Context of Practise 2 Module Evaluation

As we have finished the Context of Practice Module, I completed a Self- Evaluation of the whole Module to discuss how it went and to reflect on the work we have produced (see pictures).

Module Self Evaluation Form

I was considered when answering the answers, giving truthful and honest answers and I put emphasis on what I need to improve on regarding my skills and ability as a designer.

Context of Practise 2: 3,000 Word Consumerism Essay

How does consumerism manipulate our instinctual desires to create false needs?

‘If you’re like most people, you think that advertising has no influence on you. This is what advertisers want you to believe.’

(Kilbourne, 2000, p33)

As stated by Kilbourne, the intention of advertising is to influence the customers desire to buy something believing that it will improve their quality of life. This essay will respond to how psychology and advertising have merged to produce a consumerist society and how this has influenced advertising and design today.

Advertising plays on the idea that we need something to make us happy based on the theories of Sigmund Freud. Freud believed that humans had hidden primitive instincts and by repressing these desires, it can lead to chaos in our society. In chapter 2 of the book, ‘Civilizations and Its Discontent’, Freud discussed the theory of The Pleasure Principle. This is the idea that ‘Life, as we find it, is to hard for us; it brings us too many pains, disappointments and impossible measures’ (Freud, 2004, p14) creating a tension between civilization and the individual as humans will always be dissatisfied. To achieve ‘what we call happiness, in the strictest sense of the word, arises from the fairly sudden satisfaction of pent-up’ (Freud, 2004, p16). Due to the way that raw human desire is incompatible with social convention, humans cannot realize these needs therefore ‘men are accustomed to moderate their claims of happiness- just as the pleasure principle itself, indeed, under the influence of the external world, changed into a modest reality principle’ (Freud, 2004, p17).  This means that society dictates the way that these needs can be somewhat fulfilled. He concluded that our actions are based on our instinctual desires and, if they are fulfilled in a socially acceptable way then we will be contented.

Freud’s theory was applied to advertising by Edward Bernays, who ‘used his uncle’s ideas in a commercial realm to predict, then adjust, the way people believed and behaved’ (Tye, 2002, pviii) as he was ‘convinced that understanding the instinct and symbols that motivate an individual could help him shape the behavior of the masses’ (Tye, 2002, p9). The key to Bernays success was that, through Freud’s theories, he understood his audience because as a society ‘we accept a standardized code of social conduct to which we conform most of the time’ (Bernays, 2005, p39) and the way that society is structured is the way that we approach purchasing. Bernays established techniques used in advertising such as how people usually follow a trusted leader, which introduced celebrity promotion to advertising as well as targeting people, directly by using emphasis and immediacy within the persuasion of adverts. He achieved this in the cigarette industry where he changed public perspective on women smokers by dreaming up the ‘Torches of Freedom’ campaign as it was believed that ‘ the emancipation of women has suppressed many of the feminine desires. More women do the same work that men do. Feminine traits are masked. Cigarettes, which are equated with men, become torches of freedom’ (Dr. A. A.Brill in Tye, 2002, p28). The campaign itself involved women of all walks of life smoking outside in public under the rouse that it was to combat prejudice, which made it a success- it wasn’t realized at the time that he was selling the product, using the event to ‘rob consumers of their own free will, helping the clients predict, then manipulate, the very way their customers thought and acted’ (Tye, 2002, p97).

From Freud’s theories and Bernays’ application, advertising has developed by using this concept to target aspects of modern life. In chapter 7 of ‘The Hidden Persuaders’, Vance Packard identifies eight desires that are hidden within modern marketing. These features are; selling emotional security, when the consumer feels a sense of safety and reassurance from having possession of the product; selling reassurance of worth, giving the user a ‘feeling of being important and gives him more bearing when he goes out into the world’ (Dr. Smith in Packard, 2007, p88); selling ego-gratification, the belief that you are better than other people by having the product as ‘being envied is a solitary form of reassurance’ (Berger, 1972, p133); selling creative outlets, encouraging the customer to add their own personal touch to the product; selling love objects, convincing the consumer that buying the product will attract an object of desire; selling sense of power, believing the product will increase your status in life; selling a sense of roots, appealing to family memories and home comforts as ‘publicity is, in essence, nostalgic. It has to sell the past to the future’ (Berger, 1972, p139); selling immortality, the need to be remembered and have influence during life and after death. By fulfilling these needs, this creates the illusion of happiness through consumption, which is a concept which Freud, Bernays and Packard all have in common.

