OUGD603 - Extended Practice: Cracker Brief (Initial Online Research)

Not on the high street

I like the idea of the woodland animal crackers being personalised by the consumer. I would love to be able to combine this feature within my design, but as it is being manufactured in China, and I have been given the specified forms, I know this isn't going to be possible. It would also be much less cost effective. 

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When I searched for musical crackers I came across the packaging shown below. I feel as though too many colours have been used here, and as a result it makes the product look a lot less special and inexpensive. This is something I need to consider when designing my own, as I want to make sure that I attract the correct target audience. I would also like to think that I could come up with something a bit different to all of the other existing cracker products. I realise that this is going to be challenging, but I just want to make sure that the final outcome is professional and inviting. 

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Although I feel as though the colours used here are fairly dull and unappealing, I quite like the idea of an illustration being repeated several times at a larger scale like this. For the xylophone crackers, all of the individual elements found inside could be illustrated and turned into a repeat pattern. However, this wouldn't necessarily offer a festive solution to the brief and I feel as though it is important to combine the two together. 

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Even though I have considered creating a pattern for the crackers, I wouldn't want the pattern to be as structured as this one. I also think that it would look much more authentic and high-end if the illustrations were hand rendered and then scanned in and edited. This is something I have experimented with in the past and I feel as though it worked quite well. Having said that, I may go down a completely different route, to add some variety in my portfolio. 

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This is an example of some crackers which I would definitely not like to take inspiration from. I decided to post this example on my blog to illustrate another 'over-designed' piece of packaging. I feel as though it would appeal to a much younger target audience and the illustrations are a bit too playful and garish in terms of colour choice.

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I quite like this style of packaging. It has a certain vintage feel to it. This wouldn't be appropriate for the crackers I am designing I don't think, however I can appreciate the colour and font changes. 

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I quite like the idea of the cracker having a secondary use. I feel as though it is always worth exploring multiple uses for a product, as this could act as a selling point as well as a way of making the product more sustainable. The example illustrated below shows how the exterior of the cracker can be used to colour in to keep children entertained. In the case of the xylophone crackers, perhaps parts of them could act as a stand for the xylophone or perhaps instructions on how to make some sort of belly band to keep all of the pieces together after the cracker has been pulled. A lot of the time the outside box is also thrown away, this is also something which could be considered for reuse. This is something I will explore when I start designing. 

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I thought this cracker design was quite unusual. The colours which have been used aren't stereotypically colours used during the festive period. Orange has been used however, and this is the colour of the Marigold logo. I am going to experiment with using this colour, however if it doesn't work, I am able to alter the logo slightly if required. 

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I love these crackers as they have a bit more character to them than just simply designing a flat pattern on to the surface of the form. I don't think I will be able to do this on these particular crackers, however I could play with the space I do have and create different Christmas characters. Perhaps they could even have a name such as 'character crackers' and each of the xylophone players could be a different character! It would be great fun if the hats inside were also designed in the same way so that the theme runs throughout, and is a bit of fun for all of the family. 

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Marks and Spencer

Below are some crackers which have been printed on foil cardboard. I have recently received an email from Andrew regarding the final products being printed on this material. I am not sure whether it is suitable and have suggested alternative stock, so this is something we are going to consider when it comes to discussing and negotiating with the manufacturer in China. 

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Sarah Matthews

I follow G.F.Smith on Instagram and they posted a photograph of some of Sarah Matthews' work the other day. I took a screenshot of it as I thought her crackers were so beautifully presented. They are actually one of a few examples I have seen which I have found truly inspiring. I obviously wouldn't be able to create the crackers by hand with all of the finishing touches and layers of different paper, however I could easily take inspiration from this and apply it in some way, by perhaps illustrating my own nutcracker or other festive character, such as Father Christmas, and designing them so that they also hint at the contents inside.

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Harrods 

Lakeland

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Amazon

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Marks and Spencer

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Selfridges

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Etsy

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