Packaging & Merchandising Design | Exercises
22.09.2025 - 03.11.2025 / Week 1 - Week 7
Khu Ying Ying / 0357306
Packaging & Merchandising Design / MER60104 / Bachelor of Design (Honours)
in Creative Media
Exercises
TABLE OF CONTENTS
LECTURES
Week 1 (22/09/2025)
Introduction
Mr. Shamsul briefed us on the overall tasks for the module, and it was
revealed that this semester we will have individual assignments instead of
group work
(be mentally prepared :D). After
the briefing, he asked us to form groups based on our seating arrangement
and discuss the purpose of packaging. These were the points we compiled in
our
Google Docs:
- Protection: To store and protect the product during transport, safeguard it from weather or environmental factors, and ensure safety.
- e.g. Scissors with secure packaging
- Information: To provide essential details such as ingredients, usage instructions, and allergy warnings.
- Marketing and Branding: To attract consumers, stand out from competitors, and reinforce brand identity.
- Practicality: To make products easy to handle, convenient to use, and enhance the overall user experience.
- Sustainability: To support eco-friendly practices through recyclable or reusable packaging.
Week 3 (06/10/2025)
What is Packaging
perforated packaging (img)
corrugated cardboard (img)
pulp packaging (img)
poor communication may leads buyers confused the product itself
when u design a label/packaging, u must have product name, net
quantity, ingredients & nutritional information (if applicable
to ur products), country of origin, manufacturer information, warning
label,
Week 4 (13/10/2025)
Box Styles
Notes
INSTRUCTIONS
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src="https://drive.google.com/file/d/18A53YF4of5yY5X8hOUHrbVr8Cc9_Kjxp/preview"
width="640" height="480" allow="autoplay"></iframe>
EXERCISE 1: PACKAGING DESIGN ANALYSIS
Week 1 (22/09/2025)
Requirements:
- Select 4 products in different packaging formats of box, bottle, can, and tube that demonstrate poor packaging design and are readily available on the market.
- Follow the outline/framework that is provided in this exercise:
- Product Analysis: Conduct a detailed evaluation of each product’s packaging design. Identify shortcomings and challenges with respect to functionality, aesthetics, sustainability, target audience, and branding.
- Market Research: Investigate the target market for each product and assess how the current packaging aligns with the expectations and preferences of the target audience.
- Competitor Analysis: Research and analyze the packaging designs of competing products in the same category. Identify trends and best practices in packaging design within this product/packaging category.
- The report should not exceed 1000 words.
Submissions:
- Take photos of the selected products and present your analysis in the blog.
Progress:
Packaging Design Analysis
1. Box
Figure E1.1: Box - Twinings English Breakfast Tea, Week 2
(29/09/2025)
Product Analysis:
Twinings of London - English Breakfast Tea is a classic
black tea mix with a strong flavour that is commonly enjoyed as a morning
drink. Its rectangular box format is practical and user-friendly for
display and storage, with an easy flap-top opening, and the wrapped
teabags help preserve freshness. Aesthetically, the deep red background
with a gold logo emphasizes brand identity, but the use of black text
(with some white) on a cluttered layout reduces the readability of key
details. Moreover, the use of cardboard cartons supports recyclability,
but it could make the recycling labels more visible for their
sustainability appeal.
Additionally, Twinings' English Breakfast Tea appeals to a diverse
audience, specifically tea lovers who value tradition and heritage
branding. Nevertheless, the current packaging might not appeal to the
younger demographic, such as millennials and Generation Z, who prefer
minimalist and modern designs. Even though its recognisable logo upholds
strong brand recognition, the box layout feels outdated compared to the
modern designs in today’s tea industry.
Market Research:
Twinings' English Breakfast Tea's brand value is based on its long
heritage, high quality, and strong reputation, which primarily appeals
to a wide range of adults. Even so, the current packaging might face
challenges to attract younger consumers due to its cluttered and
excessively complicated layout.
Competitor Analysis:
Figure E1.2: Box - Lipton Black Tea, Week 2 (29/09/2025)
Competitor, Lipton - Black Tea uses a bright yellow
background with its iconic red logo and simple black writing, leading
to outstanding product visibility and instant recognition. The vivid
use of colour portrays an energetic and contemporary brand image that
appeals to a broad range of customers. On the other hand,
Twinings' darker tones and traditional design reflect heritage but may
be overlooked in today's modern marketplace.