These ideals are embodied in the Honda Civic -4-Door advert (Fig.1), depicting the inside of a man’s wallet with two images on either side of the wallet; one showing a wholesome image of children and the other showing the car in question. The placement of the car and children indicates the idea of emotional security by being able to drive the children places yourself in your own car. The connection between the car and the children indicates a reassurance of worth as his love for his children makes them worthy of being driven around in a new car. The tagline at the bottom of the advert reads ‘If anybody should ask, go ahead and show them your new pride and joy’. This boosts the ego-gratification of the purchase that by showing it off, you will be the envy of others and how proud you will be by having this car in your life. This advert doesn’t appeal to the selling of creative outlets as it doesn’t encourage the owner to put their own personal touch to the product but it does give the message that the car will become personal and integrate itself within the owner’s life. The idea of selling a love object is indirect within this advert but still remains as the image of the children indicates that this person has managed to find the love of their life and have a family while having this car, also tying in to the selling of power and the improvement of the owners status. The selling of roots is embodied within the advert with the presentation of the car as an amateur home photograph within someone’s wallet makes it seem as though it is part of the family. Through this aspect can the idea of immortality be sold as the car is depicted as an extension of the father figure as the car will be part of the children’s memory of their father during their child-hood.

This emotional approach to marketing by advertisers has change the way that people approach purchasing as it plays on the need to want something instead of buying something as a replacement. This change of the way society views itself has altered the way adverts target consumers as they manufacture desire, creating a false need.

A key aspect of modern consumerism is desire for admiration as public advertisements feed upon the dreams of the consumer, giving them a lifestyle to strive for. The advert makes the audience dissatisfied with their way of life. Advertising proposes how the product can create small changes to your life, enriching it and bringing you closer to the dream and offering an alternative to reality. By offering this image to the buyer, they imagine how others will perceive them, with Berger stating that ‘it’s promise is not of pleasure, but of happiness: happiness as judged from the outside by others. The happiness of others is being envied is glamour’ (Berger, 1972, p132). Publicity is based upon the selfishness of wanting people to envy you and by being valued in this way makes us happy so by buying the product, it justifies the ability to love yourself. Having other people envy you holds the impression of being powerful and having control over others. This creates an adverse effect on our society as this creates an anxiety as to the need of purchases, as by ‘having nothing, you will be nothing’ (Berger, 1972, p143) so to fit in with the rest of the world, we need to keep buying. This anxiety of acceptance goes towards the portrayal of women and the desire to look like a socially prescribed ideal due to advertisements has become part of this culture of admiration. Women are described as ‘more narciassistic’ (Freud, in Coward, 2000, p36) in regards to the physical presentation and this is reflected in how the key to getting further in life is pinpointed on how ‘visual impressions have been elevated to the position of holding the key to our psychic well-being, our social success, and indeed to whether or not we will be loved’ (Coward, 2000, p34). A lot of important things in life are based on how you look so this desire is then targeted in marketing, which links with the main points made by Packard and Bernays.

The desire for admiration is shown in the advertisement for SHARP’s Aquos TV series (Fig 2). The advert shows a well-known public figure stood open-mouthed in shock at a wide-screen television. The television itself is stood on a plinth, making the television taller than the celebrity, and appearing as though it is trying to intimidate with its size, making a display of its power status. The rest of the advert is displayed in white whilst the television screen is swathed in colour drawing the eye of the consumer to the screen as it is trying to show how it is better than any other on the market. This display of dominance is reflected in the use of celebrity as it gives the impression to the audience that this is a television that is good enough for the rich and famous so it can make them just as good. The reaction displayed by the celebrity makes the buyer want to purchase it, as they want other people to react in this way. Berger points out that ‘publicity does not manufacture the dream. All that it does is to propose to each one of us that we are not enviable- yet could be’ (Berger, 1972, p149) and from the advert, being the cause of others jealously from purchasing the product making the owner feel powerful because they can afford a television like this so it becomes a symbol for their status in society.

