Look before you eat
A popular saying with foodies and professional chefs is that you eat with your eyes first. That is why presentation is so important when restaurants serve food to their clientele.

In the same manner, when you shop at supermarkets and department stores, if the packaging on the products you view are pleasantly designed you’ll be more open to the possibility of buying the items.

Walking down the aisle of your local grocery store can be a visual overload as the packaging from hundreds of items tries to vie for your attention.

In part 2 of ‘Graphic design inspiration from packaging’ we’ll see that in some cases, going minimalist is the way to attract attention to a product.

Pass the pappardelle pasta, please
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Most pastas are packaged in nondescript boxes with a small cutout or photo so you can see what the product looks like. In this packaging by R Design Studio, the simple but classy design works well.

The packaging makes the product look like a premium brand. It might or might not be but the effect of the design leaves that impression.

Pop goes the soda
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Businesses need advertising to increase their sales. No advertising usually means no expansion of revenues.

But think again. Izze Soda Company increased their sales by 450% in each of its first two years without one bit of advertising. No doubt, the eye-catching graphic and simple design of its product is one of the factors in the drink’s success.

High-tech wine, anyone?
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Most people are used to seeing wine labels that are classic in style and design. But this wine company has elected to drop this genre and upgrade the look for the 21^st century.

The colored dots and patterns on the bottle draw you in, while also piquing your curiosity to inspect the bottle and packaging.

Upscale water
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How would you market bottled water? In the case of Ferrarelle, it has decided to make the water the star of the show.

With decidedly minimalist graphics, the water takes the main stage. Because the graphics are so starkly simple, this design actually draws more attention to the product with just a few slashes of red.

Graphic design school and design principles
You’ve seen that sometimes ‘less is more’ when it comes to packaging design. If you are interested in a career in this field, a graphic design college can help you understand the essentials of design technique.

Call a graphic design school representative or sign-up for more information to evaluate what each school can offer you.

Earliest memories
Do you remember the excitement you felt as a kid when you finally received the special toy you were hoping for?

The packaging probably displayed nice bold colors, fuzzy little animals or bright graphics.

The clear blister plastic enticed you by letting you view the precious treasure within the box.

Although we may not consciously know it, graphic design and packaging have been an influence in our lives since we were children and continues on through to adulthood.

Inspiration on store shelves
Becoming a good graphic designer takes creative thinking, good visual acumen, and even a sense of humor. But every graphic designer needs some sort of inspiration in order to keep the creative juices flowing.

In this series we’ll explore the Internet to glean some of the most imaginative and inventive packaging produced by graphic designers.

If you are looking for creative inspiration, the lowly package is certainly a good place to start.

Tea bag container
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Here is a concept design for a new way to package tea bags. Each individual bag is enclosed in a pyramid shaped box. The design was created by designer Gabriello Re.

It’s coffee; not a USB stick
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Those who like tech will immediately see the resemblance of this packaging to a thumb drive or USB memory stick. But it is neither. It is actually a unique way to package fresh coffee. The designs were produced by Fizi Pao.

Let them eat (butter) cake
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We’ve all seen cake boxes. Sometimes they are plain white or in some cases, they have simple decorations on them. But the butter cakes baked and packaged in Nanatsukahara, Japan, well, takes the cake.

The box design, by T-Square Design Associates, is elegant and simple on the outside. The inside liner is decorated with a printed scene of the outdoors. You get a treat for the eyes as well as your palette in one sitting.

It was a dark and stormy night…
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When cold weather sets in at home, one of the ways to warm up is to bundle up in a warm sweater and enjoy a good, hot bowl of soup.

Thirdperson Designs has taken this literally and created hot beverage sleeves to wrap around winter soup products. Feeling toasty yet?

Graphic design school and packaging courses
If you are interested in designing graphics that virtually everyone will see, you may want to explore the realm of packaging design.

Graphic design colleges can provide you with the essential education you need to qualify for jobs in the industry. Speak to a graphic design school representative today to find out more about packaging and design courses.

Show off your talent
If you use CorelDRAW or are a newcomer to this excellent program you have a chance of winning prizes by entering your best work in the CorelDRAW International design contest 2011.

The contest details
All entries must be submitted as a CorelDRAW® X5 or Corel® PHOTO-PAINT^TM X5 file.

