Peer assessment doesn't tend to be beneficial for me because I'm usually aware of how much I have to do. However, a question was raised within my work;
"Won't using two labels use a lot more glue?"
I am so clueless sometimes. To put a positive spin on this I'm going to dismissall the time spent on these useless designs, I'll research different glues and I'll completley alter my designs.
It's allllll a learning curve. At least it was brought up before deadline!
GDES 3003 Amanda Rowlands
Saturday 29 December 2012
Main Brief: Lea & Perrins Visit
Apparently people being allowed to tour the Lea & Perrins factory is a rare occurance. So it was a privilege to be allowed to do so. In fact the whole visit was rather surreal.
We had to wear these items (amongst bulky safety shoes)
and looked as cool as this...
The factory itself was completly different to how I had imagined. It was a lot smaller and a lot more traditional than I had envisaged and they had kept a lot of the original architecture. I feel that this vintage approach comes across in their packaging. Initially I had no idea what to expect smell wise, this is partly due to the fact I have never (and still havent...) tried Worcestershire Sauce. The smells were incredibly strong and we were immediately greeted with the smells of garlic, vinegar and onions. It was apparent that all the people who worked there were passionate about their job and the roles they had to play in such a tight knit community. Each worker we met was incredibly helpful, informative and plesant.
The main thing that stuck with me from this visit was Lea & Perrins ambitions to become a company that has 0% waste sent to landfill. During this tour we were informed that only the juices from each ingredients is used, consequently the remaining pieces of ingredients are composted and turned into soil.
Overall, it was a very informative visit that gave me a clearer insight into the brief.
Considering we've both never tried the sauce, I think this sums up how we felt...
We had to wear these items (amongst bulky safety shoes)
The factory itself was completly different to how I had imagined. It was a lot smaller and a lot more traditional than I had envisaged and they had kept a lot of the original architecture. I feel that this vintage approach comes across in their packaging. Initially I had no idea what to expect smell wise, this is partly due to the fact I have never (and still havent...) tried Worcestershire Sauce. The smells were incredibly strong and we were immediately greeted with the smells of garlic, vinegar and onions. It was apparent that all the people who worked there were passionate about their job and the roles they had to play in such a tight knit community. Each worker we met was incredibly helpful, informative and plesant.
The main thing that stuck with me from this visit was Lea & Perrins ambitions to become a company that has 0% waste sent to landfill. During this tour we were informed that only the juices from each ingredients is used, consequently the remaining pieces of ingredients are composted and turned into soil.
 |
| Entrance |
 |
| Current labels |
Considering we've both never tried the sauce, I think this sums up how we felt...
Monday 10 December 2012
Main Brief:Previously mentioned designs
So here's the pages from my sketchbook with the incredibly rough designs as previously mentioned...
Hopefully my sketchbook annotations are enough for me not to discuss these designs in the post.
Hopefully my sketchbook annotations are enough for me not to discuss these designs in the post.
Tuesday 27 November 2012
Main Brief: Label research
After my incredibly rough designs I realised that the best route to go down would be creating a label that does not go all the way around the bottle. This would use less ink and less paper. I then decided to research labels from different company's whose product was sold in bottles.
As I have mentioned in a previous post, I like the idea of using a vintage theme. I decided on this as I feel that it helps to express the longevity of Lea & Perrins, I also feel that 'vintage' is becoming fashionable again.This being the case, I then researched vintage labels and found...
Even though most of these labels belong on beer bottles I believe that a design influenced by such images will be perfect for Lea & Perrins.
All images from Google.
All images from Google.
Sunday 25 November 2012
'Filthy Rich'
Okay...so a time out from the Lea and Perrins brief and a quick look at the news;
" Filthy Rich: Britain's favourite dictatorship had so much oil its heiressess bathe in it...[...]"
...wait...what?!
The rich ladies of Azerbaijan bathe in crude oil believing that it can cure skin diseases and arthritis even though medical science states that after 10 minutes the effects are more than likely to be carcinogenic.
This infuriates me because to me it appears to be the exact definition of greed and gluttony. Argggh.
SOURCE
" Filthy Rich: Britain's favourite dictatorship had so much oil its heiressess bathe in it...[...]"
...wait...what?!
