! Hannah%Jones%

The market for low-cost craft and hobby kits are expanding rapidly both in supermarkets and specialist retailers. This upturn in sales has been a result of a big interest in getting young people interested in creative pastimes. A major hobby supermarket chain is investigating a new line of products for their under 14s department and would like to produce a range of low priced hobby and craft kits.

You are required to design and prototype one such kit. The kit will need to be appropriately packaged and contain everything the user will need to complete the task including detailed instructions.!

market before the design, development and manufacturing process of my kit, including:

• Evaluating aspects of existing products, such as their aesthetics (fonts, images and colour scheme), suitability for target audience, quality of packaging, disposability, materials and included components, ease of use, instruction quality, cost and any possible issues.

• Research has to be done to decide what materials and components need to be included in my gardening kit. Also, the manufacturing process for the packaging, including vacuum moulded inserts and handle on the box have to be considered, designed and made.

• The packaging has to be professionally designed, manufactured and suited to the product – aesthetically, the colour scheme, images and product information have to be suitable for the target audience, effective to appeal to them in the superstore, and give safety info.!

!

List of possible craft & hobby kits: • Textile crafts • Soap/Candle making • Greeting cards • Jewellery • Drawing/Painting kit • Scale models • Origami • Cookery

Environment

" Sustainability " Disposal " Pollution " Biodegradable " Eco-friendly

Aesthetics

" Logos and images " Consistency " Connotations/Denotations " Colour scheme " Embellishment " Details " Eye catching (appeal to TA) " Print quality and finish

Names/Brand

" Fonts – bold/italic " Memorable " Colour scheme " Size of logo " Visual appeal " Suitability " Effectiveness " Consistency (colour

scheme) " Name of product

Materials

" Adhesive(s) " Cardboard and card " Plastics (eg. cellophane

and PVC) " Standard components

(specific to kit) eg. pots " Paper " Inks

Manufacturing

" Handmade " Design - CAD " Printing & Ink " Card and creasing " Equipment!" Laminating!" Professional look!

CAD

" 2D and/or 3D " Computer programs:

- Photoshop - Microsoft Office/Paint - Internet (stock photos) - Google SketchUp

" Hand drawn

Packaging

" Types – box, case (handle) " Functions (protection,

transportation, info etc.) " Labels " Safety information " Barcode and price " Materials –

" Card, ink, laminate " Vacuum formed inserts

" Development process

Hobby kit

!!!!!Target Audience

" Under 14s - specific " Gender " Social group " Safety " Issues (religion, culture)

Superstore

" Existing products " Price/Value " Best selling products

The colours of the mind map boxes correlate to topics in unit work.%

My group exploring the context as a mind map:

I have decided to make a gardening starter kit for under 5 year olds, which will include pots, soil and flower seeds. I will first have to research certain areas of the product and

Packaging The functions of any type of packaging are the same: to protect the components/product, to store the product, and to sell the product by looking appealing to the target audience. Packaging is normally made out of corrugated duplex card, which is recyclable, and the box is usually collapsible (has a crash bottom and a self-locking lid, so adhesives do not have to be used). The packaging must also include safety information and barcode and price. To make packaging appealable to a wider target audience of girls & boys aged around 5 to 7 years old, an effective colour scheme and appropriate images have to be used. A cellophane window could also be added for effect. Packaging is ordinarily printed on using offset lithography, then creased, folded and cut using a CAM machine, but since we do not have access to these at school, mine will need to be printed using a laser printer and I will have to cut/fold/crease the net` myself.

Hannah%Jones%

!

Target Audience - Issues As I am designing the product for an under 14 market, numerous issues could arise, such as:

! Language: On the package, written information and possibly instructions will have to be included. Whilst I need to make this informative, the information cannot be too detailed and must be simple to understand for the younger audience, but not too patronising for the older side of the audience.

! Imagery: The package must include suitable imagery of the plants and/or other aspects, and drawings must not imply things they shouldn’t (connotations must be positive).

! Religion/culture: Some flowers, such as sunflowers, have religious significance, and I will have to choose my selection of seeds carefully to ensure no religious or groups will get offended.

""""""""""Examples of products

There is already a large market of gardening kits, ranging from children’s kits to adult (eg. herb) home-growing kits. Children’s kits are the larger market because of the educational value and fun the kits offer to young children. For example, the Jungle in A Box kit by Sutton appeals to both boys and girls because of it’s exciting jungle theme. This is effective because it adds a twist to the image of gardening without compromising the educational value.

