PACKAGING & MERCHANDISING DESIGN - PROJECT 2
- ZHANG QIYU
- SHI JIARUI
- WANG ZIXUAN
- Brand Name: Taste of Eastern Promise
- Product: Oriental takeaway meal for two (frozen food brand for supermarkets).
Current Competition: Supermarkets and high street oriental food outlets. Current packaging tends to be standard food trays and sleeves in an outer bag.
Packaging Goal: Design a new, innovative packaging concept for a 'takeaway meal for two' that ensures maximum visual impact in-store. The pack must be functional:
Use shape and form effectively to securely contain contents without leakage or contamination. Use cardboard economically.
Present items in an unusual way. Reflect a new approach to the takeaway market. Consider incorporating a carry handle and/or eating utensils for consumer convenience.
Continue the oriental experience through to serving and consuming.
Branding Goal: Design a logo that reflects the cultural qualities of the food and its country of origin.
As the design developed, we gradually added more oriental visual elements such as a folding fan, chopsticks, and decorative cloud motifs.
Refined Logo
At this stage, we refined the chosen logo direction by improving the balance between typography and graphic elements.The folding fan became the main visual symbol, representing oriental culture and traditional craftsmanship.
2.Packaging Structure Exploration
I searched for various takeaway carrier boxes and gift box structures online. I collected references of:
takeaway boxes
gable boxes
bakery carriers
gift packaging
I wanted a structure that could protect the food while also creating a memorable unboxing experience. After comparing different structures, I selected the gable box because it has a built-in handle, strong shelf presence, and can comfortably contain multiple food containers.We then recreated the structure digitally and adjusted the dimensions to fit the meal-for-two concept.
Here are the box references that I searched:
We decided to choose this one as our meal box design.
After digitalizing in adobe illustrator:
Final Packaging Structure:
After adding the chosen color palette:
The final packaging artwork was adjusted to fit within the printing limitations of an A1 sheet while maintaining the original structure and proportions of the carrier box.We resized complete dieline layout approximately 800 mm (W) × 550 mm (H) to meet the printer's maximum printable area requirements and allow sufficient margins for production and die-cutting.
This design process began with research into traditional East Asian visual motifs, including Japanese Seigaiha wave patterns and Chinese auspicious cloud motifs. Several colour palettes and logo sketches were explored before selecting the final black, red and gold identity. Multiple packaging structures were also tested to ensure the final packaging was both functional and visually distinctive. The final concept combines a gable carrier box with two stackable sushi boxes to create a premium meal-for-two experience.
Inner box design progress:
I searched for packaging structures suitable for sushi and small side dishes. I found several references of airplane boxes commonly used for premium food packaging. I chose this structure because it is easy to assemble, protects the food, and provides a pleasant opening experience.
Here are some airplane boxes references that I searched:
Since the meal box identity had already been established, we applied the same visual elements to the inner box, including the fan logo, cloud motifs, decorative borders, and the black-red-gold colour palette. This creates a cohesive packaging system and ensures a consistent premium brand experience from the outer carrier to the inner sushi boxes.
The entire design process focused on transforming an ordinary takeaway meal into a premium East Asian dining experience. By combining traditional cultural motifs with modern packaging structures, the final concept creates an elegant, memorable, and functional meal-for-two packaging system.
Mealbox size
Two inner boxes stacked on top of each other
Final inner box design with printing size:
- General Feedback: In Week 8, I began working on Project 3: Taste of Eastern Promise. I focused on research and concept development, including competitor analysis, cultural references, visual style exploration, and packaging structure ideas.
- Specific Feedback: The discussion focused on building a clearer oriental identity through traditional Chinese references, colour choices, and decorative motifs. I also reviewed several packaging structure ideas to compare their practicality and visual appeal.
- General Feedback: I presented my early packaging ideas and logo development. I showed the initial structure concepts and the visual direction of the brand.
- Specific Feedback: This week, I refined the early packaging ideas and logo development by comparing different structure options and checking how well the brand direction matched the takeaway concept. The feedback helped me identify which layout felt more suitable for carrying and presentation.
- General Feedback: In Week 10, I presented the final packaging structure and visual mock-up development.
- Specific Feedback: This stage focused on refining the final packaging structure and visual mock-up. I reviewed the proportions, typography, and overall balance of the design, and prepared the packaging for actual-size testing before final production.
Experience
From Week 8 to Week 10, we developed Project 2: Taste of Eastern Promise. We started with research and visual exploration, followed by logo development and packaging structure testing. After experimenting with different structures, we finalized the gable box design and continued refining the visual identity and packaging details.
Observations
Through this process, I observed that packaging design requires both visual appeal and structural functionality. A packaging design may look attractive digitally, but it must also protect the product, support the weight, and remain practical for consumers to carry and use.
Findings
I found that structure selection is one of the most important decisions in packaging design. The earlier drawer-box concept looked interesting but lacked practicality for takeaway use. Switching to the gable box improved portability and user convenience. I also learned that combining branding, structure, and user experience is essential to creating successful packaging.
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