The rich ladies of Azerbaijan bathe in crude oil believing that it can cure skin diseases and arthritis even though medical science states that after 10 minutes the effects are more than likely to be carcinogenic.
This infuriates me because to me it appears to be the exact definition of greed and gluttony. Argggh.
SOURCE
Monday 19 November 2012
Main Brief: Rough designs
After being delayed and locked on a train for a very long time (from Liverpool to Worcester) my mind decided that it actually wanted to think about university work. Consequently I decided to write down anything that came into my head, essentially brainstorming/mind mapping, about Worcestershire sauce.
My first thought was;
My first thought was;
"How come the majority of people I have asked haven't tried Worcestershire sauce?"
I then thought about why I haven't tried it. The answer? Money.
" In what way could you get the sauce for free?"
Okay, so granted this wouldn't be what Lea & Perrins would want to hear. However within this thought a question arose...
"Do Lea & Perrins do sachets? like pub sachets?"
Well personally I think they should as I believe this would help promotion.
Everybody seems to keep linking 'innocent smoothies' to Worcestershire sauce recently, I'm yet to figure out why. However, it made me think about why they are successful (apart from being delicious). Is it their advertising? Is it their "quirky" design. (huge *sigh* at the word quirky) Innocent smoothies are amongst several businesses (ribena, extra chewing gum, etc.) that give objects human/animal traits. For example, berries that talk, onions that can walk. Therefore, as a marketing campaign, can the Worcestershire sauce ingredients be personified? Will it fit the target group?
I then began to think about the general population and the previously mentioned 'WHAT DO I GAIN?!' attitude. What DOES the consumer gain? it's eco friendly, it's the original taste and it's not that expensive.
How can it be sustainable? less ink=less bleaching during recyling. Can it be re-used? Recycled/natural materials? Refilled (like milk bottles)?
I drew some rough designs on the train in my journal (that I'll scan in on a later date) but because they were incredibly scruffy I drew them on illustrator. THESE ARE INITIAL TEN SECOND IDEAS.
I like the use of the lid label on #2 and will probably continue this throughout my designs. Something I probably won't include, because everybody will, is the use of the Worcester cathedral in #2 and #3.
Case Study: Prett A Manger
PRET is quite literally the tastiest food ever. The food isn't too dear and any additives are avoided.
That's not the best part...
Pret A Manger is a small chain company that gives any left over food at the end of the day to the homeless. Pretty nifty eh?
It's also doing it's bit towards sustainabilty.
That's not the best part...
Pret A Manger is a small chain company that gives any left over food at the end of the day to the homeless. Pretty nifty eh?
It's also doing it's bit towards sustainabilty.
Seacourt & Revive
- waterless printing company
- originally had "as long as it's in a bin it's sorted" attitude
- 6 x 5m3 bins of waste each week
- 306 bins per annum, straight to landfill
- "jumped in the bins and found bags full of paper"
- Used to use chemicals to break down the water molecules
- 1997= waterless offset
- 1999= 2nd printer worldwide to be EMA's, environmentally acredited
- balance ink & water or it damages the image
- 2007= carbon neutral, recycled paper, vegetable inks only
- 2003= 100% renewable energy (solar panel)
- awarded wildlife trusts biodiversity benchmark
- winner of the Oxfordshire sustainable awards
- 2007= winner Queens award for sustainable awards
- Their water useage is less than an average family home
- 4 wormeries were then installed
- 2009= 1st printer in the world to send 0% waste to landfill
- Printing on bamboo fibre
- 5, 000, 000 tons of paper based waste
- Scandinavia= virgin paper
- recycled paper= France, Italy, Germany
- paper can only be recycled 4 or 5 times then the fibres become too short
- said fibres can then be used in insulation, cat litter.
- However recycled paper OBVIOUSLY needs some new virgin paper for new fibre
- " at the point of design; what will become of this after use?"
