com. I am a real big fan of her ever since I saw her on Youtube and I am sure she will be a big star around the globe. Her songs are really great and on this live show we could hear that most of her songs are very personal like "miss invisible" which is a very sad and beautiful song. This song is really about her when she was little. Also a fact here sister actually graduated and she couldn't be there while she was doing this show. However I spotted that her little sister was watching this show too.

DeepRockDrive is really cool and interactive with the audience with voting for which song to be played and chatting with the band. In the studio there are big screens so they can all read the shouts that the audience types. They show allot of different artist so go there to watch them.So why is this an inspiration, because I like her songs and they inspire me while I work. And something cool is that she got the best autograph I've ever seen. Best of luck with your tour through America and hope to see you in Europe soon. For those who don't know Marié Digby yet got to her Youtube channel or MySpace for more info and music.

Review / Calippo Shot Batman The Dark Knight

It's been great and hot weather for a quite while so special ice cream packaging could not be left out. Today just spotted first glimpse of the Batman the Dark Knight advertisement in the Netherlands on the Calippo Shot bottle. Still not sure what's the best way to eat it though, because it always melt and you can't get the rest out of the bottle. Also not sure but this is only ice cream where my mouth get numb from eating it. However apart from a numb mouth it a quite tasty treat and wish they provide something to get the last big out easier.

From just looking at the bottle aside from the graphics it actually looks allot like a trash can. Seem to be eating junk hehe. Ok now get serious, from graphic design aspect the Batman logo looks cool and that's just about it. It further got totally nothing to do with Batman on the rest of the design only that it's black. Only wish they did something more with the graphic design because it really lacks action and Batman. And it got further no special surprise or event, plus I am missing a link or url to the Batman the Dark Knight website or anything else that got to do with this movie.

An idea to make it but cool would been that they adapted the Ola heart logo so it's shaped a bit like the Batman symbol. Also they should have moved Lemon and lime to the middle because it does not fit between the Batman title on the bottom which use another typeface and color, it would been better if they set it just under shots. Maybe when I have free time I should photoshop something that I think would look better on this, because Batman deserve something much more cooler than this.

Review / Albert Heijn Yoghurt-kwark

While scouting around the supermarkets I spotted this small yogurt desert which shows the characters from Sesame street. In this small cup there is a free toy figure from one of the characters from Sesame street.

I've got Tommy the dog I think, the figure actually is pretty ugly and does not even look close to the real thing. Also the space where the figure sit inside the cup is bigger than the space they really needed. And it's really too little amount of yogurt inside this cup. However for small children it's probably ok and the kid might just go for the toys. However I think they should had put more accent to the graphic design that there is a free toy figure inside. Or they should use a transparent top film so the children would see the toy inside. Because from what I could see is that there is a small red square on the top foil where is says "free toy inside". While this is place about eye heights of children's they actually still see the sides and not the top of this cup. And also they are stack upon each other so you wont see that message. They should place it big on the side or look carefully how Kinder Suprise eggs does it.

Inspired / Beat the Boss.

If you ever watched the BBC channel you might have seen this program where kids gets a chance to beat professional marketing people. You can really see who are better in it, because some thinks to far outside from the targeted group and do the things they like. While some kids thinks of way too odd things. However it's a great view into the designing and marketing processes to produce a product.

Here above you see the brainstorm sketches of the products. As you can see they both gone out of the box, but when you look the use one who designed the globe it a far to odd looking back compared to the other design. And the globe is designed by the Bigshots? For sure those professional lack allot of taste in design though, because a round rugsack would make you look like a turtle. Click here to read the rest of the post...

If you want to have more info about this program and when it's on TV go to www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/beattheboss. Also you can find all the products they have made on this program. And now the vids of where they designed those bags and see who wins.

Credits to: Trukijon for the vids

Paper marbling

Two weeks ago I before the vacation weeks we had a Chaosweek at school where we do allot of odd things. Paper marbling is an ancient art that is a bit unknown but certainly very special., you can actaully make swirl and hard to get shape with a very clean flat surface. It's most common use of this technique is actually to cover the inside of a book cover, however you can also see them as an art piece. To make paper marbling you have several ways to make it actually. It all make the use of chemical reaction of two components that does not blend with each other. Like oil and water however the ink / paint will be absorbed by the sheets of paper. So either way you make a box filled with water and mix the paint with an oil and drop it on the water, the in will stay afloat and then you can shape the drops with a sticks or even blow the drops to take a certain shape.