2. Bottle
Figure E1.3: Bottle - Summer Drinking Water, Week 2
(29/09/2025)
Product Analysis:
Summer Drinking Water - Mineral Water is a Malaysian brand
that provides pure drinking water via grocery stores, vending machines,
and corporations. Functionally, the packaging is made for regular use,
providing a strong and lightweight bottle design that keeps the water
safe. Despite the blue-green gradient's wrap and blue logo fitting the
water category, the branding lacks an identifiable look, and the
low contrast text reduces readability. Besides that, it also lacks a
recycling label, which may indicate a lack of environmental
awareness, even though it is made of recyclable PET plastic.
Summer Drinking Water appeals to the convenience-seeking public,
while consumers who prefer natural or sustainable products might not be
drawn to its usual look. Meanwhile, its basic logo disappears into
the background, which hinders the creation of an effective brand
personality and lowers brand recognition.
Market Research:
The extremely competitive bottled water market in Malaysia needs
packaging that instantly grabs attention across all kinds of selling
platforms. The currently used design of Summer Drinking Water lacks a
strong brand identity because the logo blends with the background
colour. Due to this unclear brand presentation, competitors with more
visible and unique branding are more likely to be noticed than the
product.
Competitor Analysis:
Figure E1.4: Bottle - Spritzer Natural Mineral Water, Week 2
(29/09/2025)
Competitor, Spritzer - Natural Mineral Water presents a
readable and genuine appearance with a green tree image on its wrap
and an obvious logo placement on a white background. Its bottle design is
particularly unusual, with a cone-like shape that differs from typical
cylindrical bottles. In contrast, Summer Drinking Water uses a typical
cylindrical bottle with a complex wrap visual design and low-contrast
writing, giving the total appearance an ordinary and unreliable feel.
3. Can
Figure E1.5: Can - Ayam Brand Baked Beans, Week 2 (29/09/2025)
Product Analysis:
Ayam Brand - Baked Beans is a Halal-certified product made from tender beans in tomato
sauce that is often found at Asia grocery stores and supermarkets. Its
pull-tab opener allows easy access without a can opener, while the
cylindrical shape is a standard format that can preserve food,
extend its lifespan, and be easy to store. In terms of aesthetics, the
red logo and yellow background give a vibrant and identifiable
appearance, but its cluttered arrangement appears busy despite its
readability and clear visuals. Plus, it has a significant
environmental benefit as the steel can is recyclable, but the label
doesn't emphasize an eco-friendly message.
Ayam Brand's logo and classic design are appealing to its core
segment of home cooks and consumers who cherish authenticity and
tradition. Most individuals in Southeast Asia associate the brand with
memory and reliability. Still, today's design isn't aligned
with new minimalist trends and may appear old-fashioned or
unnecessarily cluttered to younger customers.
Market Research:
Ayam Brand's main market is home cooks who appreciate
authenticity, convenience, and products with Halal certification. The
bright yellow-red packaging enhances attention and brand
identification, but it appears outdated to younger buyers who want
minimalist and sustainable designs. While it meets the expectations of
current consumers, it lacks a modern appeal for new audiences.
Competitor Analysis:
Figure E1.6: Can - Prego Traditional Spaghetti Sauce, Week 2
(29/09/2025)
Competitor, Prego - Traditional Spaghetti Sauce features a
clean red label with a huge food image and a clear white logo, which
provides high visibility and appetite appeal. The layout is
straightforward, and the space is balanced, making the design current
and easy to read. Compared to Prego, Ayam Brand's bulky label and
antique layout feel less modern and visually appealing.
4. Tube
Figure E1.7: Tube - Naturals by Watsons Cica Hand Cream, Week 2
(29/09/2025)
Product Analysis:
Naturals by Watsons – Cica Hand Cream is a
moisturizing hand cream sold exclusively at Watsons stores. The tube
packing provides controlled and hygienic application, which is
both portable and practical. Compared to a flip-top cap, its
screw-cap style could feel inconvenient. Although the white and
green colour scheme visually portrays a natural image, the
layout's left alignment and overabundance of text make the design
seem cluttered and less engaging. In terms of sustainability, the
tube is made of No. 7 plastic, which is only partly recyclable,
showing a lack of environmental concern.
Naturals' "Cica" formulation appeals to consumers seeking gentle,
natural skincare, aligning with its brand image. However,
the whole design lacks uniqueness and sentimental value, making the
product easy to ignore despite its obvious positioning.
Market Research:
Naturals' Hand Cream is designed for customers seeking natural and
reasonably priced skincare products, particularly young adults and
working individuals who value moderate formulas and ease of use.