The socially prescribed ideal of women is used to manipulate the sexual desire of humans but it can be used as a symbol for being more than just the physical. It has become the norm for women in adverts being depicted as objects of desire for men to sell products to the audience. It is believed by consumers that by buying this product, we can attract the person of our dreams. Not only are we consuming products to attract an object of desire but we are purchasing to show that we are desirable because we can afford to buy them. On the other hand, this presentation of women in advertising can create ‘an emphasis for girls and women is always on being desirable, not on experiencing desire’ (Kilbourne, 2000, p148) thereby causing a belief that women should realistically look like this and be the object of sexual gratification within the media, giving the wrong impression to male consumers. This is seconded by Freud who states that ‘’Beauty’ and ‘attractiveness are originally properties of the sexual object’ (Freud, 2004, p25).

This approach to sexual desire can be found in a lot of modern advertising. The Silk Cut cigarettes advertisements by Saatchi & Saatchi for Gallaher offer a range of adverts revolved around depicting visual interpretations of the brand name ‘silk cut’. This particular advert (Fig.3) shows a length of purple silk material with a small diagonal cut made into the material clearly connoting to female genitalia. Even though there isn’t a female within the advert, there is clear influence of Freudian theory as it taps into the subconscious of desire through the sexual imagery and sadistic impulses to harm but also the desire of self-destructiveness to buying objects that cause self-harm. The silk is very soft and feminine like the skin of a female and the use of the colour purple is royal and glamorous. The display and layout of the information would create the subconscious implication of sexual desire in a voyeuristic manner, creating a positive link between the buyer and the brand. Another example of overt sexualisation within advertising is the Dolce and Gabbana advertisement for Esquire magazine (Fig 4), which depicts a group of males watching and surrounding a lone female who is pinned to the floor in a sexual position by another male. The male’s physically overpowering stance over the female emphasizes the explicit desire for power and control and this is mirrored by the women’s gaze looking away from the man adding to the fantasy as ‘In this society, looking has become a crucial aspect of sexual relations not because of any natural impulse, but because it is one of the ways in which domination and subordination are expressed’ (Coward, 2000, p34). This gives the impression to the consumer that by buying the product, you are one step closer to achieving and living out your fantasy.

With both of these adverts looking at sexual desire, Coward, Packard and Kilbourne all comment on the perception of women and sexual desire within advertising. Erving Goffman points out in Kilbourne that ‘we learn a great deal about the disparate power of males and females simply through the body language and poses of advertising. Women, especially young women, are generally subservient to men in ads, through both size and position’ (Goffman in Kilbourne, 2000, p141) highlighting the use of proposed imagery to make the need for sex heightened whilst making women seem weak and feeble against men. In Packard’s The Hidden Persuaders, a psychologist argues that women themselves would like to fulfill the desire of being semi-naked with a large audience watching as it ‘represents a beautiful example of wishful fulfillment’. He argues that women are empowered by being portrayed as a sexual desire for consumerism as the want ‘is present in most of us’ (Uncredited in Packard, 2007, p96). Despite this, Coward points out that ‘beauty, like truth, is one of those empty terms, filled by the values of a particular society at a given historical moment’ (Coward, 2000, p35) highlighting how the sexual desires of society are dictated by what is classed as beauty within advertising circles. The women they choose whose image accompanies the product becomes a desire object and an object of sexual desire, and ultimately selling the product. This brings in the argument of the ethics of using sexual gratification within consumerism to promote and sell more products. What all of these comments do show is how advertising comments on the culture and society at the time, highlighting the society of vanity we have become where we have lost the ability to be happy from what we have naturally and need to enhance what we have to please.