Coca Cola Cans Collection

Was searching Fanta for some info but I actually found something much more important, a website with the whole collection from the first can till now from different countries and continents. So if you ever need to find which is the newest design or look back on old ones that surely is a great website. It doesn't only contains Coca Cola but all the other taste and beverages from Coca Cola like Fanta, Sprite, Aquarius and many many more. Too bad the picture are not big, but its quite a great collection. I will be placing it also on the side between the links. Click here to visit the Eagle Coke site.

Review / Fanta Agrumes

This is not really that new but I like the design though. Simple swirls and different citrus and halftone behind the fruits. However on the buttom inspired by Fanta Brazil should been left out because it did not fit with the design, making it less clean than it could. The colors used on this can is pink ( somehow it's became red in the pictures), red, green, yellow and dark blue.

For the taste, it like pomelo but with more real grapefruit taste. And for all the rest of the citrus you don't really taste them over the grapefruit.

Messe Interpack Trade Fair 2008 / part3

Now the 3rd and final part of the Interpack trade fair. Here I found a great stand with allot of different products shown with allot of different bottle designs. There were allot of brand I never seen in the store in the Netherlands so it a quite great inspiration source to be at this international trade fair.

Here on the left you see different shampoo bottle with quite special shapes. The one that catches my eyes were the Zest bottles. However the Lux bottle looks pretty fancy too. And on the right a Fanta Bottle from Japan. It look quite different to what are sold here in the Netherlands so maybe something that is very new.

Here is another part with different drinks. On the left a bunch of bottle and few I actually have in my own room. Actually when you walked around this stand you saw different things from different countries and you could easily spot which cam from where just by the design. On the right a Japanese drink not sure what it is but the simple design looks quite good.

On the left not sure what it is, but I think it milk in a can for small children or babies. However the shape of the can look quite special. The middle two bottles of Tropicana drinks, both simple clean design not too much things. On the right a pillar with trash or aluminum trash, this fair is not only showing packaging but also about materials ans sustainability and this stand was all about recycling aluminum. And in this pillar it shows all kind of used products or packings that used aluminum.

Also they had the biggest piece of aluminum I have ever seen placed in the middle of the stand which was very cool with the special lighting shining on it. Another cool was one that had giant containers / tanks that were glowing. That surely caught my eyes when I saw that. Those are plastic containers with a steal frame or basket around it so it can be stacked without having to put too much pressure on the tanks.

Also there was a quite big collection of different cigarette packages. Also few very special ones however I have not seen one of the Burgopak versions between them. Also too bad that Burgopak have not had a own stand at Interpack but were places between other companies.

A cool soccer shoe shaped box for chocolate bonbons. Soccer is one of the biggest things that can happen and allot of companies know they can attract costumers with. The cool shoe shape box is quite awesome cause only of the shape. It could had contain anything however I doubt chocolate bonbons for guys ain't much as a success.
Not sure if they is new but it certainly looks very old. A cardboard fussball / soccer table for Persil a brand for washing powder or fluids for clothes. I am not sure if it is a washing powder packaging that you can make into a soccer table or a something else.

Conclusion
It was a great event to go to when you got to do with packaging not only to get some inspiration and to look what is happening but also to get some contacts with the companies. Maybe the next time in about 3 years I will be standing there myself with my own stand showing my own packagings.

Review / Active 02

Another something I bought at Germany a bottle of apple kiwi water of Active 02. The most innovative part of this bottle is inside the cap. The bottle use a new kind op cap with a valve inside which make the water flow easier to one direction. The easiest is to flow into the bottle then out. Making it less easier to leak compared to the old caps.

The print on the bottle is made by printing on a transparent foil which is glued on to the bottle. The foil is printed on two sides. On the inside there is a mountain printed to be a background of the logo on the other side. It uses the colors dark blue, light blue, green, red and silver to print the design.

For the taste it is quite good bit like crystal clear but with no bubbles. And not too sweet but good to drink and quite refreshing.