Scrapped Concepts from Week 2

These are the three concepts developed for last weeks studio.
Also included it Peer & Tutor feedback from the Week 2 studio.
Please note, that these Concepts have since been scraped for the individual reason stated below.

For this concept I looked at consumer products that were difficult to open as voted by Choice Magazine's readers for their "Pack Attack" Campaign.

After much exploration into  packaging in-accessibly and the major populations it affects (children and the elderly); I decided to tackle the Juice Box Straw.

The Tetra-pack Juice box has an attached straw for consuming the product.

This straw can often be a pain to access  you must first rip the straw off the box, then rip the straw out of the plastic packet, then poke the straw through through the tetra-pack box (3 STEPS!)

This accessibility issue affects both children (drinking juice) and the elderly (drinking carton milk). Choosing juice as opposed to a sugary cordial or soft drink  helps to reduce the extent that obesity (and childhood obesity) is having on the nation.

Conversely drinking milk and getting enough calcium is essential for both children (helping with bone development) and the elderly (preventing osteoporosis and keeping bones healthy).

The new packaging aids users in accessing the important contents of the tetrapack so that they may live healthier lives.

The idea behind the design is that there is a single tab to pull which propels the straw up and out of the box, where it was initially stored.

This concept was scrapped as the Social Issues driving the new packaging were weak and the concept too hollow. 

Concept 2 developed because of research I obtained regarding the detrimental effect that packaging has on the environment. there is copious information on this subject, however, I decided to tackle the issue of over packaging and attempted to de-materialise cereal packaging.

The concept was to eliminate the need for having a cardboard box, as well as a HDPE back to store and consume cereal.

Initially, I proposed to change the packaging to be only a polymer bag, similar to packaging that muesli and granola uses. However, the reason that the majority of cereals have a box encompassing the plastic bag as its packaging is because:

a) The box protects the cereals from getting crushed (most muesli is already hard ad doesn't need the same protection as cornflakes, for example).

b) The bag prevents moisture reaching the cereal, which prevents the cereal becoming soggy.

c) The box is a rectangular prism which can be easier to store in the home c.f. flexible bags.

d) the bag prevents bugs and other household pests reaching the cereal.

There was also the issue that Malt-O-Meal , an American Cereal company, has already designed a bag-only system for cereal, including a zip-lock system.

This forced me to re-think materials and form, leading to the design of a Polypropylene cereal packaging. The design is free-standing, semi-flexible (having similar properties to takeaway milkshake cups), moisture and pest resistant, bio-degradable and made from a single material.

The idea is, that producers of the cereal could print directly onto the plastic (like Easy Way with their take away cups) to ensure to that no market is lost due the lack of color and/or graphics. The container will still be semi-transparent so that users can see how much cereal is left. The product is also biodegradable, enabling it to be easily recycled once it serves its use.

As an off-shoot concept, the idea of refill stations was considered, so that the packaging could be re-used. A possible issues with this concept is the inconvenience of transporting the empty packaging to the supermarket.

This concept was also scrapped because the Environmental issue that is over-packaging does not meet the brief requirements as being an adequate social issue.

Concept 3 was my most preferred concept last week; it was the idea of combining the marketing fueling the 'KeepCup' and applying it takeaway food containers.

Again the issue his is white pollution (the effects packaging has on the environment).

Coffee Republic at UNSW is an example of a retail food and beverage store that only serves goods in takeaway containers (they are not the only one). After consumption, the majority of students/staff will throw away their takeaway container after use; these polypropylene containers are recyclable and re-usable.

Statistics show that more and more people are eating out and not in the traditional family setting (see research sides from week 1). This is especially true in urban communities such as: Potts Point, Kings Cross and Pyrmont, among many others. This is believed to be due to the fact that dwellings in these high-density areas have smaller kitchens and dining rooms c.f. suburban dwellings.

The concept is to develop a "KeepBowl" or "KeepContainer" (or perhaps a range of KeepContainers) that may be re-used for takeaway food in these urban climates. In the same vain as KeepCup's philosophies, the key goal with this product is to change the way society thinks about takeaway containers; encourage consumers to re-use and reduce the amount of packaging they contact every day.

The design considers portion control and the epidemic of obesity in Australia by having a maximum capacity of 750ml (the same amount as a dining bowl in a restaurant). This is not to say that the container is filled to the capacity, but instead, gives the user the room access their food comfortably as well as cater to a range of cuisines (e.g. sushi would take less room than nachos etc.)

There is an issue of storage and the inconvenience of carrying the container for the whole work day. This may be solved by creating a collapsible design made from silicon and nylon, which collapses flat to a disc shape making it easier to store, carry and clean.

Other biodegradable materials such as polypropylene, rice husk, corn starch, PLA and bamboo may also be considered.

There is a sense of belonging associated with the product; users see others using the product and feel a part of a special 'club' that is environmentally conscious of their actions. There may also be incentives for re-sing e.g. discounted takeaway food.

An off-shoot of this concept is having 1 rigid bowl/container, which contains 10 or 20 inserted impenetrable films/linings. After consumption, the top lining is pulled off and thrown away. The remaining 19 linings are ready for future takeaway foods.

This concept was scrapped because IT IS NOT PACKAGING!

IT IS A CONTAINER! IT IS A PRODUCT!

This is a fair statement. Perhaps the only way the KeepBowl could be considered as packaging, is if local businesses packaged their takeaway foods in the containers initially, then customers were able to re-use this container after purchasing the food.

Peer & Tutor Feedback

Name	Peter Calaitzopoulos (z331400)
Date	13/03/13
Feedback from Peer 1 Mathew Holihan	+liked the idea of refillable cereal packaging and refill stations in supermarkets +liked KeepBowl concept -considered straw accessibility as a ‘1st World Problem’
Feedback from Peer 2 Alan Jackson	+liked the idea of a re-fillable takeaway container; related to university take-out -believed cereal companies would not give up box branding -straw may get caught within tetra-packàno consumption
Feedback from Tutor Simon Rapisarda	-don’t solve environmental issue with packaging; solve social issue -straw concept is weak, not that hard to access straw, not a prominent social issue -refill station work in theory, not in practice +changing mind sets in society good approach (over consumerism) +liked collapsible, flat design of KeepBowl
Lesson learnt from listening to other Tutors	-containers are not packages -no real need to change cereal boxes +focus on social issues: obesity, osteoporosis, arthritis suffers +liked peel away layers for KeepBowl; but still not packaging.