REALISATION: Blog entry 42

Today, I finished making all of the labels for the products that will make up my outcome, and I started assembling all of my packaging..

Completed bits of packaging

Bird food bags packaging

These bird food bags are nearly completed..I just need to fill them, and then seal them. I've decided to do this by folding over the top and hole punching, then threading string through the holes. I think this will add to the craftsy/pattern thing that I've been trying to achieve throughout my design.

Tea Cup Bird feeder packaging

And now the packaging for my tea cup bird feeder is complete..I just need to actually make the actual one of these! I decided that the design on the tea cup would be dictate by which ever pattern I chose - since I chose to do the colour pattern, I need to redo this bird feeder with the colour pattern on it. I need to go fetch the paint later, and I'll paint it at some point over the next couple of days, but then I can attach this, and that's another little bit complete!

Bottle top bird feeder kit packaging

plant seeds packaging (front)

plant seeds packaging (back)

plant seeds packaging (individual)

Plant seeds packaging (individual)

Plant seeds packaging (individual)

The hard bits done with all of them; now I have little things to do like fill up the packets, seal them, make my tea cup bird feeder, get my fabric and sew my liner..just assemble the whole thing really. I'm really pleased with how its looking so far though - I can't wait until its finished!

REALISATION: Blog entry 41

Since I spent most of yesterday making all the packaging, I'm spending the next two days making all the labels for everything. I did some brief experimentation the other day with a couple of my ideas (Blog entry 38). I pretty much knew the style which I wanted to do these in, I just needed to see if it worked how I had thought it up in my head. So now, I'm making all of the labels in this style.

Screen shot - working on labels in photoshop
(basket lid label)

All of my items have some packaging on, the majority will have a larger, simple label on the front with my 'logo', and another label on the back with some information about 'Project House Sparrow' and the product, and how it helps. This label (above) is for the basket lid; at one point I was going to have a information book included in the kit, but there just wasn't enough time for me to work out what needed to go in it, to make it, to get it printed (etc.) but I did feel that the space on the back of the packaging wouldn't be enough space to write about the project and kit itself. I decided that instead of a book, a smaller, simpler label in the lid of the basket would allow me to give some info about the project and the contents of the basket, and would do the trick more effectively and simply than a book.

Have managed to get a couple of these labels done today (hopefully the few I have left to do will be simpler than these) - also need a final spell check (etc.) before printing ad putting it together, but I like to do that when I haven't been staring at it already for the best part of my day.

Inner basket lid label

Bird food bags labels

Basket label logo

Tea cup bird feeder labels

Bottle top feeder kit labels

Seed packet & sleeve labels

REALISATION: Blog entry 39

Pinterest board - Packaging

As well as looking for ideas around my packaging in books (Blog entry 24) I've also been looking through Pinterest for ideas and inspiration. I've been playing with some of my ideas a little (Blog entry 38) bit there's still more work to be done (although really this week i should be focusing on getting my concept panel done)..

want to experiment with;

- Colours (from my pattern)

- Taking motifs from the pattern to use on the labels - more of this, have only so far created a kind of 'logo'

- Combining pattern and text

- Shapes of labels (vintage shapes)

I also need to do a draft of all the information that will be on the labels, and ensure that it is the same across of of my products where it needs to be.

REALISATION: Blog entry 38

This is just one of my initial ideas for my label design; I have a couple more, but this is just the first one I have made so far, however, most of my designs are very similar. 

Initial experimentation and ideas for packaging labels

These are ok, although I need to work more on the colour, but as a rough mock up of what it is my labeling is likely to resemble, I think that this is a goo start. I also think that I should have actually used an image of a male sparrow, not a female, as this will be more recognisable, but, like I said; these are just some rough ideas.

I want to keep in mind this 'cute' and 'crafty', 'vintage' aesthetic, fitting in with my use of a tea cup and saucer as a bird feeder, and also the wicker basket, and my choice to use pattern; this aesthetic appeals women. Women are most likely to be the ones responsible planting of flowers in gardens (needed to encourage insects and wider biodiversity) (Telegraph.co.uk, 2012). Women are the ones who are mostly likely to buy a cute bird feeder to make their garden look nicer. This is the audience that I want to take advantage of, to encourage more people to invite wildlife and birds into their garden, and help the conservation on our British birds on a level much close to home than that of some of the projects currently run by the RSPB.

Telegraph.co.uk, (2012). Men do the 'grunt work' in the garden, while women do the colours - Telegraph. [online] Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/9269718/Men-do-the-grunt-work-in-the-garden-while-women-do-the-colours.html [Accessed 8 Dec. 2014].