I took an Art course this Fall semester as an elective to fulfill my minor in Graphic Design. Professor John Meza was the instructor for the course and if you have taken a class of his before then you know that he really enjoys giving snacks in his classes which is a nice gesture! We would meet up once a week in The Shields Center for Visual Arts and every two weeks we would have a critic of our finished assignments.

Our first project was to make a package design for candy with a focus group in mind. The focus group that we could choose from were age ranges, so for examples Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, etc. I chose the Silent Generation because I wanted to make a vintage looking package design. When it came to creating the concept of the package design I was required to research my chosen generation for marketing facts to help me make a successful design that was not only pretty to look at but would attract my focus group. My research showed that the Silent Generation has more expendable income than younger generations, and that they appreciate a classic elegant style. I looked up appearances of 1940’s candies stores and adopted the striped patterns of the candy store canopy. I also found that coffee and chocolate were a fan favorite of that generation. With all my research combine I made, “Miller’s Roasted Cocoa Zingers”.

The packaging was designed in Adobe Illustrator, and that shape was inspired by Lindor’s Truffles packaging. I measured the bag of Lindor’s Truffles and translated those measurements on to Illustrator. I then submitted the die-line for approval, and then printed, and pieceed it together. When it was time to have class critiques done, we spoke about our project and then everyone in the class had the opportunity to give feedback. This class was exciting and a nice chance of pace from my normal illustrations. I found that I really enjoy designing packages and I honestly would have never known if I didn’t choose to take this Graphic Design elective!