What advertising has ‘achieved by imposing a false standard of what is and what is not desirable’ (Berger, 1972, p154) through the use of psychoanalysis is not just selling a product but it has managed to ‘sell whole new ways of behaving’ (Tye, 2002, p52) by ‘by studying our subconscious needs, yearnings, and cravings’ (Packard, (2007) p86) through the use of systematically targeting the ultimate need of everyday people as it sells ‘a great deal more than products. It sells values, images and concepts of love’ (Kilbourne, 2000, p74). Through a magnitude of other desires, it target the basic human emotion of wanting to be loved because if we do not buy these products, ‘unless we measure up, we will not be loved’ (Coward, 2000, p38) and that is that fear which scares us into buying the most, therefore creating a ‘redefinition of needs’ (Marcuse , 1991, p245). Freud, Bernays and Berger all have this in common as they comment on the need to be loved and its connection to our instinctual wants.  Bernays gives an example of how people desire objects ‘because he has unconsciously come to see it as a symbol of something else’ (Bernays, 2005, p75) and one of the reasons for the purchase as ‘ a means of pleasing his wife’ (Bernays, 2005, p75) highlighting the desire for a product through the acceptance and love for another. Berger takes the ideal and turns it on its head by commenting on how the consumer ‘is transformed by the product into an object of envy for others, an envy which will then justify her loving herself’ (Berger, 1972, p134) highlighting how the need to be loved doesn’t just stem from the need to be loved by others but the need to love ourselves. However, philosopher Jean Baudrillard contradicts this, arguing that ‘there are no given, essential or real needs for humans and that the distinction between ‘true’ and ‘false’ need is impossible to sustain’ (Baudrillard, in Lury, 2003, p68) thereby stating how humans have neither true or false desires so there cannot be any direct correlation between advertising and purchasing. However, Freud argues against this stating that ‘the way that life places love at the center of everything and expects all satisfaction to come from loving and being loved’  (Freud, 2004, p24) highlighting how desire to be loved exists, is what we work for and work towards fulfilling. Overall, the social message of our culture is ‘if you are able to buy this product you will be loveable. If you cannot buy it, you will be less loveable’ (Berger, 1972, p144) therefore we use products as to ‘constitute a guarantee of emotional support’ (Lane Benson, 2004, p159). 

Due to the cycle of consuming for happiness, we are becoming disillusioned, as fantasies do not become a reality. I believe that ‘no other kind of hope or satisfaction or pleasure can any longer be envisaged within the culture of capitalism’ (Berger, 1972, p153). This emotional connection has spurred a generation of consumers who feel the need to feed their self-worth through purchases. This has produced a culture, which now sees the want to buy as normality rather than purchasing for necessity. Bernays stated in his book, Propaganda that ‘We are governed, our minds are molded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of…It is they who pull the wires which control the public mind, who harness old social forces and contrive new ways to bind and guide the world’ (Bernays, 2005, p17) This manipulation has changed our way of life as we have become a world of compulsive buyers who have materialistic values, generating ‘negative consequences to building a sense of self that is externally manifest, because the inner core self is likely to feel more and more empty and vulnerable as this process continues over a lifetime.’ (Lane Benson, 2004, p95). By becoming this, the future looks bleak so consumerism is a concept that ‘we must try at last to understand, if we want to change the world that Edward Bernays, among others, made for us’ (Crispin Miller in Bernays, 2005 , p30) and that ‘genuine freedom and well-being depend on liberation from the entire system of one-dimensional needs and satisfactions’ (Marcuse, 1991, pxxxi).

Word Count: 3267

Bibliography:

1. Berger, J. (1972) ‘Ways Of Seeing’ 1^st ed., London: British Broadcasting Corporation- p 132, 133, 134, 139, 143, 144, 149, 153, 154
2. Bernays, E. (2005) “Propaganda” 2^nd ed., New York: Ig Publishing- p17, 30, 39, 75
3. Coward, R. ‘The Look’, in Thomas, J. (ed) (2000), ‘Reading Images’, Basingstoke: Palgrave- p 34, 35, 36, 38
4.  Freud, S. (2004) ‘Civilization And Its Discontents’, 2^nd ed., London: Penguin Books - p14, 16, 17, 24
5. Kilbourne, J (2000) ‘Can’t Buy My Love’ 1^st ed., New York: Touchstone- p33, 74, 141, 148
6. Lane Benson, A. (2004) “I Shop Therefore I Am”, 2^nd ed., USA: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.- p95, 159
7.  Lury, C. (2003) “Consumer Culture” 2^nd, ed., Oxford: Blackwell Publishers Ltd- p68 
8. Marcuse, H. (1991) “ One- Dimensional Man”, 2^nd ed., London: Routledge- pxxxi, 245 
9. Packard, V. (2007) ‘The Hidden Persuaders’ 2^nd ed., New York: Ig Publishing- p86- 94, 96
10. Tye, L. (2002) ‘The Father Of Spin’, 2^nd ed., New York: Holt Paperbacks- p viii, 9, 52, 97 

