On the concept and positioning of packaging design (2)

2, indirect performance

Indirect performance is more intrinsic performance techniques and is a more subtle expression. That is, the image of the product is not directly displayed on the packaging screen, and it is indirectly expressed by other things related to the product (such as a raw material used in the product, a production process characteristic, a use object, a use mode, or a function of the product). commodity. Indirect performance also has several ways:

(1) Joint idea:
That is, by using certain images to guide the consumer's understanding to focus in a certain direction, the association created by the consumer's own mind complements what is not directly explained on the packaging screen.

For example, in China's dramatic art, when an actor is performing, no real horse can appear on the stage, and through the dance movements of a paddle and a whip in the hands of the actor, the audience feels the scene of boating and horse-riding. The use of.

The media images supported by the joint idea can be either concrete or abstract. They can all lead to certain associations: from the figurative flowers to the happiness, from the deciduous to the autumn, and from the flowing water to the passing of time. The horizontal line of abstraction is associated with the unblemished sea, the red is associated with blood, and the green is associated with the grasslands and forests. For example, the e-Jiao packaging produced by Jiangxi Yushu Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. uses the traditional expression of traditional Chinese paintings to draw a picture of Zhang Guo riding a donkey, which reminds people of donkey-hide gelatin made of donkey skin. Zhang Guo is always The immortal, thus playing a role in conveying the efficacy of goods to consumers. The packaging of the "broadband stereo headphones" that we mentioned before, as the background of set off effects - the abstract geometry, is also the use of indirect methods to enable consumers to produce "stereo" associations. This is the use of associations. The indirect performance technique conveys to consumers examples that it is difficult to express ideas directly through visual images. Some packaging can be used to display the image of a product directly on the screen. However, in order to pursue distinctive new appearances (that is, innovation), indirect representations are used to create associations. For example, the packaging of the “Peony MD35A Camera” adopts an abstract flat graphic, which gives people the idea of ​​a camera-camera shutter-camera concept. The picture is concise, the concept is ingenious, and it has a strong modern atmosphere. Its properties, compared with similar products packaging and decorating, have obvious self-characteristics, are different, and highlight differences.

It is also one of the indirect expression methods to use text to decorate the picture. However, it must be based on a relatively high level of recognition. For example, in China's "Langjiu" packaging, the screen highlights a "Lang" word, and people can realize the full value of Langjiu, one of the country's ten most famous wines.

(2) Allegorical Law:
Implicit method includes metaphor and symbolism. It is also a method of indirect expression of subject matter that is not easily expressed directly. It can make the picture more lively and diverse.
1. Metaphorical method: There are many vivid examples of metaphorical expressions in Chinese traditional folk arts, such as festive magpies, precious peony parables, lotus metaphors for clear and honest, metaphorical love, Songhe metaphor for longevity, etc., and “festival”. Concepts such as "rich," "clean," "love," and "longevity" cannot be directly represented in visual form, but they can be fully reflected by the visualization of animals and plants. This is a way to convey commodity information by expressing the inherent "meaning" of the commodity, that is, expressing a certain characteristic of its spiritual attributes.

For example, in Japan, several types of cigarette packs, one of which uses the decorative pattern of the Phoenix as metaphor for wealth and auspiciousness; the other uses the pattern of a longevity word and the pattern of the “million” knot (the meaning of “yishiji”) as an analogy for everything and longevity. One hundred years old; another is a close-up image of a red-crowned crane and a pine branch in Hezuili, which is a metaphor for longevity; the other is a bamboo-like pattern and a paper-folded image of a crane. Days long.

2. The symbolism: It is represented by a unique image of a region, a country, or a certain thing. Therefore, as a symbol of the media image in the expression of meaning should have a permanent can not be any change. For example, the Great Wall, Tiananmen and its front gates of Huabiao, the Yellow River, and traditional Chinese stone lion figures are all symbols of China; the pyramids and sphinxes symbolize Egypt; the Eiffel Tower symbolizes France; the Maple Leaf symbolizes Canada; the Red Cross symbolizes life and Health; red symbolizes the idea of ​​excitement and revolutionary victory; pigeons and olive branches symbolize peace and so on.