- "don't be ashamed of using paper, be ashamed of waste"
- "without failure there is no success"
After listening to Mark from Seacourt I realised that the company uses recycling as a gimic to aid their success. It made me think; say if recycling stop beings 'quirky' and becomes the 'norm'? surely they'd find another route to go down as they like being different? Mark continuously expressed that Seacourt is full of businessmen and NOT environmentalists. Which slightly aggrivated me as it meant they cared more about money than the environment,which sort of contradicted what their company stood for. I'm sure they'd get a lot less business if they went with a true slogan, such as; "Without the threat of climate change, there'd be no Seacourt.We'd have no gimic. Thank the environmental crisis"
However, I can understand that to stand out in the business world you need to be different. To offer things other businesses cannot. In Seacourt's case it's having 0% waste sent to landfill. It can also be argued that as long as they are having minimal negative impact on the environment, who cares what the underlying reason is?
(Pages 13-16 in journal)
Monday 12 November 2012
Main Brief: bottle research
I am incredibly indecisive with most things in life. It is a trait that becomes the biggest annoyance whilst studying Art&Design because it completley hinders the ability to start desigining anything. I'm finding it difficult to even do a mock up of a design, especially when I have NO idea where to start. I managed to find a video that helped me slightly...
I then wondered what an empty bottle of Lea & Perrins looks like...
One method of making an object sustainable is to make sure that it has another use after it's initial purpose.
Therefore I researched to find ways to re-use glass bottles...
The bottom two images are ways in which I feel would be good to sell small multipacks. I like the idea of the label going over the top of the bottle and not just around.
I then wondered what an empty bottle of Lea & Perrins looks like...
Looks quite aesthetically pleasing so maybe it could be re-used?
Sunday 4 November 2012
Anthropocene - The Human Epoch
'I like to compare what's going on today to the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs - except that now we are the asteroid' - Anthony Barnosky
Geologists have suggested that humanity's impact upon the atmosphere is so profound, due to the burning of fossil fuels, that we're creating a new geological time period. They're calling it the Anthropocene.
Fossil fuel emissions, climate change, agriculture and chemical pollution may all be portrayed in various ways in sediments in the seas, lakes and rivers. Millions of years from now the layers of sediment will have compacted into rock which future geologists can analyse.
The BBC news website has a lot of information on this new era...
Saturday 3 November 2012
Government policy on renewable energy.
There are 3,400 onshore wind turbines across the UK at 324 different sites, generating 3% of the UK's electricity. A further 4,000 turbines are due to be built by 2020.
David Cameron has stated that there has been no change in the government's policy on renewable energy after John Hayes has stated that the UK has had 'enough of onshore wind farms'. (A previous greenlight DECC blog post helps to refute this).
He proclaimed,
'We can no longer have wind turbines imposed upon communities'
Is this due to the benefit of the economy or for purely aesthetic reasons?
READ IT HERE
David Cameron has stated that there has been no change in the government's policy on renewable energy after John Hayes has stated that the UK has had 'enough of onshore wind farms'. (A previous greenlight DECC blog post helps to refute this).
He proclaimed,
'We can no longer have wind turbines imposed upon communities'
Is this due to the benefit of the economy or for purely aesthetic reasons?
READ IT HERE
Monday 29 October 2012
Heinz
Heinz' interest in the environment seems to be on the incline. The company itself seems to be;
The brief states that the bottle design has to conicide with these specifications.
The Heinz tomato ketchup bottle is now made from 30% material from renewable sources and is fully recyclable. Even though the brief states that the bottle shape will remain the same it does not state that the material has to. Therefore, it may be beneficial to look at materials that are recyclable.
HEINZ INFO
*Reducing energy consumption
*Reducing solid waste
*Reducing water consumption
*Increasing renewable energy
*Reducing transportation fossil fuel consumption
*Reducing packaging material
The brief states that the bottle design has to conicide with these specifications.
The Heinz tomato ketchup bottle is now made from 30% material from renewable sources and is fully recyclable. Even though the brief states that the bottle shape will remain the same it does not state that the material has to. Therefore, it may be beneficial to look at materials that are recyclable.
HEINZ INFO
Main Brief: Research
The brief suggests that one method to increase sales is to promote ways in which Worcestershire sauce can be used in recipes. The label or packaging may include recipe cards in order to inform the consumer of innovative ways to create an appetising meal involving Lea & Perrins.
The Lea & Perrins website actually includes some of these tips and recipes on their website. So maybe they need to be promoted more as they are easily accessible.
The brief mentions that the 'iconic bottle shape' has to remain the same...