Materials Materials for gardening kits vary – some include PVC vacuum moulded ‘growing trays’, whilst others opt for plastic pots. However, mine could take advantage of a new type of plant pot: made out of natural bamboo fibres, this pot will decompose fully after a few years (explained in Environment). This would give my kit an eco-friendly advantage over others on the market. However, the only plant labels available are still made out of white, injection moulded PVC because they are durable, wipe-off to marker pens and very inexpensive. Also inexpensive are the compressed compost blocks, 9 of which are included in most products. Duplex card has to be used for the packaging as it is glossy on one side (to be printed on) and buff/bland on the other to save costs, but is also sturdy and recyclable. Alternatively, the product could be packaged in it’s own pots as they offer protection, and all components fit inside them.

Environment The environmental impacts of a product play a large role in the customer’s decision to buy a product nowadays. Any environmental impacts (such as sustainability) will be advantages over products which do not have them. I have taken this in to account when researching components for my gardening kit: I have found a new type of plant pot which is made out of natural bamboo fibres and is 100% recyclable and biodegradable – it will decompose over a period of 2 to 3 years. Nevertheless, the feel of the material rivals plastic and has a great green look to it. Duplex card, for the packaging, is recyclable, so I will be able to add a ‘recyclable’ symbol on the package, along with promotional material for the new type of plant pot.

Components & Manufacturing Several essential components are needed to make a typical gardening kit. These include:

! Pot(s) ! Seeds ! Compost (normally compressed blocks)!! Card & PVC (for packaging and insert)!

Other, nonessential components include plant labels/stickers and, depending on the target audience, if young: crayons and colouring in cards for entertainment whilst the plants grow. This is a common aspect I have seen repeated in many a gardening kit, and I hope to improve and innovate on the idea in my gardening kit. Choice of seeds is also important for variety, and suitability (germination and growing time has to be considered). I will be able to make stickers and the vacuum moulded inserts at school, however, pots, plants labels and compost are standard components (which are bought in bulk by companies for use in their own products)."

Safety Safety is important when dealing with a target audience of a young age. All products must be certified with a CE mark, and most will conform to other standards (such as the ‘lion’ mark, which means that it has been quality-assured). The compost in the product will have to be tested (for bacteria) to make sure it is safe for digestion, in case a young child happens to eat it. Also, any adhesives used (for example, on stickers), will have to be non-toxic and the packaging will have to state this. The safety marks (and recycling), will be located on the back of the product close to the barcode).

Using this research, I can continue to plan the development and design of my gardening kit, which will be aimed at girls and boys aged 5 to 7 years old. I feel the environmental advantages of my kit are a factor that will need to be emphasised on the packaging. However, I will have to research safety information for compressed compost blocks, and if they can have the CE mark applied to them (an existing gardening kit I analysed said the CE mark does not apply to the compost or seeds). During this research, I also discovered the use of entertainment components such as crayons and stickers in existing gardening kits for children, and these would be a good addition to my kit. I also realised the importance of imagery on the package – it must be my own as stock photos have copyright, however, my own photos will have to be just as effective and have positive connotations for the target audience. This is an area I will also have to further research.

Hannah%Jones%

!Brand

HobbyCraft is the leading retail arts, crafts and hobby kits superstore in the UK, with a huge range of products for ‘over 250’ specialist activities, making it the largest hobby store chain in the UK and the first of it’s kind in Europe. HobbyCraft was started by a group working in a garden centre nursery in south England, and it’s first store opened in Dorset in 1995. There are currently 51 stores around the UK and HobbyCraft also sells products online. HobbyCraft’s headquarters are in Christchurch, Dorset.

Range of products

According to HobbyCraft’s website, they stock over 35,000 products across a range of 250 activities. This makes them the largest hobbyist retailer in the UK and they relate themselves to an ’Aladdin’s Cave’ of ideas and products. They also hand out free ‘project sheets’ with ideas and special offers around the store and also sell demonstrative videos and books in stores. HobbyCraft’s key product areas include ‘knitting, needle crafts, fine art, jewellery making, framing, jigsaws, kids crafts, model making and seasonal crafts’. Their success has come from stocking the widest range of hobby products under one roof, however specialist stores say Hobbycraft’s range of products for each specific area is ‘limited’ and they have been blamed for ‘putting independent craft suppliers out of business’ (Wikipedia).

The target audience for my gardening hobby kit is children, mainly girls, aged 4 to 6 years old (which is essential as the brief of this unit specified the audience to be under 14). Naturally, gardening appeals to small girls and this makes them an easy demographic to target because of the predictability of what appeals to them, so the product can be aesthetically and ergonomically designed to attract them easily. However, to appeal to a wider audience, my kit will also try to appeal to boys aged around the same age. The kit will have to appeal to both of these audiences, without compromising the design or dealing with any issues with them (religion, safety etc.).

