#testprints

When thinking about how I could create the easy to follow guide to creating a block printed pattern, I had the idea of adding the instructions to the packaging to make it more sustainable. This will stop wasted paper and lessen the chance of losing the guide itself.

To start I sketched out ideas for the design of the box and how the guide could be seen.

I decided to use the design of the box folding out to show the instructions when the lid is removed. This will allow the guide to be easily seen whilst allowing the box to remain rigid for transport.

For the box I have decided to use a 300 GSM munken design paper stock from GF Smith because I think the warm white paper fits the brand identity.

For the instruction I decided to look at an online guide to refresh myself on each step to create a block print, as I have not used block printing for 3 years. I found this helped because it also allowed me to see what language I should use for a beginners guide as the language the Daisy team use is simple and concise. However, I found that they used multiple steps that could be combined into 3 or 4 steps instead of 12 (Daisie Team, 2023).

For the first test print I found that the net I had created did not work because two sides were too big. To fix this I decided to look at a free exploding box net to see what size the sides need to be. However, unlike this net I have decided to fold the corners instead of cutting them out, to make the box more sturdy for transport, making the block more protected.

Once I had remade the template, using the downloaded template as a reference, I test printed it to see how the instructions sit on the page and if the block fits

I found that the block fits snugly, allowing minimal room for moving around and breaking in transport.

Decided to use folds to separate sections with the folds to make it easy to follow. The middle I placed the steps for the block to link it more. However, I found the middle is larger so I need to experiment with design.

Furthermore I can downsize the text as it currently looks too big

However, I like how it links to the website by using the same typefaces for headings and body text. However, I need to look at how I can bring other elements of the branding into the design to make assets link better.

Daisie Team. (2023). Beginner's Guide to Block Printing Techniques. [online]. Available from: https://blog.daisie.com/beginners-guide-to-block-printing-techniques/. [Accessed 7 May 2024].

I decided to place the required information for my packaging on the bottom. this allowed me to use a white background, making the text clear and easy to read. It would also allow the consumer to find it easily since most packaging information is found on the back.

when test printing my base I found that the text was not centre and instead was slightly positioned to the right. This made the bottom seem unbalanced because there was more white space on the left side. This was a simple fix as I was able to go back to my original illustrator document and make the required changes.