The first package that I designed was for the Zero Heat Lamp & Product. This was where I established the foundation that I would follow throughout the packaging series. The Zero Heat Lamp & Product was a specialized lamp that solved a couple of issues that plagued computer artists. The first issue was the type of bulb to be used. The choices are Incandescent, Fluorescent, Metal Halide or Sulphur. Metal Halide and Sulphur were rejected because of the overwhelming amount of heat they produce and they have distinct coloration, blue for Metal Halide and orange for Sulphur. The coolest lamps are fluorescents, so that is the way most artists desk lamps go. However, fluorescent lights, because of their design, strobe. They are filled with a gas and as the gas is ignited there is a slight strobe in their luminescence. This strobe coupled with the strobe of the computer monitor causes eye strain over time for the user. Therefore the best light to use was determined to be an incandescent. Incandescent lights come in a variety of colors. The Zero Heat Lamp & Product uses a daylight full color spectrum bulb to assure neutral illumination of the surface. The drawback to incandescent bulbs is they produce too much heat. This is where the Zero Heat Lamp & Product light comes in to play. The lamp has two small ultra silent fans embedded into the ends of the lamp. These fans produce a constant flow of cool air across the bulbs that gently pushes and pulls the heat away from the artist without producing excessive air movement that would disturb papers on the individuals desk.
Before going forward with the design I established a design hierarchy to follow throughout the designs for all of the products. These rules were ...
A: The specific product branding logo would be prominently displayed as a major graphic element.
B: A graphic pattern would be employed that mimicked some aspect of the product design.
C: A monographic color scheme would be used with a one color accent and the color would be specific to the product with each product having their own color branding.
D: The product itself would be photographed in an high contrast black and white photo that would be prominently displayed of the box.
There were 4 distinct variations to the Zero Heat Lamp & Product design that were explored and produced. The four designs are displayed below.
Click on the thumbnail images below to explore the different product packaging designs.