Images:

Fig. 1: Honda Civic-4-Door Advert

Kilbourne, J (2000) ‘Can’t Buy My Love’ 1^st ed., New York: Touchstone- p33

Fig. 2: SHARP’s ‘Aquos TV series’ Advertisement

James Webby (2010) ‘Evaluation of 2 adverts” [Weblog] 28^th September Available from http://jameswebbymediastudies.blogspot.co.uk/2010/09/evaluation-of-two-adverts.html (Accessed 4th January 2014)

Fig 3: Silk Cut Cigarettes Advertisements (1983) by Saatchi & Saatchi

McIntosh, A. (2000) ‘Gallagher Silk Cut Cigarettes Adverts” [Internet] Available from http://www.alastairmcintosh.com/images/silkcut.htm (Accessed 4th January 2014)

Fig 4: Dolce & Gabbana Advert for Esquire Magazine

Green, D. (2013) ‘15 Recent Ads that Glorify Sexual Violence Against Women” [Internet] Available from http://www.businessinsider.com/sex-violence-against-women-ads-2013-5#wrong-dolce-and-gabbana-consistently-tries-to-market-itself-as-an-edgy-brand-this-ad-ran-in-esquire-the-company-retracted-it-after-people-complained-that-it-glamorized-gang-rape-2 (Accessed 4th January 2014)

Context of Practise 2: Studio Brief- From Theory Into Practise

For this brief, we need to take the subject matter of our 3,000 word essay and be able to produce a response to the topics covered, creating a synthesised project.

For my essay, I researched and wrote about 'How does consumerism manipulate our instinctual desires to create false needs' discussing the themes and aspects of humanity that advertisers use to get us in order to get us to part with our money. With this being the case, it was important for me to produce something that would relate to these elements.

I started off by producing a design sheet of some initial ideas onto how I could approach this dilemma.

Initial Idea Design Sheet

I thought that it would be very typical and expected if I was to produce an advertising campaign because, even though this would deb a solution, I would learn nothing from it. I decided that it would be really challenging to produce a product of my own which I could try and sell using the same principles that are discussed within my essay. I came up with the concept of trying to sell an object which was unsellable by making it look or appear/appeal to be desirable. I thought that this would tie in well to the synthesis of the brief.

I decided to develop the idea of selling a product but I decided to produce a product that we do not need available to sell. I felt that a great twist on this would be to sell something that is free but necessary for humans so that I had a wide audience that the product would appeal to. I thought about maybe sleep or blinking or perhaps even going as far as to selling nothing- my product being that of false promises with nothing of it.

Idea Development Design Sheet

From this inspirational thought, I decided to go down the road of producing a product based on the basic human need of air which jumps off the idea of selling nothing. Air is free to use and is necessary for us to live but what if I could make consumers buy it based on what the product looks like? I couldn't decided whether I would be better off producing a brand that would be quite old fashioned that had been going for years or a cool, modern brand but eventually I decided to go with the modern brand as it would tie in with being an unnecessarily fashionable fad or a trend. I came up with a few names based on the use of the product but felt that the would be obvious at what the product was doing so I decided to call it a term meaning air: Zephyr.

My main research on the topic can be seen within the essay but I looked at some design inspirations for research in regards to how I would be able to present this product:

"Hydrana" (2014) by Katie Tonkovich

Tonkovich, K (2014) "Hydrana" [Weblog] The Behance Network 21st April Available from https://www.behance.net/gallery/16284493/Hydrana (Accessed 19th April 2014)

These glass bottles allow for the audience to see the product with the brand label having all of the information in regards to the product so it doesn't distract. The brand logo is affixed to the bottle top and the white logo is stuck onto the bottle so it is subtle.