Stores & Sales (online)

HobbyCraft has 51 stores located around the UK UK, as shown on the map on the right. They currently currently employ over 1,000 employees across the stores, but also make a share of the company’s profit (which was $68 million in 2010) by selling products online (to the whole of the world (except US)). This strategy has allowed the brand to reach homes and even countries that don’t have HobbyCraft stores. HobbyCraft also promote sales on the online store and allow gift voucher orders, making online shopping more rewarding. The HobbyCraft stores are very large to accommodate the vast array of products they stock, but the interiors are spacious and laid out effectively, on hangers (for cheaper items with euro-slots packaged with blister-packs), and more expensive boxed items on shelves. The prime selling position on these shelves is at eye-level to the customer, which can be lower for children’s toys, and companies will often pay a premium to have their products displayed there. Seasonal displays also promote items.

Audience

Hobbycraft's primary audience is women aged 35 to 40, looking for creative past times for their children. Hobbycraft appeal to them by making their stores large and accessible, their website a bright and user friendly experience and stocking the widest variety of products for children such as paint and paper craft products. HobbyCraft have made their family-loved image by providing parents 'idea libraries' for school holidays and catering to every age or phase of childhood. Hobbycraft's secondary audience is men aged 40+, looking for accessories for their hobby kits such as Hornby or scale-model car etc building kits. Hobbycraft provide for them a one-stop shop (superstore!) which is why specialist retailers of such kits criticise their actions of selling this way, because they put smaller shops out of business. Hobbycraft have developed the old-style image by becoming partners with Hornby and Airfix to allow them to sell a large number of 'web' and 'store' exclusive products that aren't available anywhere else. This provides Hobbycraft with an edge over smaller shops for hobbyists looking for expansion products.

Environmental/Ethical Policies

On Hobbycraft’s website, it states their policies on environmental and ethical aspects of their business and products conform to WEEE Regulations and they aim to be as responsible and equal as they can to their suppliers and maintain integrity.

Hobbycraft also aim to reduce the environmental impacts of their business practise (for example, they stock crafty products which can use Hobbycraft’s own plastic bags as a component). They also conserve resources (presumably such as water and recycle packaging where possible) and actively reduce their carbon footprint by minimalising paper usage in-stores.

The typical girl who would want to buy my gardening kit is an only child, aged around 4 to 6, with both parents in their mid 30s or early 40s. She enjoys painting and doing creative crafty past times (with friends) and does well at school. Her mother is unemployed and devotes her life to her daughter, whilst her father commutes to London each day for work (they live comfortably with new technology and go on regular holidays to see family, but spend their money wisely). They own one dog and have lived in a detached house on the outskirts of a small town in a friendly neighbourhood for the girl’s whole life. Being an only child, she gets spoiled occasionally, however, knows limits on what her parents get for her, which is why my product would have to have a suitably low price point.

The typical boy who would buy my product would also be an only child, with both parents in their mid 30s or early 40s. They lead a similar lifestyle to the girl (same family, income etc.), but have different interests and hobbies – mainly football and science. Most boys around 4 to 6 years old see gardening as a ‘girly’ experience and would not be appealed to it. This is something I plan to challenge in the design and development of my product (the aesthetics, packaging and ergonomics would look less ‘bubbly’ (a bolder font) or ‘cute’ (no pink in the colour scheme, instead, yellow to appeal to both genders) and therefore make the kit more appealing to boys and therefore to a wider market to make more sales).

An impressive and appealing first impression is the most effective way to make an impact on the target customer, and therefore a sale. This can be achieved by tailoring the packaging aesthetics to the target market, in my case, boys and girls aged 4 to 6 years old, as explained above. Also, cost and ergonomics (including components and instructions) have to be suited to the target audience (safety can be an issue with a young age group – so the compressed compost has to be sterilised so that there is no risk of dangerous bacteria being digested if the user happens to swallow some). The mood board above is a collection of images that I think summarise the target market when it comes to gardening - small tools, patterns and accessories. My kit will recreate this in the household, whilst remaining educational and fun (by providing colouring utensils for whilst the plants are growing).