For those who do not have access to these software programs, you may download the free trial version of CorelDRAW® Graphics Suite X5.
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Corel states that there are 6 categories in this competition:

* Advertising/Marketing: Flyers, brochures, logos and other designs related to advertising, ….marketing or point of purchase (POP)
* Signs/Awards/Personalization: Designs to be used in sign ….making, engraving, awards, dye sublimation and other ….related industries
* Vehicle Wraps: Designs to be used for car, truck, boat or ….other vehicle wraps
* Textile/Fashion Design: Designs for fashion, embroidery and ….direct-to-garment printing
* General Illustration & Fine Art: Artistic, creative and unique ….designs
* CorelDRAW Marketing Campaign: Create a design to be ….featured in a CorelDRAW marketing campaign. Entries can ….be of any style, and will be judged on creativity and overall ….theme

There will also be student winners selected for each of the categories.

Prizes
Each of the winners will receive various software and hardware packages from favorites such as Roland®, Wilcom®, Euro-Systems®, Digital Designware, Apple®, Digital Art Solutions, Wacom®, Canon®, HP, Seagate® and Corel®.

The total value of all prizes awarded is over $75,000 US.

One Grand Prize winner will be awarded a Roland VersaCAMM SP-300i printer valued at $13,450 USD.

General submission guidelines

* The maximum file size for each entry is 50MB
* You may submit only one entry per category (total six)
* Individuals from certain countries or regions in the U.S. are not eligible to ….participate. (See full contest rules for details)
* Your entries must be created using CorelDraw X5, Corel Photo-Paint XB or ….the trial versions of these products.
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Contest links and details
This contest has no entry fee and ends on June 30, 2011.The following links provide additional contest information:

Official Corel contest website
Complete contest rules and guidelines
Online submission form
Complete prize list
Free trial CorelDRAW Suite X5
CorelDraw gallery

Graphic design school and design software
Enrolling in graphic design school is a large step in preparing for a career in graphic design. You will learn essential skills in using the best design software and hardware in the industry.

If you are a graphic designer who wants to increase your skill level and become more proficient in design software such as CorelDraw Suite, Photoshop Suite, and other cutting edge programs, speak to a graphic design college representative to see what courses are available.

Do your homework
If you want to receive a good education at a graphic design school it makes perfect sense to ’shop around’ before you decide on the one that is right for you. In other words, you have to do your homework.

But you may ask, ‘How can I tell a good graphic design college from a bad one?’

In this installment of ‘5 top things you should know about graphic design schools’ we’ll offer some advice and tips on this.

#3 What is the quality of the teaching staff?
It’s probably not stretching the truth much when we say you’ve probably had a few bad teachers during your educational life. On the flip-side you probably can remember one or two teachers that were very talented.

The teachers you fondly remember are the ones who brought something more than just facts when you walked into the classroom. These people were able to inspire you and may have even changed the direction of your life.

When seeking out a good graphic design college the teaching staff is one of the first things you should look into. Your teachers may have been in the graphic design industry, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they can teach.

Are they qualified? How long were they in the industry? What sort of portfolio or awards do they have? Can they communicate effectively? These are the questions you should be asking about the staff.

The staff, as a whole, should reflect high values in education. Of course there will be a few ‘bad apples’ but what you seek is a staff that is committed to helping its students learn the craft of design.

#2 The Equipment
A well-equipped graphic design college needs to have modern computers, design hardware, and the latest software applications.

The graphic design school you want to attend should offer courses in Photoshop, Maya, Illustrator and other industry standard programs.

You should also expect to see graphics tablets, scanners, and flat panel display monitors.

Back-in-the-day a good cache of art supplies and drawing materials was all that was needed to tackle the jobs a graphic designer was working on.

But in today’s job market, computer skills and the ability to use design software is important, if not mandatory, in being a successful graphic designer.

#1 Do you fit in?
Have you ever gone shopping for a car and the salesperson asks, ‘Are you ready to buy today?’ Your answer was probably, ‘I’m just looking around, thank you.’ You can approach the selection of a graphic design school in the same way.

Don’t feel pressured to ‘buy today.’ Look at all the options, including online education, and make your choice carefully.

Your education is your first priority at graphic design college but make sure you feel at home there.

Graphic design school and your career
If you have a natural sense for proper color schemes, have a good eye for aesthetic values, and find yourself thinking, ‘I wish I could do graphic design for a living,’ you may be the right person for a career in graphic design.

The world of graphic design is broad; you can branch off into the areas of animation, web design, multimedia, illustration, and other fields. It all depends on what your skills and interests are.

Your graphic design college representative can guide you in selecting the right courses and answer any questions you have about earning your associate or bachelor’s degree in graphic design.

Think outside the box…
In this contest you will literally have to do this. Zepter International is announcing an open call to all designers for its Zepter International Design Award contest.