"Tine Melk- Mountain Milk" (2012) by Anders Drage

Drage, A. (2012) "Tine Melk- Mountain Milk" [Weblog] The Behance Network 18th June Available from https://www.behance.net/gallery/4262213/Tine-Melk-Mountain-Milk (Accessed 19th April 2014)

This bottle design is very minimal and sophisticated, allowing for the product to be seen through the packaging. It is a simple brand identity yet it is effective based on the reflection of the white on white which gives it a sterile and clean aesthetic. 

"The Chalice" (2012) by Lost & Found

Lost & Found (2012) "The Chalice" [Weblog] The Behance Network 17th October Available from https://www.behance.net/gallery/5547829/The-Chalice (Accessed 19th April 2014)

This bottle design is done for wine using a wrap around label that has been screen printed using some metallic inks on a thick stock to give it a luxurious quality feel. This is reflected in the black box packaging that gives an aura of mystery and depth.

"Campain Ice Hotel Part VI- Alcohols" (2013) by Elisa Gilis

Gilis, E. (2013) "Campain Ice Hotel Part VI- Alcohols" [Weblog] The Behance Network 30th August Available from https://www.behance.net/gallery/10613701/Campain-Ice-hotel-part-VI-Alcohols (Accessed 19th April 2014)

The wine and beer bottles are contemporary in their aesthetic, playing on illustration and colour to give a quirky and fun feel which would be desirable to young drinkers.

"Phero+" (2013) by Multiple Owners

Multiple Owners (2013) "Phero+" [Weblog] The Behance Network 17th April Available from https://www.behance.net/gallery/7781661/Phro (Accessed 19th April 2014)

The product and packaging for Phero+ is consistent throughout with the use of one colour and white to differentiate between the different perfume flavours. The bottles are carefully secured into the box by a steady platform hat they are slotted into to make sure that there is no spilling or breaking of the bottle.

"90S Absinthe" (2013) by Elmar van Zyl

van Zyl, E. (2013) "90S Absinthe" [Weblog] The Behance Network 16th July Available from https://www.behance.net/gallery/9855929/90S-Absinthe (Accessed 19th April 2014)

The product and packaging for some Absinthe appears to be very high end due to the use of all white and one use of colour. This gives a strong identity which is striking without having any detail on it at all.

"Nada" (2014) by Multiple Owners

Multiple Owners (2014) "Nada" [Weblog] The Behance Network 24th January Available from https://www.behance.net/gallery/13987513/Nada (Accessed 19th April 2014)

What is the most striking element of this packaging is the unconventional shaping of the structure and the main element of it being white with a hint of pattern at the bottom so it is not overwhelming and still looks chic and understated.

"SMPLSRVVL" (2014) by Lara Visconti

Visconti, L. (2014) "SMPLSRVVL" [Weblog] The Behance Network 1st May Available from https://www.behance.net/gallery/16551257/SMPLSRVVL  (Accessed 1st May 2014)

This packaging is simple and makes great use of the single colour for each different piece of camping kit, including the use of illustration. The brand is consistent throughout so, even though there are elements which are of different heights, it is clear that they are part of the same thing.

From this, I decided that I wanted to produce a brand that was simple, sophisticated, modern and clean. I felt that it would be an idea to produce a range of 4 different types of air that could be sold under the Zephyr name so as to give the consumer a choice between the type that they want with each one being defined by an image or colour so that the consumer could tell them apart.

Typeface Experimentation

I started off with experimenting with sans serif typefaces, trying out different ones so as to see which would give the best modern feel to my brand, giving the necessary aesthetic of being modern and sophisticated. It also needs to look quite clinical, like it is the latest must have beauty product or health benefit. I felt that the thinner typeface gave much more of a contemporary feel but I felt that the use of capital letters was holding the brand back as it comes across as quite harsh and stark.