4

Hannah%Jones%

Environment The Peg Character kit states that it includes PP 5 grade materials and PAP 21 materials (shown by the resin identification codes on the aback of the package). PP 5, polypropylene, is recyclable. PAP 21 is classed as ‘other paper’, which includes cards and magazine paper – these are also recyclable. It also includes the Keep Britain Tidy ‘recycle’ symbol, indicating that the packaging and components should be thrown away responsibly in a waste bin after use, wherever possible. The wooden pegs biodegrade over time, as will the various papers. However, the kit includes metal (for the ‘fuzzy sticks’) and EVA plastic, which is not recyclable, and therefore this means that the kit as a whole is not environmentally sustainable.

Aesthetics The Peg Character kit has been designed to appeal to a specific target audience, and to be noticeable on a store shelf. Aesthetically, the package of the kit uses a multiple-colour colour scheme (with red and white being the most prominent to attract attention), with coloured splodges of paint to appeal to the age range of the target audience (girls 4 to 6 year olds) and be effectively recognizable as Tesco’s Go Create brand. The title of the product and the brand name are the largest texts on the box, and use up most of the front side space (to brand the product for easy recognition), with the other half being used up by a window and a large image of some examples of what is possible to create with the kit, which will be appealing to young girls. The back side of the product follows a similar scheme with images of various stages of creating the peg characters in circles and shadows, with the bottom third of the side being used for small print text in 12 different languages. The back of the packaging also includes safety information, whilst the sides state the brand name and name of the product against a red, paint ‘splodged’ background scheme the same as on the other sides.

Manufacturing The packaging for Tesco’s Go Create Peg Character kit was designed in a CAD (Computer Aided Design) computer program and printed onto duplex card using offset lithography, which is controlled by a CAM (Computer Aided Manufacture) machine, which also die cuts, creases and folds the card so it can be folded into the box shape with locking slots/tabs. Excess card scrap from the manufacturing process can be recycled. A cellophane window has been included in the package, which will be stuck down using adhesive during the cutting process of the package making. The ‘fuzzy sticks’, also known as pipe cleaners, are made by wrapping two coils of wire around each other with lengths of short fibres trapped between them. These are made on one continuous production line and cut into short lengths. Pegs are standard components and are made by cutting a block of wood using a CAM machine with precise blades.!

Packaging The packaging of the Peg Character kit by Tesco’s Go Create range is suited to both the kit's audience and ergonomics. The box uses no adhesive to open and close (a self locking mechanism), which is effective because the box can then be easily collapsed to be recycled easily. The shape of the box – an ordinary cuboid, makes it easy to store and transport for the retailer. The package has a cut out window on the front side, which takes up about a quarter of the space, and has been lined with clear cellophane. This shows the customer what is packaged inside – and at the time of purchasing, it would have been packaged neatly to show off the more desirable components (however, on a number of other shelved units, I saw that the order had been disrupted presumably during the transportation). The design of the packaging is colourful and attractive to the target audience, and (the colour scheme) isn’t gender specific, but the image on the front is targeted more to girls. The use of paint splodges gives connotations of creativity and mischief. The barcode is located under the material and safety symbols on the back side. There are also several packages in the inside of the box – cellophane bags (measuring 7cm by 10cm by 0.4cm) to contain the smaller components such as the ‘googly’ eyes and foam decorations. These help keep the inside neat and to reduce the chances of losing components both during transport and at home, so that they are not loose in the box. The price is not shown on the box itself. The package measures 18cm (height), 125m (width) and 4cm (depth), making it a compact size, however, I believe the packaging size could have been reduced by a third if each sticker cut out design was printed separately. This would save the retailers price because less material has to be used for packaging and less space for transport would be needed. !

Target Audience and Cost I believe that the target audience of Tesco’s ‘Go Create’ peg character kit is girls aged 4 to 6 years old (boys this age are not necessarily interested in creating such characters). Everything about the kit – from it’s aesthetics and packaging, to the included shapes and designs, are made to appeal to the target audience. The shapes and various components are cute, colourful and attractive, and the packaging shows the creativity that can be had because it’s a multiple option kit. In fact, the kit encourages creativity – something parents of the children will approve of. The kit includes 5 pegs (and character stickers), which implies that the kit can be shared or used among friends or at school, much the way dolls are dressed, but without the expense. The cost of the product is low – with the RRP (Recommended Retail Price) at £3, because of the minimal amount of components included in the kit (much more could have been included, but have been emitted, as explained in Description of Contents). At the time of buying the kit, it was on sale, in the clearance section – reduced to half price (£1.50). The RRP however is suited to the target audience’s pocket money or allowance. Safety-wise, essentially, the kit has the CE mark, indicating it has been tested for safety. It is also marked with a ‘Not for use for children under the age of 3’ because of small parts (a choking hazard).

