Packaging Design
Qiaqia Food
Timeline
June - August 2021
Role
Visual Design Intern
Team
BBDO Shanghai (Creative Department)
During my internship at BBDO Shanghai, I created logos, brand identities,
and packaging designs for clients from the food, fitness, beverage and pet food industries.
Showcased is a project that I worked on for Qiaqia Food (洽洽),
the largest roasted nuts and seeds producer in China.
Gift Bag Design
Task
Design a new version of Qiaqia's 30-Pack Daily Nuts gift bag that utilizes graphic elements from the 25g Daily Nuts package
Product Specifications
270*195*285mm on 250g ivory board
What I was given to work with:
Original version of the 30-Day Daily Nuts gift bag design for reference
The updated gift bag design needed to include elements from this 25g Daily Nuts design
The design:
Round One Design
The client thought that this design contained too much information and graphic elements, and instead prefered a simpler design that would serve as a supplement to the brand's main product of nuts and seeds.
The Final Design
I worked to distill the gift bag down to the elements that are most essential to the brand identity, which are its logo and product title.
Reflections
"The work. The work. The work"
- BBDO
As a designer, this experience was my first look into the world of packaging design, where I learned to create prototype packaging using Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. In addition to working with Qiaqia Food, I was able to gain hands-on experience designing logos, brand identities and packages for numerous clients and products that ranged from fitness, to beverage, to pet food, thanks to the fast-paced environment at BBDO Shanghai.
The turnaround time between designs and client feedback was extremely frequent. I often had to submit five to six design iterations in a day. When working under time pressure, it was encouraged to ask questions and check in with the senior designer as much as needed, as well as to take a step back from my design from time to time to ensure that it is going in the right direction. With packaging designs, I learned how important it is to pay attention to even the smallest details, because they will be enlarged when placed on store shelves and in the hands of consumers.
Designing for the Chinese market
When I first began designing for Chinese brands and clients, I found myself to be quite lost. A lot of what I had known about designing, particularly that of packaging designs, was not what my clients were looking for. In retrospect, learning to design for a different market was a gradual process that I had to get used to, and being aware of and respectful of differences in aesthetic, cultural preferences of different markets was key. Before starting each design, I would take time to compile online design resources to better understand what the industry standard and norms were in the Chinese design sphere. I also strived to be an active listener during team meetings within the Creative Department, so that I could better adapt to the company culture and the market they are designing for.
Looking back, I grew immensely as a designer at BBDO, whether that is learning how to design for different markets, reconciling differences with other designers in our ways of creative thinking and design processes, becoming familiar with the inner workings of a leading advertising agency or the satisfaction gained from creating packages that would one day be in the hands of consumers.
Growing as a designer in a
professional setting
