Designing in the Real World

My Creative Digital Design class explores many areas of design. In their graphic design unit, students develop drink labels as a way to create an item that has the potential to be manufactured in the real world. These are not designs that just sit in digital space; they can be used in product mockups or even printed and applied to a bottle or can, bringing students’ work to life.

Brainstorming and Ideation
This project is one of the first opportunities my students have to create a proposal for their design work. They typically find reference images based on design styles, color combinations, typography, or images that inspire their overall theme.

Next, they develop a color palette and motifs to incorporate into their design. They introduce possible flavors, their brand name, and develop a sketch for the label design.

Students always include a short description with their sketches. Iʼve found that having this written component helps them understand that itʼs okay to write notes to themselves while visually brainstorming. It also supports students who may be less confident in their artistic skills, giving them a way to articulate their ideas.

Sharing Before Designing
Most art classes traditionally have critiques at the completion of a project. I have discovered that having students share their proposals with each other before they start to develop their ideas into their final designs is beneficial for every student. They gain confidence while they talk about their own work and see each other’s designs. They feed off each other’s enthusiasm. This is an opportunity for students to give each other feedback without the risk of having to redo their piece. Traditional end-of-project critiques sometimes give students a feeling of defeat. With this initial sharing session, students can use classmates’ suggestions to refine their ideas, either exploring a new direction or elevating their original concept.

The Software
For this project, students have used Procreate (only available on iPad or iPhone) to design the brand name and any other motifs they want to incorporate to help convey the chosen flavor.

After the illustrations are created (usually as separate files), students upload them to Canva. I allow students to pick the container they want to use, whether it is a can, bottle, pouch, etc., and I help them create the custom size format based on the dimensions of their chosen product. (This process can be simplified by having all students use the same product and dimensions.) Students use Canva to develop their layout by adding their Procreate illustrations, an interesting background, typefaces, a barcode, and nutrition label. All of these components help students create a realistic drink label. (Adobe Illustrator can substitute for Procreate, and Adobe InDesign can substitute for Canva for creating layouts.)

Virtual 3D Mockups
Once students have created their labels, they have the opportunity to see what it looks like on a product by either using Adobe Dimension or Canva’s mockup feature. Adobe Dimension allows students to apply their label to a variety of products. I have a catalog of 3D products from Adobe’s library they can choose from. Students can also add a background and manipulate the lighting.

Real-World Application
Several students wanted their product to exist in real life, allowing people to pick it up and interact with it, just like a product in a store. Using our Epson printer, we can print out the designs on synthetic labels, which are essentially large paper stickers.

After printing, the labels can be cut down to size and applied to the surface of a bottle or can, depending on what the student chose.

Reflection and Display
Instead of a large class critique at the end of the project, we have all of the products available to see, and each student shares which product they would pick to drink and why. Students have to state what about the design makes them want to pick up this product and interact with it. I want students to understand how their design choices can influence a person in real life and whether or not they interact with it.

We display the final label designs in the school hallway, along with their proposals, sketches, and other brainstorming documentation, so that everyone can see the students’ process and how they developed their design from start to finish.