The colours of the boxes correlate to topics in unit work.%

Ergonomics The ergonomic factors of the kit include ease of use and the design of the components. With this kit, the ease of use has been made as easy as possible so that the target audience, children (girls, aged 4 to 6 years old), can carry out the aim (which is design and make a peg character using the included components) easily. The kit does not include everything needed to do this (however on the design side, the range of different components which all suit the target audience (eg. pink pompoms), are effective), but arguably the most important component is not included: glue. Without reading the small print on the bottom of the back of the kit, a parent would not know to buy PVA glue as it is shown in an image on the back of the kit, and is therefore presumably included as a key component. This would be infuriating, making the kit an unpleasant experience. However, for a child with glue, the kit will be a pleasant, fun experience because of the creativeness that can be had, and the cute designs of the stickers. The instructions give tips as to where to place the components, but are not essential to the completion of the task. Including 5 separate pegs and more than 5 sticker designs is convenient as it makes the kit essentially reusable (or more social – being creative with a group of friends, and each design a child makes will be unique and reflect their personality), and in a compact box, can easily be taken on holiday or on a trip. In conclusion, the overall ergonomics of the kit are pleasant, with the exception of the glue which is not included.

Descriptions of contents

The included components of the Peg Character kit are: • x5 Wooden Pegs • ‘EVA’ shapes (Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate foam cut-outs) • Ribbon • Tissue paper (x4 colours/sheets) • x3 pink pompoms • ‘x3 coloured ‘fuzzy sticks’ (pipe cleaners) • Sheet of printed stickers • x8 ‘wiggly eyes’ (googly eyes) The kit contains most components necessary to the completion of the promised task – appealing, creative ‘peg characters’ that are easy to make for the intended target audience of small girls aged 4 to 6 years old. The included components are a mix of specific items made for the kit, and standard components. Standard components are non-branded items which are needed for a large variety of products, made by another company who supply companies who make such hobby kits, for little money and on demand. For this hobby kit, the standard components are the wooden pegs, googly eyes, pompoms, tissue paper and ribbon. The non-standard components are therefore made for the purpose of being included in just this kit – the EVA foam cut-outs and printed designs are examples of these. The contents are effective because they allow for creativity and do not have to be placed together in a particular order.

Materials Many materials have been used to make the components of the Peg Character kit. These include:

• Wood, for the pegs • (Duplex) card, for the packaging • Various plastics including:

o Cellophane for the packaging window on the front side o Polypropylene for the ‘googly’ eyes

• Coloured paper(s), for decoration & including sticker paper • Synthetic fibres for pompoms and ‘fuzzy stick’s (pipe

cleaners) • Coloured foam cut-outs (EVA) for various decorations

For the main packaging, duplex card (glossy on one side, buff on the other because there is no need to print on this side and it keeps costs down) has been printed using offset lithography. A window has been made in the middle and has been covered by transparent cellophane stuck with adhesive. Cellophane and re-stickable adhesive has also been used for bags inside the kit to package the smaller components. Some items are standard components, as explained in Description of Contents.

4cm (D)

25cm (W)

18cm (H)

Instructions

Strangely, for a creative kit, the Peg Character kit by Tesco’s Go Create range includes a sheet of instructions. The instructions show where to put certain components on different designs of the included stickers, for example, step 3 of the instructions is shown in an image above. The instruction sheet also shows where to place PVA glue on the paper, and where to stick it to the peg, but I cannot work out for what specific reason (see image below). This is very disappointing and unprofessional.

Hannah%Jones%

As a result of doing two analyses of hobby kit products, I am able to make decisions of what to research and improve on, on aspects of my product - design (company’s techniques on making their products stand out in stores and attractive to the target audience eg. Use of yellow to appeal to both genders, which I had not thought of), ergonomics (ease of use, minimal number of components to save manufacturing costs), packaging (use of self-locking locks) and innovation, as well as things to avoid (such as bad/not easy to follow instructions and weight/ size of the package. This will aid me in the research of my specific topic area (gardening) and the development of my product. Specifically, the next decision I will have to make will be the choice of flower seeds in the kit, again, something I had not thought of previously, and this will include researching planting time, germination period and length blooming time, as well as hardiness to temperatures and availability.

Environment The package of the 'Jungle in a Box' kit states that the packaging is made out of 95% recycled material and should be recycled again wherever possible. However, the packaging does not give environmental information for the components of the kit, stating that the "CE Mark for this product does not apply to the seeds or compost contents", implying safety issues for the target audience (eg dangerous bacteria in the compost). Compost, seeds, card and wax are biodegradable, however PVC plastic (used to make the trays and straws) and the adhesive used to make the stickers are not. This means the kit as a whole is not environmentally sustainable.