Although it lacks sufficient visual appeal to differentiate itself
from competitors, its simple white and green packaging meets buyer
demands for natural products. However, its text-heavy design and lack
of sustainability elements may fail to attract today's trend-following
and green-conscious buyers.
Competitor Analysis:
Figure E1.8: Tube - La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Hand Cream, Week 2
(29/09/2025)
Competitor, La Roche-Posay - Cicaplast Hand Cream presents
a professional and dermatologist-approved image as it has a clean white
tube with blue highlights and legible text. Its basic design and
practical flip-top cap promote usage and trustworthiness, making it
appealing to skincare-conscious customers. In contrast, Naturals' Hand
Cream appears cluttered and less premium, lacking La Roche-Posay's
strong visual identity and clinical identity.
EXERCISE 2: DESIGNING CUSTOM BOXES FOR NON-BOXED ITEMS
Week 3 (06/10/2025)
Requirements:
- Choose a non-boxed item from your daily surroundings that measures between 15cm to 20cm. The item should be relatively small and not typically packaged in a traditional box.
- Follow the outline/framework provided in this exercise:
- Provide a brief justification for the selected item, explaining how custom box packaging could enhance its presentation and functionality.
- Box Structure: Create detailed sketches of the box, including dimensions, flap designs, and closure mechanisms. Ensure the design is functional, secure, and well-fitted to the item.
- Prototype: Build a physical prototype of the custom box using cardboard or other suitable materials to represent your final design accurately.
Submissions:
- Take photos of the box structure and finalised design, then present your progress in the blog.
Progress:
Ideation
Selected Item - Pencil Case:
I brought two non-boxed items for Mr. Shamsul’s approval: a
facial scrub and a pencil case. Although I was initially
interested in creating packaging for the facial scrub, it
didn’t meet the required size of 15-20 cm, as it measures only
14.5 cm
(where are you 0.5cm). However, Mr. Shamsul suggested that I find another skincare
item to bundle with the facial scrub. Fortunately, my
pencil case met the size requirement, so I
finalized it as my selected item, although its fur is slightly
long.
Figure E2.1: Non-Boxed Item - Pencil Case, Week 3
(06/10/2025)
Justification:
It is uncommon for pencil cases to be packaged in boxes, as
they are typically displayed openly on shelves in stationery
stores. Introducing a custom box design would improve the product's
appearance by making it more valuable and giftable. The
packaging would also serve a functional purpose, protecting
the pencil case's furry surface from dust and any damage
during storage and transportation.
Sketches:
After finalizing the item selection, I began gathering
inspiration for the packaging box design. My concept was to
create a box that allows visibility of the product from the
outside, making it suitable for display on store racks
through hanging or hooking.
Figure E2.2: Moodboard, Week 3 (10/10/2025)
Here are the sketches for the pencil case.
Figure E2.3: Sketches, Week 3 (10/10/2025)
After reviewing my initial sketches, Mr. Shamsul recommended
proceeding with Sketch 3. Instead of using a transparent plastic sheet over the
window, which would have partially concealed the pencil case’s
unique furry texture, he suggested cutting a specific hole in
the front panel to showcase the “eye” feature. This design
emphasizes the unique selling point of the Miniso x Harry
Potter collaboration by allowing customers to directly feel
the fur. He also proposed an additional cut-out on the flap
for the tongue section, as the tongue extends outward to
enhance tactile interaction. However, this feature was
ultimately excluded from the final design for practicality
reasons.
Figure E2.4: Suggestion, Week 3 (10/10/2025)
This was the final sketch I developed, complete with the flat
layout measurements.
Figure E2.5: Final Sketch, Week 7 (03/11/2025)
Digitisation:
I began digitising the sketch in Adobe Illustrator, keeping
several key points in mind:
- Set the document units to millimetres (mm).
- There are two methods for digitising the die line:
- Pen Tool: To trace the sketch manually.
- Shape Tool: To create accurately measured shapes, align, and merge them into the final layout.
- Use 0.5 pt strokes when tracing the die line.
- Use different colours to distinguish between the two types of lines:
- Cut Line: Outlines the overall shape of the box in its flat layout.
- Fold Line: Indicates where the box will fold.
- For fold lines, avoid placing them exactly at the corners; position them slightly inward to prevent the laser cutter from cutting through completely.
- After completing the design, export the dieline as Autodesk RealDWG (*.DXF) format.