For example, the “Zhonghua Brand Pencil Drawing” package that we all know is the symbol of Huazhong, which symbolizes the meaning of “Zhonghua”. Another example is that the logo of the 11th Asian Games once held in China was used to symbolize the change of the Great Wall of China into the English alphabet “A” to express the meaning of the 11th Asian Games held in China (“Asia” The English translation of "" is "ASIAN", the first letter is "A").

The difference between metaphor, symbol, and connection idea is that it depends on the meaning of media image to be recognized by people. Therefore, it is a rich expression of life and romance. .

The direct expression method and indirect performance can be achieved in addition to the methods described above. For example, the "Broadband Stereo Headphones" package mentioned earlier is an example of a combination of direct and indirect performance. In addition, "close-up" techniques can also be used. The so-called "close-up" is to take a large part and express the whole technique in a partial manner, so that the subject's characteristics can be more concentrated. For example, women's cosmetics hair oil series packaging and ice crystal flower packaging series, etc., are the use of "close-up" this method, directly or indirectly, the contents of the theme of the goods.

In addition, in terms of indirect expression, there are many packaging, especially some high-end gift wraps, cosmetics packaging, pharmaceutical packaging, etc., often do not directly use association or implied means, but the performance of a purely decorative approach (that is, without any meaning) . When purely decorative techniques are used, attention should also be paid to a certain tendency of decoration, and this tendency is used to guide the viewer's feelings. For example, in Japan, a kind of medicine package for eliminating eye fatigue and amoxycillin packaging are used to decorate with pure decorative abstract graphics and give people a feeling of modern products. Another example is South Korea's chocolate packaging, Japan's "sprinkling" wine packaging, etc., are also examples of the use of pure decorative methods.

After the creative design of the packaging design determines the performance technique, it is necessary to consider the issue of the expression form, which still belongs to the scope of how to express it. The technique is an inherent "tactical" problem, and the form is the external "weapon", the specific language of the design expression, and the specific visual communication design.

The forms of expression are various and it is difficult to say how many kinds of them are clear. Due to technological developments in the fields of electronics and chemistry, new forms of expression are emerging. However, regardless of the number of forms, the nature of expired commodities must be taken into consideration when using them. (What kind of commodity is it? Is it food or medicine? Is it a commodity for daily use or a tool? Is it a cultural or sports article? Toys? Are they electronic or mechanical products? Are they low-end, mid-range, mid-to-high grade or high-end goods? Who are the sales targets? etc.) Must be used properly enough to fully represent goods and better communicate with consumers Product information.

The forms of expression are usually: watercolor, gouache, Chinese painting, inkjet, photography, calligraphy, printmaking, pyrography, color decoration, natural material processing, computer production, and so on. There are also forms of stamping anodized aluminum, embossed bumps, and are often used. The use of these forms must also be based on the attributes and grades of the goods, and must not be abused.

We talked about the design of creative ideas. To sum up, in answering the questions of “what to perform” and “how to express it”, we must pay attention to information transmission and image infectivity in two aspects.

It should be emphasized once again that the design concept should be comprehensively scrutinized in terms of products, consumers, and sales, so that the design ultimately achieves good identification, strong attraction, and persuasiveness. That is, it can have clear and prominent visual effects, clear and accurate content expression, and serious and credible product quality feelings. This is the ultimate goal of packaging design.

Although everyone has their own design and creative concept features, but there is a basic common law, that is, "perfect, wonderful hand won". This can also be said to be the common law of any design or any artistic creation. Some of the older generation of packaging designers in China have summed up their experiences of designing creative ideas based on their long-term practice. They are called “adding and subtracting first”. The so-called "addition" is to explore various design ideas from multiple angles and perspectives, and draw a large number of creative ideas sketches. This process of exploration can also be said to be a process of "reconstruction." With this process as a basis, it is then possible to make "subtraction", that is, to rough out the essence, from the surface to the inside, and from the shallow to the deep, to make in-depth scrutiny in a large number of sketches for optimization. This "subtraction" helps us change from quantitative to qualitative, and it is possible to reach the level of "handy-handedness." A good design may seem to be an easy occasion to chance on the surface. In fact, it has undergone a rigorous design process. The "positioning design" that became popular in the foreign countries in the 1970s, which we will introduce below, is actually to find the right design ideas and positioning based on the "addition". This design theory is consistent with the design experience of the older generation of packaging designers in China and proves that the design has its common law.

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