“Zepter International is pleased to announce this year’s open competition for designers and artists from around the world who wish to take part in the Box for Everything & Nothing 2011 exhibition.

“The main task is to design a box of any shape that’s functional and preferably progressive and environmentally aware.”

The contest details
Your submission may be a box of any shape. The minimum dimension for your box should be no less than 10×10 cm (3.9×3.9 inches). The maximum dimension for your box should be no larger than 30×30 cm (11.8×11.8 inches).

* Your box/design should be signed by you
* Your box must be functional with added artistic and aesthetic ….values
* You must fill out a completed application form
* Include a typed biography of yourself plus the relevant details ….about your entry
* Include color photographs or digital media that is 13×18 cm or ….larger in hires of your piece
* No conceptual work will be considered
* Works in glass, metal, plastic, ceramics, and composite materials are acceptable

Send your entries to:

ZEPTER INTERNATIONAL BRID MARKETING
ARTZEPT 2011 “BOX FOR EVERYTHING & NOTHING”
via Sibilla Aleramo 13
20092 Cinisello Balsamo (MI) - Italy

Your piece must arrive at the contest offices by October 20, 2011.

Contest Rules
The sponsors have given several preliminary rules for this contest:

* ArtZept 2011 is open competition for designers and artists from ….around the world.
* Each designer or artist can submit one entry only.
* No purely conceptual work will be considered for the exhibition.
* Works in all techniques, glass, metal, plastic, ceramics, and ….composite materials will be considered.
* Given the insurance costs, no exhibit whose worth exceeds 400 € ….will be considered for the exhibition.
* None of the selected and exhibited works may be withdrawn from ….the exhibition before the closing date.

Read the contest guidelines for complete details

Prizes
Winning entries will be part of a traveling exhibition that will be displayed in major cities around the world. Winning pieces will also be featured in an exhibition catalog.

In addition, cash prizes and merchandise will be given to the winners:

* 1st prize: €10,000 ($13,853 USD)
* 2nd prize: €4,000 ($5,541 USD) worth of Zepter products
* 3rd prize: €3,000 ($4,156 USD) worth of Zepter products

Contest links and other information
The contest deadline is October 20, 2011. There are no entry fees for this contest. The following links provide more contest information:

Official website
Complete contest guidelines
Application form (PDF document)
Gallery Pieces
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Graphic design school and package design
When you walk down the aisles of a department store or supermarket, most of the products you see are in some sort of packaging. The illustrators who created the graphics and images on the boxes and containers have a good eye for design.

If you are interested in how to make products more appealing through visual presentation, an education at a graphic design college can help you understand design principles and techniques.

Speak to your graphic design school representative to find out what sort of opportunities are available to you in this interesting field of advertising design.

The inside info
If you are contemplating or curious about graphic design colleges, you want more information and answers to the questions you have about these educational institutions.

In this series we’ll explore the 5 top things that people want to know about graphic design school life and whether pursuing a graphic design education is right for you.
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5. Prepare to judge and be judged
No matter how much talent you have, the rude awakening in graphic design school is there are actually people with more talent than you! On the flip-side you have more talent than others.

In any liberal arts college, talent is the coin of the realm and if you have a well-balanced, realistic image about your abilities and skills, you won’t be fixating about comparing yourself to others.

On the other hand, if you believe you have superior skills, Michelangelo said, “I am still learning.” If the great Renaissance master understood this principle about talent, you can also remain open in your education experiences.

4. Lean on me
Bill Withers, composer of the song “Lean on me,” has a lyric that speaks about the need for relying on others:

Lean on me when you’re not strong,
I’ll be your friend,
I’ll help you to carry on…

In graphic design school your classmates can be a tremendous help in providing you with honest feedback, moral support, and in some cases the beginnings of lifelong friendships.

Whether you are outgoing or not, due to the natural camaraderie that exists in liberal arts colleges, you’ll find opportunities to develop good social networks.

Be sure to enrich your college education with student support in addition to your academic life.

Graphic design school and your future
It doesn’t matter if you are a graphic designer or someone who is contemplating an education in graphic design-the need for solid career training is essential for today’s job market.

The fast pace in this industry means keeping up-to-date with the latest trends, software applications, and design hardware in order to remain competitive and qualified for new job opportunities.

Speak to a graphic design school representative to find out what your education options are.

Next time…
How do you select a good graphic design college? Is a graphic design career right for you? We’ll answer these questions in our next installment of ‘5 top things you should know about graphic design schools.’