I then researched the advertising of Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce to see whether the styles of advertising could be incorporated within my bottle designs.
I actually think that these old advert designs may influence the packaging I design. This is due to them being aesthetically pleasing.
Main Brief: Lea and Perrins
'Attract a new generation of Lea & Perrins users through educating and exciting them of ways to use L&P in their everyday dishes'
Objectives:
*Create a pack design that is attractive to the 20-35yr old age group
*The pack design needs to inspire people to use the product in their everyday cooking
*The packaging should be made as sustainable as possible and adhere to the Heinz Corporate social responsibilty guidelines
Mandatories:
*Retain the pproud branding (Orange & Black)
*Retain the iconic bottle design
*Keep the original and genuine feel ofthe product
Considerations:
*The pack should stand out
*Attach elements to the bottle such as recipe cards
*Sustainability themes of refill, recyclability and bio materials should also be considered
Key points from the Worcestershire sauce history:
*First sold in 1837
*Produced in attempt to recreate a taste found in India
*Originally tasted horrible, so was put in a cellar and forgotten about. Found months later and tasted. It was found that it tasted a lot better.
*Process and most spices kept 'secret'
*Although it is known that it contains onions, garlic and red chillies
Objectives:
*Create a pack design that is attractive to the 20-35yr old age group
*The pack design needs to inspire people to use the product in their everyday cooking
*The packaging should be made as sustainable as possible and adhere to the Heinz Corporate social responsibilty guidelines
Mandatories:
*Retain the pproud branding (Orange & Black)
*Retain the iconic bottle design
*Keep the original and genuine feel ofthe product
Considerations:
*The pack should stand out
*Attach elements to the bottle such as recipe cards
*Sustainability themes of refill, recyclability and bio materials should also be considered
Key points from the Worcestershire sauce history:
*First sold in 1837
*Produced in attempt to recreate a taste found in India
*Originally tasted horrible, so was put in a cellar and forgotten about. Found months later and tasted. It was found that it tasted a lot better.
*Process and most spices kept 'secret'
*Although it is known that it contains onions, garlic and red chillies
Sunday 28 October 2012
CAT: Centre for Alternative Technology
The Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) is in Machynlleth in Mid Wales and was opened in 1973. It aims to demonstrate practical solutions for sustainabilty. It aims to inspire, inform and enable.
(The cliff railway explanation, the cliff railway and inside)
After arriving at the main building we were told that the talk would be given at 12:30. We waited in the vegetarian organic cafe and ate some tasty food.
The talk was given by Jo Gwillim. He informed us that the CAT took 5 years to build and cost £6, 000, 000! The building faces south in order to utilise the sunlight as much possible using less artificial lighting and using the sunlight to heat up the building. The walls, mainly compressed earth, act as insulters and keep the warmth in the building. He suggested that people should 'buy less things instead of focussing on recycling'. The main insulating materials within the building are; recycled newspaper, wood fibre, cork, wool, fibreglass and hemp. Jo also played a 4 minute animation by Anna Sancha that showed how we treat the world and how it should be treated.
 |
| Materials |
 |
| Figuring out which label matches each material. |
 |
| Toni with an eco-friendly wall. |
 |
| Top L-R: Wind turbine chair, free green veg, a solar panel, several recycling bins, wind turbine |
Tuesday 23 October 2012
No Impact Man
No Impact Man is a documentary film about an American man who wants to see if it possible for him and his family to leave no carbon footprint for a year.
Colin Beaven lives in New York City with his wife, 2 yr old daughter and his dog. He claims that he was so fed up of 'waiting for senators to do something about the way we treat the world' that he decided to see what would happen if he took the situations into his own hands. This meant that he and his family would try to leave no net impact on the environment. In other words, no rubbish, no carbon emissions, no toxins in the water, no lifts, no subway, no products in packaging, no plastics, no tv etc.
At first his wife doesn't seem to take to the idea but after 6months she claims that she is excited and can feel the benefits of only eating local foods (even giving up coffee).
Whilst visiting the farm where their food is produced (Colin proclaiming that this can be their family holiday) Colin asks the farmer why he hasn't labelled his food 'organic' considering that it practically is. The farmer answers;
"There can be no treatment for cows, if a cow gets sick we cannot give them antibiotics. That's the problem I have, I can't let the cows die."