Figure E2.6: Digitisation, Week 7 (03/11/2025)
Laser Cutting:
Before laser cutting, I purchased a
3mm corrugated board from
Vision Art & Stationery Suppliers. Then, I went to the laser cutting room to process the
dieline. Since it was my first time there, I asked my friend
Aisya to guide and assist me. It’s important to save your
file on a pendrive or hard disk, as it needs to be transferred to the computer inside the
laser cutting room.
Aisya helped me adjust the appropriate settings before
proceeding with the laser cutting
(thanks Aisya T-T).
She explained that speed and power affect the cutting
results:
- Cut Line: Lower speed and higher power allow the laser to cut completely through the board and define the box shape.
- Fold Line: Higher speed and lower power ensure the laser only cuts partially, creating a suitable depth for folding.
Figure E2.7: Settings for Laser Cutting, Week 7
(03/11/2025)
After laser cutting, we realised the box didn’t fit
properly. The front panel’s side panels (×2), front flap
(×1), and side panels (×2) affected the closure, causing it
not to close well. Then, one of the staff members guided us
through the issues and solutions:
- Front Panel:
- Side Panels (×2)
- Problem: The side panel edges were cut at a 90° angle with no bevel, leaving no gap between the panels and the flaps, which made closing difficult.
- Solution: Bevel the side edges slightly and ensure there’s a small gap between the side panels and the middle flap to allow proper closure.
- Front Flap (x1)
- Problem: The flap was the exact same size as the others, preventing it from closing properly.
- Solution: This flap should be slightly smaller, especially since the corrugated board is quite thick (3mm). The original size was 50mm, so reduce it by about 5mm to 10mm.
- e.g. 50mm → 45mm to 40mm
He also mentioned that simply trimming the front flap
might not fully solve the issue and advised checking
other connected parts that could be causing the
misfit. He further suggested testing the design
through manual cutting first after obtaining the
laser-cut dieline, rather than immediately digitising
and guessing, so that I could handle the actual item
and make more accurate adjustments before
re-digitising.
I was truly grateful for everyone’s help, as it helped
me gain a deeper understanding of the dieline
structure and the overall problem-solving process.
Corrected Box Design:
Here’s the overall look of my corrected box design.
Unfortunately, I forgot to take a photo of the first
version.
Figure E2.8: Corrected Box Design without Pencil Case,
Week 7 (03/11/2025)
Figure E2.9: Corrected Box Design with Pencil Case, Week 7
(03/11/2025)
FEEDBACKS
Week 2 (30/09/2025)
Specific Feedback: All the selected items are
approved.
General Feedback: Proceed to complete the exercise.
Week 3 (06/10/2025)
Specific Feedback: The pencil case and facial scrub are suitable choices for non-boxed
items. However, since the facial scrub does not meet the size requirement,
consider pairing it with another skincare-related item to create a bundled
set. The pencil case is approved as the selected item.
General Feedback: Sketch out the packaging box for your
selected item.
Week 4 (03/11/2025)
Specific Feedback: Proceed with Sketch 3 and remove the
transparent plastic sheet from the window. Instead, create a cut-out
on the front panel to highlight the “eye” feature, as it represents
the unique selling point (USP) of the Miniso x Harry Potter
collaboration. An additional cut-out on the flap for the tongue was
also suggested to enhance the tactile experience, but this feature
may be excluded based on practicality.
General Feedback: Refine the packaging structure and
ensure the cut-out placement aligns with the product’s unique
elements. Begin preparing the final sketch with accurate flat layout
measurements.
REFLECTIONS
Experience
Throughout this project, I gained valuable hands-on experience in packaging
design, from ideation and sketching to digitisation and laser cutting. It
was my first time creating a dieline and using a laser cutter, so there were
many challenges in achieving precise measurements and fitting. However, the
process helped me improve my technical skills and better understand the
workflow between digital design and physical execution.
Observation
I observed that even small measurement inaccuracies can significantly
affect how the box folds and closes. The material thickness and line
settings (speed, power, and placement) play a major role in determining
whether the box structure functions properly. I also learned the importance
of testing with prototypes before finalising digital adjustments to avoid
unnecessary errors.
Findings
I discovered that packaging design requires both creative and technical
problem-solving. Practical testing, such as manual cutting before
re-digitising, allowed me to identify issues more effectively than guessing
on-screen. Overall, this project deepened my understanding of dieline
construction, precision, and the relationship between design aesthetics and
functionality.
QUICK LINKS
Projects
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