Product / Range / Distribution... [Product - Picnic Carrier Packaging]

Vegware // www.vegware.com

As the product that I am creating needs to follow M&S's Plan A policy, I have looked into environmentally friendly packaging. While I might not actually be able to create my design using these materials, I will propose that they are created using recycled material and that the user can easily recycle them afterwards. I've looked at the website vegware, as their packaging is made from plants, and so saves materials, saves landfill, and saves from carbon emission. This would all work well with M&S's policies.

Here is some info about Vegware and some examples of their stock:

Parts of my packaging will be reusable anyway, such as the cups, marmalade containers and bottles which can be kept. But here are examples of the stock that only has one use that I would use from vegware, as this would be the more environmentally friendly option seeing as they aren't being reused.

// paper bags

// cutlery

// carrier

// food cartons

// napkins (possibly printed)

// plates and dishes

// alternative to reusable marmalade containers

// hot cups

Packaging nets

I need my packaging to stand out on the shelf amongst the rest of the products that M&S sell. So I will be looking for a unique net that allows for an interesting design but is still practical.

I need to consider the important information that needs to go on the box, such as, the M&S logo, space for a barcode, nutritional information, etc...

These are the nets that most appeal to me and would allow the packaging to be the things that I want it to be, so I will be making mock ups of these.

Photographs of mock ups

While some of these nets were quite complicated and weren't really what I wanted, there were a lot of nets that I liked because they were quite different, such as the net where there are two boxes that are joined together and open like a story. I thought this could be a good one to use as information about the story could be written inside. However, the most important thing is thinking how strong are these nets, how easy would they be to carry, and how practical would it be to put the contents I want inside them?

When considering these factors, this is the mock up of the net I think will be most practical to use as a carrier. I need to work out what size I need this.

Inside the carrier I will be putting two boxes containing the cakes and tarts, so I chose the net for these boxes. However, I will be changing them from rectangles to squares. I chose this net because parts double over so it will protect the contents and be stronger than some of the other nets. Its really simple to make, and I think a pattern or something should be created for inside the net as this will also be on show.

Here is the new net for the box for the cakes and tarts. I started out with the first one, but I realised after I printed the net and made it up that to make it square I would need to make the sides twice as big.

So here is the final net for a square cake box. It will be printed on to A2 card.

I've had to work out a basic guide of what will go where on the boxes, as with the way nets are designed some things will have to be printed upside down for it all to work when it is folded.

The net for the picnic carrier doesn't need to be altered. It will be printed on to A1 card.

As well as creating the picnic pack, I could create some basic promotional material and propose how I would promote it on a larger scale.  I could:

- create a buzz through social networking sites

- get advertising on design blogs such as print and pattern and food blogs

- send out an advert for it as part of the M&S email newsletter

- include a feature on it in the M&S magazine

- include a feature on the M&S website

- have a window display based on the picnic theme

- vouchers for money off to be given out to entice customers to buy the product, £1 off product in magazines target audience read, on Facebook (targeted advertising)