Graphic and Product Design Lead to a More Successful All-Around Product

As we announced here, the School of Design’s design workshop was held at the recently concluded Špancirfest. That’s the third year running that students’ from this Zagreb faculty have been presenting their designer skills at this festival, at the invite of the Varaždin Tourist Office.

However, as opposed to the recent two years, when solely students from the product design course participated, this year’s workshop concept implied the collaboration of two study programs from this faculty, thus product and graphic designers worked together. “The concept of the work was envisioned as a synergy of two directions; creating functionality and the physical appearance of the packaging on the one hand, and the graphic aspect on the other.” – explains graphic designer  Luka Borčić from the School of Design, who was a student mentor along with product designer Vedran Kasap.

Some ten School of Design students have been pondering on, discussing and realizing their ideas and concepts during a ten-day period in tents spread around in the city’s center, where they were also available on a daily basis for any questions that citizens or festival-goers might have had. The motley crew of junior, senior and sophomore students was divided into three groups, a regular mash-up of product and graphic designers. Each group was allocated their own brand, i.e. task.

As they have pointed out in the introduction to the workshop, a wide range of local products often express their identity, quality, and autochthony in an inadequate way, which makes the “help” of the young minds indispensable. In a time when brand development is discussed at a national level, this particular field of package design of domestic products seems to be of interest of to domestic manufacturers, family businesses, and buyers.

The young designers have had the task of developing (new) identity and (re)designing the packaging for three different clients: Varaždin Markets, Presečki brand and Lavandin essential oil.

Sanja Rotter, Ozana Ursić and Marko Hrastovec have participated on the project of visual identity and accompanying products of the Varaždin Markets. These students have come up with an idea for the new paper bags designed so they can hold more groceries, as well as canvas bags also able to hold more groceries. These canvas bags, in addition, have the name of the groceries written on the straps of the bags, in order to remind you to bring home all the fruits and vegetables you need from the market.

The Varaždin market is one of the first markets in Croatia that offers the possibility of delivery of products to your home address. The three students have used this as an inspiration for the creation of the transport delivery box where the address of the customer can be written on it, and/or the prices of other products; thus enabling and facilitating the communication between the market and its customers. At the same time, market vendors as well can use these paper bags and delivery boxes to write information, price, quantity, and so on. All the products are accompanied by textual elaboration in local dialect, in order to emphasize the autochthony of the concept and idea.

Design students Ozana Ursić, Sanja Rotter and Marko Hrastovec

Katarina Perić, Luka Perić and Andrej Večenaj have worked on the project of the Presečki products. They offer quality pumpkin oil and pumpkin seeds in bulk. The students have come up with the new visual identity for the local provisions manufacturer – a distinctive orange dot which on the outer cardboard packaging box functions as a logo, while on the bottle inside the box an illustration of pumpkin appears as the product’s basic ingredient.

The cardboard box is not just the outside packaging; it can also serve as sort of a coaster for the oil bottle that helps absorb those few drops of oil that always seem to “escape” when using products such as this one.

Design students Andrija Večenaj, Katarina Perić and Luka Perić

The third project has been given to a team of students, Maja Subotić, Tessa Bachrach Kristofic and Andrija Večenaj, with the task of redesigning the Lavandin essential oil. In case you did not know, lavandin is a type of lavender that may not have the same quality and praised characteristics of the real lavender, but it is good for skin regeneration, respiratory infections, and so on.

The team of designers that has worked on this task, after looking at the plant’s history and inspired by the spirit of the baroque city and the romantic effects of the essential oil; has come up with an entirely new story. The product which thus far has had an ordinary label; from now is going to come in a graphically elaborated ornamental packaging accompanied by a letter of romantic content.

Design students Maja Subotić, Tessa Bachrach Kristofic and Andrija Večenaj

At the beginning of the workshop brand owners have communicated directly with the students and according to Luka Borčić, on the last day of the workshop, the students have had the opportunity to present their works to the manufacturers and the City of Varaždin Tourist Board who have been more than happy with the ten-day products of the creative team.

It has been announced from the Tourist Board that the workshop will undoubtedly come back next year, and we hope that the manufacturers will recognize the value and quality of the created products, and that all three of the presented concepts will live to see their full realization.