This surprised me actually. I've always presumed that organic meant that no chemicals were used that weren't required. If that makes sense.
The thing that stuck out to me the most was the conclusion. Colin, after acquiring media attention, is giving a talk to students about being a 'no impact man'. He says;
"Without a community, we don't feel accountable to anyone else"
I sort of agree with this statement, I believe that a community is vital to happiness. He states that going to the local market for food has allowed him and his family to become part of a community.
It's weird to think that anybody would have a negative opinion about this project. As a woman suggests on the film, maybe it is because people feel that they have a right to be consumers. 'I've earned this cash, I worked hard for it. Therefore, I can spend it however I choose to'.
Overall it's a very inspiring film that I am glad I have watched. I've already text the parents to say we NEED to give most of these ideas a go in summer (not so keen on the toilet roll idea...)
No Impact Man Blog
Colin Beaven lives in New York City with his wife, 2 yr old daughter and his dog. He claims that he was so fed up of 'waiting for senators to do something about the way we treat the world' that he decided to see what would happen if he took the situations into his own hands. This meant that he and his family would try to leave no net impact on the environment. In other words, no rubbish, no carbon emissions, no toxins in the water, no lifts, no subway, no products in packaging, no plastics, no tv etc.
At first his wife doesn't seem to take to the idea but after 6months she claims that she is excited and can feel the benefits of only eating local foods (even giving up coffee).
Whilst visiting the farm where their food is produced (Colin proclaiming that this can be their family holiday) Colin asks the farmer why he hasn't labelled his food 'organic' considering that it practically is. The farmer answers;
"There can be no treatment for cows, if a cow gets sick we cannot give them antibiotics. That's the problem I have, I can't let the cows die."
This surprised me actually. I've always presumed that organic meant that no chemicals were used that weren't required. If that makes sense.
The thing that stuck out to me the most was the conclusion. Colin, after acquiring media attention, is giving a talk to students about being a 'no impact man'. He says;
"Without a community, we don't feel accountable to anyone else"
I sort of agree with this statement, I believe that a community is vital to happiness. He states that going to the local market for food has allowed him and his family to become part of a community.
It's weird to think that anybody would have a negative opinion about this project. As a woman suggests on the film, maybe it is because people feel that they have a right to be consumers. 'I've earned this cash, I worked hard for it. Therefore, I can spend it however I choose to'.
Overall it's a very inspiring film that I am glad I have watched. I've already text the parents to say we NEED to give most of these ideas a go in summer (not so keen on the toilet roll idea...)
No Impact Man Blog
Saturday 20 October 2012
Annie Leonard, Carbon footprint and Materials.
Annie Leonard
Ahh...Annie Leonard's 'Story of Stuff'. I really could not take to these videos as they irritated me.
I'm undecided whether the jittery animation was the cause of this, or the fact it was incredibly preachy and it did not state where all the 'facts' came from. However, I like to hear all the sides of every story and I enjoy the fact it made you think. To be fair, I agree with a lot that was said but I feel the approach was all wrong.
Facts I picked up from the video:
* The US makes up 5% of the world's population yet uses 30% of the worlds resources
* 99% of items we buy are trashed within 6months. This may be due to planned obsolescence or perceived obsolenscence.
* National happiness peaked in the 1950's and has declined since planned and perceived obsolenscence. (however, how they 'measured' happiness I do not know)
There is also THIS accompanying website.
She also explained why we should not sell bottled water. I'm not sure whether I agree with this concept. I always order tap water if I'm at a restaurant but I always buy bottle water if I'm thirsty and there's a corner shop near by. I think that if bottled water wasn't sold people would complain that 'Everyone is being really unhealthy because they are buying fizzy drinks'. Also, tap water tends to taste different everywhere (that was meant to sound a lot less selfish than it does).
Carbon Footprints
I've been informed, by using an online interactive survey, that I'm using 2.3 planets resources. I'm going to play Devils Adovcate here and ask is this based on a daily amount, yearly, or in the average lifetime? Either way, 2.3 planets is pretty shocking. I did answer with the worst case scenerio in mind.