Aesthetics The 'Jungle in a box' kit has been designed to appeal to a specific target audience, and to be noticeable on a store shelf. Aesthetically, the package of the kit uses a red and yellow colour scheme to attract attention, and multi-coloured flowers and animals to appeal to the age range of the target audience (girls 5 to 7 year olds). The title of the product and the brand name (‘Sutton’s ‘Fun to Grow’ range) are the largest texts on the box, and use up half of the front side space (to brand the product for easy recognition), with the other half being used up by the drawings of the animals and personified plants, which help the target audience relate to the plants, successfully making the product more appealing to children. The red and yellow colour scheme is consistent with the other children’s gardening products in Sutton’s Fun to Grow range. The back of the product follows a similar scheme with the instructions, and include real photos of the plants included to further interest the customer. The sides of the packaging include safety information, contents and even simple jokes for the target audience to be entertained.

Manufacturing

The packaging of the Jungle in a box kit was designed in a CAD (Computer Aided Design) computer program and printed onto duplex card using offset lithography, which is controlled by a CAM (Computer Aided Manufacture) machine, which also die cuts, creases and folds the card so it can be folded into the box shape with locking slots. Excess card scrap from the manufacturing process can be recycled. To make the coloured (yellow) and transparent growing tray and drip tray, PVC plastic has been vacuum formed using a vacuum-forming machine. The process involves heating the thin plastic (normally 0.75mm thick) and stretching (by forming a vacuum beneath it) over a mould which is the shape of the tray. This method allows bulk, precise moulding at a very low cost.

Packaging The packaging of the 'Jungle in a Box' kit by Sutton is very suited to both the kit's audience and overall ergonomics. The box opens and closes using a self locking mechanism, which doubles as the lid, handle and euroslot. The 'crash lock' holds the box and handle firmly, keeping the whole box sturdy. A tab on the lid, under the handle, prevents the lid itself opening and closing accidentally and also adds a security feature to prevent tampering with the components. The fact that the box doubles as a carrying case makes the overall first impressions of the kit, along with the aesthetics, very attractive. The target audience, children, will like the fact that they can 'carry' their kit, making it seem more impressive than a regular box. This is also useful for transporting the kit to home (not so much in bulk to the retailer though - the kits must be transported carefully to avoid collapsing or damaging the locking top of the box, which can easily be bent sideways and tear the locking mechanisms, something that was common among other units I noticed in the store). This is a disadvantage compared to a regular box package. However the overall attractiveness (and for stores, the convenience of the lid having a euroslot for easy hanging) makes the 'Jungle in a Box' kit stand out from other kits on shelves and makes the kit ergonomically more suited to the target audience. The barcode is on the left side of the package and the price is labelled in red on the handle. The package measures 19cm (height), 18cm (width) and 5.5cm (depth), making it a compact size, adding to the efficiency of a handle and ease of transport for children.

Target Audience and Cost

I believe the target audience of Sutton’s gardening kit is mainly girls and boys aged 5 to 7 years old (boys are not particularly interested in growing flowers, but this kit is made to appeal to them by showing plants to be exotic, dangerous and adventurous things (connotations with the jungle). The aesthetics of the packaging attracts the audience because of the childlike cartoon drawings of the plants, which are among typical rainforest and jungle animals such as a snake, a tiger and a monkey and have been personified to be more relatable to the audience. The language used in the information on the back of the package is worded simply, using easy to read phrases (the plant information is in first person). The cost - £4.99 - is priced to be suited to the target’s pocket money, and competitive, though the parents might agree to spend half/half with the child. The sides of the packaging include information about the contents, even ‘jungle jokes’ to appeal to the audience, and safety information (the product conforms to the ‘lion’ standard (B.S.EN71), and has gained the CE Mark for safety, though not all the components conform to this, as explained in further detail in Description of Contents.

The colours of the boxes correlate to topics in unit work.%

Ergonomics and Instructions The ergonomic factors of the kit include ease of use (instructions) and design of the components. With this kit, the ease of use has been made as easy as possible so that the target audience, children, can carry out the aim (which is to plant seeds and grow plants) without trouble. The kit includes everything needed (except water though this is accessible everywhere, as described in Description of contents) with extras to keep the child entertained whilst the plants are growing (such as crayons and colouring in cards). This is considerate and makes the overall experience for the user more enjoyable. The choice of plants for this kit is excellent- a moving, sensitive plant (it's leaves curl up when touched), a plant with strangely patterned flowers and a plant with flowers resembling monkeys are varied and exciting for English children because of their exotic nature (which boys will be appealed to, see Target Audience). The drip tray fits perfectly into the growing tray for ease of storage, as shown in the photo at the top of the page, and all the other components can fit inside of the growing tray. This makes the entire package compact and neatly packed which further adds to the convenience along with a crash-locking lid for the package. The instructions on the back of the package, are simple and written in (5) step-by-steps with little wording. I noticed the lack of wording to be a little confusing on the first step (it does not say which tray to expand the compost block in) and piercing holes through the plastic tray can be dangerous for such a young age range. The rest of the instructions were easy to follow. The yellow colour of the growing tray is appealing and exciting, sized to fit a window-sill perfectly.

