In part one of the article we discussed how good type design can influence perception, as well as helps you really understand the visual aesthetics of your design. In part two, we will delve deeper into the complexities of good type design as they apply to custom packaging. From part one you can see how many different complexities can exist when it comes to font design. But what about things like point of purchase displays (POP) or counter displays? Do you have a good strategy for designing other corrugated marketing products. Or what about how your typography might compare and contrast with other competing products on the shelves? For example, it’s possible that you might pick a great looking font and a great looking color for that font but the lighting in the store does not complement your design very well. To get around these type of issues it’s very important to understand font sizing, color, and use appropriate testing software.
Provided that you are not using an outrageous font styles; font sizing and color might be more important than the type of font you use. The reason for this is because readability is paramount. For example dark text on a light background can make the font look smaller than it actually is because it causes the background to appear as though it is expanding. On the flip side, light text on a dark background causes the letters to appear larger. These types of tricks are important to take into consideration when working with smaller or larger box sizes. However, none of these tricks will matter if the font type is too stylistic. When working with POP displays or counter displays however, you may have more flexibility. But also, don’t forget you might design a cardboard display as well as a small product package, in which case your font sizing, color, and type must have good brand flow between the different corrugated products. Additionally, don’t forget, customers might walk around your displays and see them from different angles. This differs from a shelf view where customers don’t have as many angled views. But now, how do you test your design?
One of the ways to experiment with and view more complex corrugated products, like POP displays and counter displays, is by using software that allows you to create a virtual environment. A virtual environment for packaging can help you view your display designs as well as your packaging designs. This type of software allows you to view objects from various angles and different foot approaches. Which can help you really understand how your font and colors are viewed from different angles. Software like the Studio Store Visualizers are great at creating the perfect environment for in store experimentation.
In future posts we’ll discuss how the VR and AR landscape is changing the packaging design environment.
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