Visual Elements in Modern Packaging Design (2)

Fourth, the design of the abstract picture

The use of abstract design techniques to represent the contents of specific products such as cigarettes, medicines, soaps, toothpaste, detergents, mineral water, spices, and physiological saline is a distinctive feature of the world's modern packaging design. Rich in modern beauty, the form of a strong sense of abstract graphics packaging is easy for people to accept, even if there are some goods that can be represented as graphics, designers to the pursuit of packaging visual effects of the difference and modern beauty, often using abstract design.

With the development of science and technology, computers have been widely used in various fields. The special effects produced by or exhibited by these modern technical means, and the special effects of irregular geometric patterns, have extraordinary geometric shapes, and are not Regular color sensations, special three-dimensional feelings, profound senses, etc., use this abstract language to create special visual effects with visual effects that are both like and not like, visually expressing electric waves, sound waves, frequencies, amplitudes, and energy. Gathering, incombination and decomposition of matter and other invisible things. In order to achieve the expression of the connotation of the product, "visual perception."

Of course, the abstract graphics also have a purely decorative effect on the packaging, but it is generally a design with a certain meaning. Its function not only gives people a sense of modern beauty, but also creates a subtle, artistic conception that can make people associate with goods and successfully express the intrinsic meaning of the goods.

V. Paintings, cartoons, and exaggerated deformations in design

With the development of packaging design, whether the packaging used for painting, cartoons, and exaggerated deformation techniques in the past has practical value? In particular, today's increasing level of commercial photography and plate printing, modern packaging design seems to lack realistic color photos. . It seems that the form of painting has lost its practical utility. However, viewing the current status of the world's packaging, including some brand-name packaging, are still making full use of the vast imagination, expressiveness of painting, cartoons, and exaggerated deformation techniques to pursue the specific themes and personality characteristics of some commodity packaging. Some images of foreign alien toy packages, imaginary characters, ancient heroes, and Hercules in the packaging of the spaceman's game machine cannot be expressed through photography and other forms, but can only be expressed in the form of drawing. At the same time, the form of painting is not limited by mechanical conditions, is not constrained by time and space, and has a variety of flexibility. It can be highly realistic (realistic methods using various types of paintings) and can be highly simplified, and can be exaggerated. Based on the content needs of the product and the need for design concepts, the designer's creative ability is fully utilized. The expressiveness of various artistic techniques can inevitably lead to different visual effects.

VI. Color Processing in Design

When customers enter the mall to buy products, the color is often the first to enter the eye, beautiful and decent color, to better promote the product, beautify the environment, mold the hearts of people, this is the power of color. The use of packaging colors is closely linked to the design and composition of the entire screen design. The color of the package requires planarization and leveling. This is the filtering, refining, and high-level summary of color. It is required to play a greater imagination based on the general visual color. It is based on people's connections and habits of color, and carries out a high degree of exaggeration and discoloration. It is a specialty of packaging art. At the same time, the color of packaging design must also be constrained by the crafts, materials, uses, and sales sites.

The main color of packaging design should be considered based on the contents, and the inherent color of the product can be used as a starting point, and the method of strengthening or weakening, or contrasting or reconciling, can be used to better highlight the promotional effect of the product and enhance the competitiveness of the product. .

It is common for the packaging screen to deal with the background color as the main color. The other colors on the screen need to be properly arranged according to the main tone. The tonal treatment of the respective battles will inevitably lead to chaos. Therefore, it is impossible to highlight the theme and lose the sense of integrity. In particular, when contrasting colors appear on the screen, it is necessary to pay attention to the contrast between the two contrasting colors. The area size should not be too uniform, and the purity or brightness should not be too close, so as to achieve the existing contrast (including the hue, lightness and purity contrast). There is a unified feeling. Sometimes when the contrasting color is not suitable for weakening treatment, it can also be treated with black, white, gold, silver, gray and other neutral colors, which not only maintains the contrast ratio but also achieves the effect of harmonization.

The uniqueness of packaging design is closely related to market competition. In the product promotion business, besides the role of advertising, the uniqueness of product packaging design is very different from other products. It plays a very important role in “self-promotion” throughout the delivery. Essentially, packaging design is transmitted through people's vision. Visual factors and design languages ​​are universal in the world. With the advancement of the times, the transmission of visual elements and design languages ​​is getting higher and higher, especially in countries with higher and more developed cultural levels. Words are used as advertising words. Modern technology has enabled people to transfer images directly and quickly. On the one hand, consumers are becoming more knowledgeable and their living standards are continuously improving, which makes people demand more varieties of flowers; on the other hand, the numerous goods on the market make consumers feel overwhelmed. This means that for designers, it is necessary to study more accurately, quickly, and concisely the delivery of packaging. The design effect should be immediate, so that their product packaging can quickly “approach” consumers to help manufacturers attract more customers. To understand the customer's psychology in the market, predict how consumers identify the "this" product and the "that" product in the appearance characteristics of the package, and have the visual design elements and design language to impress people's design skills.

Author/Liu Yongdong

Source: China Packaging 2005/2