Descriptions of contents

The included components of the 'Jungle in a Box' kit are: • A growing tray and drip-tray • A disc of compressed compost • x3 Packs of seeds (Mimosa Pudica (sensitive plant), Mimulus gfngf(Freckles-Monkey flower) and Thunbergia Alata Mixed (Black-eyed Susan) • A pack of 4 coloured crayons • 5 transparent drinking straws • Coloured sheet of straw stickers of jungle animals • 4 card black and white printed and cut drawings of jungle animals The kit includes most components necessary to the completion of the promised task - an easy to plant bed of jungle-like plants and colouring sheets (for the appeal of the target audience whilst the plants are growing). The included components are a mix of specific items made for the kit, and standard components. Standard components are non-branded items which are needed for a large variety of products, made by another company who supply companies who make such hobby kits, for little money and on demand. For this hobby kit, the standard components are the pack of crayons and the transparent straws. The other items were made specifically for the kit by Fun to Grow. Interestingly, the yellow tray used to grow the 'jungle' plants is labelled with a sticker reading 'Your kit was packed by Adrian'. This is a sign of quality assurance to check that all items have been formed properly for the kit, and quality control, seeing as packing the kit is the last step of sequential mass production. The label also includes a batch number -in this case, 6376- so if a user complains about a fault with a product, it can be tracked to specific batches of products which make them easier to recall if need be. The stickers and printed card designs are included for the entertainment of the target audience - along with the crayons and extra straws (four more are needed than actually required to complete the task), they can be coloured and have stickers stuck on to for fun. The compost block is compressed, which means when water is added, the compost expands to fill the whole tray. It is packaged like this to avoid spillages and for overall space saving - the compressed block is less than a third of the space needed to fill the tray. The only component needed to complete the kit fully is water, but this is available everywhere in the UK, and would be too risky and costly to be included in the kit itself.

Materials

Many materials have been used to make the components of the 'Jungle in a Box' kit. Coloured and transparent PVC plastic has been vacuum formed using a vacuum forming machine and a mould to make the growing tray and drip tray, foil lined paper has been used to package the seeds (also vacuum sealed), sticker paper, card and laser ink has been used to make the straw stickers and colouring animal cards, wax and glossy card for the coloured crayons and package and finally compost for compressed soil block. For the main packaging, duplex card (glossy on one side, buff on the other because there is no need to print on this side and it keeps costs down) has been printed using offset lithography. Most items are standard components, as explained in Description of Contents.

5.5cm (D)

18cm (W)

19cm (H)

!

The functions of any type of packaging are the same: to protect the product and it’s components, to store (contain) the product, to sell the product by informing and appealing (displaying) to the target audience, and to package for transport and preservation (for food packaging). The packaging must also include safety information, the barcode and price. Packaging is ordinarily printed on using offset lithography, and depending on the type of packaging, whether blister formed, cardboard or plastic wrapped, moulded or shrunk using a vacuum forming machine or cut using a CAM (Computer Aided Manufacture) machine. All packaging is designed in a CAD (Computer Aided Design) program before it’s production.

Hannah%Jones%

Materials that products and components are made of depend entirely upon the product/accessories themselves. There are countless products on sale, each using different manufacturing techniques and therefore different materials. However, there are some materials that are used in a wide variety of products, making them very common. These materials include types of card and paper, standard components such as screws and bolts, and plastics.

Blister/Skin Packaging Blister packaging is effective because the plastic around the product is moulded to the shape of the product itself, containing it effectively, and the strong PVC plastic reinforces the packaging to protect it effectively. A blister is made by heating a layer of PVC, then shaping it over a mould by creating a vacuum underneath it (using a vacuum forming machine). Blister packaging is often used to package electronic items, so any tampering evidence is easily visible because the blister is heat-sealed and requires scissors to open. Skin packaging uses a similar technique, but has much a thinner layer of plastic film protecting the product, and is made air-tight by the mass-production. The manufacturing of this packaging is also very fast and reduces costs because of less materials and machines are required. However, skin packaging offers the product less protection (and security) because of the thinner plastic.

