Thankfully, my research gave me a flurry of ideas to work with for my packaging. Before beginning however, I felt it would help if I knew what items I was going to design packaging for. Rather then designing packaging just for Vinyls/CD's, I thought I would also design packaging for the speakers they sell and for the Vinyl/CD artwork they sell. This would give me the opportunity to create packaging for several different shaped and sized objects.
While working on my initial ideas for the vinyl/CD packaging, I was torn between two packaging designs, this above being the first. The ideas here is that the outer packaging, what you would see through that comes through the post, is very simple, just a rectangular cuboid. Removing this however would reveal a triangular stand with the vinyls/CD's that had been ordered (up to five). These stands could be collected to create a neat stand for a vinyl collection. I also, as I have done for the rest of my packaging ideas, created the net for the packaging. Naturally this packaging is extremely simplistic, the only defining feature it the fact it is missing a face, which they base of the triangle will replace. While this brief is based on the packaging that comes through the post, it is also important to make the unpacking experience as unique as possible, so while the packaging looks basic, the experiences of this triangular plastic stand which can be used and collected to hold future vinyl/CD purchases is quite unique and strengthens this idea.
This was the other strong contender for the vinyl/CD packaging, a folder style design. Un sure between and the previous idea, I came up with the idea that, when purchasing vinyls from the Phonica website, you could choose between these ideas. If say you wanted two vinyls and you chose the stand packaging, on your next order which may be another two vinyls, you could chose this packaging so that you do not receive another stand which will remain empty. This packaging is both unique in design and highly compact, once again holding up to five vinyls. The packaging net looked quite complicated and I found it hard to show without separating it into parts, the semi circles show the folding mechanisms, the large two for the lid and the smaller for the file all will act and seals on the side of the packaging, preventing the vinyls/CD's from falling out. The four rectangles represent the dividers that will help to protect each individual vinyl on delivery. The other defining feature of this packaging design is the string fastener which will seal the packaging, using the Phonic dash and circle to both reinforce the Phonica brand and keep the packaging looking modern despite using this vintage seal.
By far my best design for the speakers. This idea is to have the packaging sealed by clear tape, upon tearing, the packaging, which is split in two halves, can be pulled so that the halves fall either side, leaving the speaker box stand up as well as the more rigid triangle parts of the packaging. The idea is simple, but I imagined that, once the sides fall down, seeing the product simply standing there, framed still by the triangles, might be quite the unique packaging experience. The net was simple to enough to construct, the only tabs involved are to join the top faces of the packaging to the sides.
Lastly, I chose this design to take forward for my artwork packaging designs. The idea here is that the top of the packaging is like two doors that, once the tape is removed, will be opened to reveal the artwork facing the owner. This idea and the speaker packaging idea will include tabs that will hold down any peripherals, such as Thank You cards, in place on the inside of the packaging, so that, when the sides fall/doors are opened, the packaging and peripherals are immediately visible.