My score is higher than the world average but lower than my regions average which I am both saddened and pleased by. This website is a good idea as it suggests ways in which we can alter our lifestyles to benefit the world.
Check it out on THIS link.
The 'Living Planet Report 2012' was incredibly informative. It does not come across preachy but informs the reader with statistics, problems and solutions.
WWF LIVING PLANET REPORT.
Materials
We were set the task of looking at a particular material's history and use. Heather, Billy and I were given the material 'wood'. We chose to focus on the facts;
Ahh...Annie Leonard's 'Story of Stuff'. I really could not take to these videos as they irritated me.
I'm undecided whether the jittery animation was the cause of this, or the fact it was incredibly preachy and it did not state where all the 'facts' came from. However, I like to hear all the sides of every story and I enjoy the fact it made you think. To be fair, I agree with a lot that was said but I feel the approach was all wrong.
Facts I picked up from the video:
* The US makes up 5% of the world's population yet uses 30% of the worlds resources
* 99% of items we buy are trashed within 6months. This may be due to planned obsolescence or perceived obsolenscence.
* National happiness peaked in the 1950's and has declined since planned and perceived obsolenscence. (however, how they 'measured' happiness I do not know)
She also explained why we should not sell bottled water. I'm not sure whether I agree with this concept. I always order tap water if I'm at a restaurant but I always buy bottle water if I'm thirsty and there's a corner shop near by. I think that if bottled water wasn't sold people would complain that 'Everyone is being really unhealthy because they are buying fizzy drinks'. Also, tap water tends to taste different everywhere (that was meant to sound a lot less selfish than it does).
Carbon Footprints
I've been informed, by using an online interactive survey, that I'm using 2.3 planets resources. I'm going to play Devils Adovcate here and ask is this based on a daily amount, yearly, or in the average lifetime? Either way, 2.3 planets is pretty shocking. I did answer with the worst case scenerio in mind.
My score is higher than the world average but lower than my regions average which I am both saddened and pleased by. This website is a good idea as it suggests ways in which we can alter our lifestyles to benefit the world.
Check it out on THIS link.
The 'Living Planet Report 2012' was incredibly informative. It does not come across preachy but informs the reader with statistics, problems and solutions.
WWF LIVING PLANET REPORT.
Materials
We were set the task of looking at a particular material's history and use. Heather, Billy and I were given the material 'wood'. We chose to focus on the facts;
*1931 First wooden currency. When the Citizen's Bank of Tenino, Washington, defaulted during the great stock-market crash, the Chamber of Commerce decided to issue round wooden couins as scrip to use until they could fill the coffers back up with the real issue
*. 400, 000 BC The spears from Schnoningen provide some of the first examples of wooden hunting gear. Flint tools were used for carving.
We then researched what different ways wood is used in design today.
* Fashion design (clogs)
* Architecture (Balsa wood models)
* Games (puzzles)
Tuesday 16 October 2012
Task 03 Shoebox Design
After research sustainable shoebox designs I tried to design one myself.
Hessian is a woven fabric usually made from skin of the jute plant which is combined with other vegetable fibres. Although the colour may be seen as quite bland I actually think it fits the style of shoe I have designed for.
Designs
I decided to draw out a box idea anyway. The initial idea behind this design was that the box can be reused as shelves afterwards. The box would be recycled egg cartons.
I found myself being the least creative person ever. I kept drawing rectangular shoeboxes that did not have that much sustainabilty. So I did some more research, but this time I decided that I would design a bag to put the shoes in. This enables the packaging to have alternate use after protecting the shoes. I began to think back about Japanese packaging where rope and straw was used with basic origami techniques. This lead me to...
Recycling
bags/magazines by weaving them to create new bags is an environmentally
friendly idea. I chose to design for Creeper shoes as they are bulky and
they are usually bought by people who like unusual things. Therefore
they may be more attracted to unique styles of packaging. The main issue
with this technique is that it would be very time consuming so would be
difficult to produce in mass bulk.
Designs
 | |||||
| Recycled bag design (no zips etc) |
 |
| The bag may contain sencils on the front to attract consumer. |
I decided to draw out a box idea anyway. The initial idea behind this design was that the box can be reused as shelves afterwards. The box would be recycled egg cartons.
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