'Seravek' Font Choice

Eventually, I found the font 'Seravek' which was modern and thin in weight. This gave the desired effect when used in lowercase because it was quite light and soft, like it was floating, similar to the brand and product that it is selling. Not only this, but it is legible and readable in both a large and small font size, as shown by the main brand name and tag line combination which reflects the logo drawings I had done on my design sheets.

For the brand, I knew that I wanted to work primarily with monochrome to have a very clean and chic brand. Saying that, to include different types of air, I feel that having maybe one colour per type will help differentiate between them.

Colour Scheme

I wanted the colour scheme to be quite neutral and use colours that were not too bright but subtle and understated therefore I stuck to simple hues which would work with the intention of it being a contemporary brand.

The next thing I needed to look into is producing the illustrations for the different types of air based on the colour scheme.

Original Illustration

To start off with, I worked on some simple illustrations which I enclosed in a circle as per my original drawings. I had them in the centre, having a line across the bottom to establish a defined middling. Each one is representative of a type of air with a wave depicting sea air, mountains depicting mountain air, fields depicting meadows and deserts for dry air. The illustrations for the air types are very simple yet to the point yet I don't want them to look too childish or naive so I am going to develop them.

Full Circle

I developed the initial drawings by getting rid of the back line at the bottom and expanding the image to the bottom of the circle so that it is much more full which defiantly looks more of an improvement. I tried to get rid of any other black lines through the drawings themselves so that it looks more natural.

No Circle

I decided that it would probably look less cartoonish by getting rid of the black circle outlining the illustrations but instead it made them look very out of context and got rid of the circular shaping due to the line work.

Coloured Circle

To counteract this, I decided to add the circle back on but apply it by having it in the same main colour as the rest of the image. This allows for a consistency and emphasis which is more sophisticated and would work well within the brand style.

Illustrations

Following this, I decided to use colour on the text as well so that the illustrations and the text coincide together to make more of a cohesive bond, particularly a differentiation between the types. It is a very simple device but, all the same, effective.

From this, I needed to decide how I was going to adorn my bottles.

Bottle Visualisation

It was important to consider how my bottles were going to look so that I could give the right aesthetic for it to appeal. I felt that having a label on the bottle would make the bottle seem quite cheap so I thought it would be best if I put stickers on the bottle. I decided that I would have the name of the brand on the sides it would automatically seem more modern and chic to the target market with the type of air displayed by the logo alone in the middle. This would be mirrored on the back by a circle sticker with information for the consumer. Over the top of the bottle would be a sticker to show that the product hasn't been opened so as to give the impression that the air is sealed inside.

To start with, I worked on the name sticker for the bottle.

Name Label Development

I started with playing around with the shape of the sticker and the placement of the information. I felt that a normal rectangle was too rigid and sharp for the aesthetic of the brand but a rounded rectangle was much softer and in keeping. I played with the ideal of having a full colour sticker and then a mainly white sticker to keep with the clinical look but preferred the full coloured labels as they had more of a personality. I liked the idea of having a section of the sticker cut out so the audience could see through it to the product but then I realised that this would be an absolutely pointless addition as the bottle will be see through anyway.

Resizing of Name Label

With that being said, I cut the size of the label down to literally the amount of room would be needed for the name and this created a much more minimal affect yet this also allowed for the product to be more visible.

Sticker Labels for Bottles

Alongside the name labels, I finalised my stickers for the bottles, with the image for the flavour going to be at the front of the bottle and adding a back label for the bottle as well which has a short description of the product on them and what type of air they are. The back reflects the flavour colour through the background colour and having the text written in the predominant white colour.

Stickers for Bottle Tops

I reflected this same style for the sticker bottle tops using the circular illustration for the top and the name of the type of air going down each side.

The next thing I needed to do is reflect this simple yet modern branding with equally sophisticated packaging.

Mock Up Bottle Net Packaging 1

I managed to find some plain glass bottles for the product and, in order to be able to produce the packaging for the bottles, I needed to be able to determine the measurements I would need for the packaging to hold the bottles securely. I measured them and produced a simple box net that I crafted so as to produce a box packaging. From this, I would be able to work out if it was of the correct size. It was a little too tall so I will take away an extra centimetre from the length.

