Anyone got any crackers?

Guess I thought I should contribute something to Showcase, haven't done that in quite a while.

This is a project that was presented to the client as 'out of the box' ideas for how to improve their current packaging. The logo was scanned, and the bkground is a stock photo. Everthing else is PS.

Suggestions for how to take this type of presentation to the next level artistic-wise? Any recommendations welcomed.

Design 1

Design 2

It could use some more bevels and lens flares. But other than that it looks ok.

I don't think i've ever seen any of your work, Malibu, I must say I was pleasantly surprised when I clicked the links though

For the presentation you could try photoshoping the label onto some real life peanut butter jar photos, i've seen this done for logo presentations before and it works really well. Have a photo of a real life scenario where the product will be seen and used. By a piece peanut buttered toast and toaster or something along those lines anyway.

I just think it might help the client have a better vision of how it's going to look that way.

Excellent job on the label designs though, top stuff :D

I'm unsure as to what YOU actually did here or what you were hoping people thought you did. You may need to be a bit more clear.

Skippy

It's obvious you did none of the package design. Are you just showcasing the rendering of the container? If so, I'm impressed that you have Skippy as a client, or rather a client that has Skippy as their client.

First off, the stock photo kills the display. The packaging is supposed to be fun, and I assume the target audience is towards mothers and their playful kids that love peanut butter sandwiches. That background is cold and lifeless. It also is way too busy, even if the content was suitable. A white background at this point is looking like a much better option, if only until you discover something that works better.

The packages also look like they are cut and pasted onto the background. You went to shadow the insides and give them dimensions, yet you completely ignored their surroundings. It really won't work for you until you address the issues of the area around the container. Make it look like its sitting there naturally. The perspective is also off, you may want to play with that some more.

On Design 2, the shadows are too strong. There is too much glare. Why are their 3 and why is the first one cropped

On Design 1, is that a tupperware style lid? It just lifts off? There is a discrepancy between the first lid and the lid on the diaganol angle, the lid has a dip in the centre of the rim, but its not there in the other. You need to make it the same so the client see's your attention to detail. The lid colour is also a poor choice at this time. Something, again, more fun like the packaging would sell the client a little more.

If this is a serious job, you're going to have to re-address many issues here. Try thinking who is buying the product and what they want to see. That's what's going to be in their minds, so it needs to be in yours.

[QUOTE=deker]It could use some more bevels and lens flares. But other than that it looks ok.[/QUOTE]
I thought you were serious, I was about to kill myself. :P

I actually like it, the background can die but the packages look great, good job.

uh...malibu did say he scanned the logo...

and deker...you forgot he needs scanlines. and micro text. lots and lots of outer glow couldn't hurt either.

uh....logo and "packaging" are two totally different things. People were commenting like he designed the packaging. Thanks though bud...

LOLzorz at you guys being so serious. This is what Malibu does for a living, designs bottles and packaging. These are just mockups to present to Skippy to show some ideas for new packaging.

Thanks for the feedback guys. Some excellent points made by y'all, especially Spectra.

To clarify. I did NOT design the logo or label... this is Skippy's current logo. Dek is correctomundo; my company makes plastic bottles. Packaging is actually a broad sweeping term which defines any aspect of getting the product onto the retail (or wholesale) shelf for consumers to buy. It could be corrugated, plastic film, heat staked packs, plastic bottles, glass, etc, etc, etc. It involves the design of the 'package', the graphics displayed, the shape, etc. My corner of the packaging world is the bottles. We make the bottles, and sometimes label or pack them in corrugated boxes and ship them empty to our customer who fills them with product and 'ships to trade'.

Nice catch on the inconsistancy with the lids in the oblong design, Spectra. Good eye for detail. This was not a goof, this was a lack of time to complete the project. I had less than 48 hours to do these designs and get them mounted and laminated @ Kinkos.

I usually design and render bottles with CAD software and 3DS Max; but with early conceptual stuff, it's too time consuming for multiple designs. It would have taken me 2 - 3 times as long to model these in CATIA and render them. Just the rendering for a single view @ print resolution can take the better part of a day.

So, since these were concepts only, I digitally 'painted' them in PS (btw, the cap color is Skippy's current color also). The target audience is not parents and kids, the target audience for this presentation was the buyer, the marketing group, and some plant personnel @ Skippy.

Thanks again for the feedback.

Looks pretty cool malibu... I like the shape of the bottles over their current, plain old, round ones. Looks really good :D