Producing Net Digitally

I created the net on Illustrator using the shapes tools so that I was able to produce each individual section in the right size. 

Plain Net Aesthetic

I started to play around with the aesthetic of the box, in particular the colour scheme, but felt that the simple box would be seen as less desirable and make the product seem cheap.

Packaging Visual Development

I went onto developing some box visuals as to how I could produce the packaging into something which was more memorable. I felt that these would have a better visual representation as to the style I am going for. I tried it with all of the different types of air so that I could see which ones would work for all of the types.

I felt that the most successful of these were the middle and far right packaging as they came across as the visually desirable and had more of a demanding and sophisticated presence. I decided to try these out to see which would work the best.

Mock Up Bottle Net Packaging 2

To try out the most successful design, I produced the nets and tried by just having a top and a bottom half about 3/4 of the way down but this was a little short in length and didn't have as much of an impact as I hoped it would have.

Mock Up Bottle Net Packaging 3

Based on this, I decided to add to the net by having an inner section like I had done on one of my box developments. This made for a longer packaging cover for the bottle as well as a way of having colour to a three part packaging solution, thereby producing a more sophisticated solution.

Nets Digitally Produced

Like the original box net, I applied these nets into Illustrator using the shapes tool so that I could get them the correct size.

Box Packaging Nets

Using these guides, I produced the layout for the nets so that they would print correctly in regards to information placement and at the same size as each other. This was important for brand consistency and so that, when printed, they would all be in the same place of the net.

Preparation for Printing

To make sure that the nets were ready for printing, I got rid of the outlines for each section so that all was left was the information and the outside outline. This was so that it would not show up on the outside of the netting as that would look unprofessional. Due to the fact that I had taken the measurements previously of each section, I would be able to refer back to these measurements when I produce them.

Printed Ephemera

I printed off the three different types of box nets onto some white card which will keep with the clinical aesthetic and minimalist style whilst printing the information for the bottles themselves as stickers so that I would be able to adhere them easily. The card was intentional as I needed a stock which would be stiff and strong to work as a package but which would be able to fold and bend in shape.

Cutting out, folding and crafting packaging nets

From that I had printed, I started off with the packaging nets and drew out the nets onto the card before cutting out the nets and folding them using a perforated edge created by lightly scoring at the lines with a scalpel. Then I connected the nets together to produce the boxes that I would need using double sided tape so that it was secure and wouldn't damage the box structures.

Affixing to the bottoms

For the coloured boxes to fit securely into the white bottom halves, I affixed them together with double sided tape and stuck the bottoms to the inside. 

Bottle Sticker Placements

Using the stickers that I printed, I placed them onto my bottles creating a distinctive identity for the products

Putting all the elements together

From this crafting process, I put all of the single elements together to produce the final products within their packaging. 

To go alongside this I decided to try and produce some poster advertisements that could work to promote the product.

Poster Attempts

I produced some poster designs based on the logo designs for the types of air and included slogans as to what the product achieves. I tried to show how the product would change varying consumers lives for the better stating health benefits and how much better it would make them. 

Despite this, I didn't think the images themselves were strong visually and I couldn't get them to work, making them an unsuccessful experiment. The posters would perhaps look better if I had them as photographic images but I didn't have time to produce them.

Final Product:

Product in response to the essay 'How does consumerism manipulate our instinctual desires to create false needs' through a range of branded air that has been packaging appropriately to create an instinctual desire for a false need. 

Finished Zephyr Products

I am very happy with the way that my products have come out overall as they give the impression of being a professional product that could easily be put on the shelf of a shop and sold to the public. I have never produced any work in this style before and I feel like it has been a successful achievement as it had blended my style of illustration and colour alongside creating a sophisticated packaging solution.

Overall I am pleased with the outcome of my project and I enjoyed it much more than I did the previous years attempt at this module. I feel that the product I have produced reinforces the main point of my essay and thus synthesises coherently.  If I had some more time, I would produce a campaign to go alongside this product, producing posters and shop signs and stands which would coincide with the product promoting it so it sells more.