0.75mm thick PVC (standard for blister packaging)

Cartons/Card Packaging Some companies use cartons to package their products. These offer the product protection, are cheap to produce, and appeal to the user when decorated nicely. Card is often printed on using offset lithography. Cartons are usually made using corrugated card, which offers more protection to the product as this card is sturdier than other types of card, such as duplex. However, an advantage of duplex card is that it is glossy on one side, which is appealing for printing, and buff on the other because there is no need to print on the inside of the package, saving costs. Card is widely recyclable, which gives it an environmental advantage over other types of packaging. Being able to print on card packaging offers a variety of innovative ways to display and inform the customer of the product (for example, see the Kleenex tissue boxes o the right). Card is die-cut using a die-cutting machine, from a cardboard net (shown on the right), and is then creased and folded to make the cartoon. Different nets offer different locking mechanisms, such as self locking crash-bottoms, or handles and space for a euro slot on top.

Euroslot Self-locking crash bottom Handle and locking mechanism

Net for simple carton Euroslot Plastic hook

Bags, Euroslots and Plastic Hooks

To display an item on a shelf in a store, a package must have a suitable hanging device, or a sturdy bottom (eg. carton) to be visible to customers. Euroslots and plastic hanging hooks are two examples of these hanging devices, which hook on to arms from a store shelf. Euroslots are used on most types of packaging, from card and cartons (see above image) and blister packs (see top left image), because of it’s ease of placement (manufacturing simply requires punching a standard shaped hole through the top of the packaging) and sturdiness. Plastic hooks are often used for products packaged in sealed bags, such as clothing (which often comes with a rigid card insert to stop the clothing from creasing or rolling up inside the package). The clear plastic is effective because It offers full view of the product and protects it from minor spillages, however, objects can easily puncture the package.

Not disposable in general waste

CE Mark

Not safe for ages

Material, number, initials (Polyethylene terephthalate)

Lion Mark

Symbols Symbols are a legal requirement on packaging. They must display hazardous material, disposal and safety information. There are many symbols that mean different things, a few annotated on the right. Symbols are internationally identical and follow a strict set of guidelines to determine if the product reaches the safety standards (eg. Lion standard BS 7409), for consumer protection, and also environmental standards (eg. recyclable/disposal information). The symbols are internationally recognised to make sure that consumers understand symbols worldwide to reduce confusion (preventing injuries with products in another country.

Card and Paper There are various types of paper and card. Generally, any pulp based material with a thickness of around 100g/m2 is regarded as paper, whereas anything above 200g/m2 is board. Thinner paper is called tracing paper, and photocopier paper is the most commonly available. Card-wise, the most common is corrugated card – with two layers making it a good insulator and rigid, or duplex which has one glossy side for printing, and one buff to save costs. Foil lined card can be used in juice bottles to keep the juice fresh and not soak the card. Paper is measured in sizes – most commonly beginning with ‘A’ (A4, A3 etc.). The manufacturing process of cards and paper is simple: Firstly, trees are cut down and the bark is stripped with giant machines. Next, the shredded wood is moistened with water and boiled to make a thick pulp. The pulp is dirty and needs to be bleached to get the white colour. Finally, the pulp is run through rollers and a fine mesh to make it the right thickness. At this stage, corrugated cardboard gets crumpled layers put in between two sheets of card. Egg cartons are made by injecting the unbleached pulp into a mould. Card can then be die-cut, creased and folded for packaging and paper products.

Photocopy paper 100g/m2

Cardboard over 200g/m2

Tracing/craft paper 60g/m2

Egg carton card +300g/m2

PVC

Polystyrene

Acrylic

Polyester

Polythene

Polyester Resin

Phenol Formaldehyde

Urea Formaldehyde

Thermoplastic/Thermosetting Plastics

There are two types of plastic most commonly used: thermoplastics and thermosetting plastics. All plastics originate from crude oil (a fossil fuel), and are extracted and processed through the oil. Thermoplastics are softened with heat, and then moulded and shaped to the desired shape (they can be reheated and remoulded more than once). It is available in sheet, granules or powder form. Uses for thermoplastics include polystyrene cups and PVC plumbing pipes. Thermosetting plastics however are set once only with heat (they cannot be reshaped once cooled). These are available only as resin and powder, which is why they make bodies for objects such as boats and plus sockets. Because plastics do not biodegrade, they are not environmentally friendly. However, there are now alternatives to most commonly used packaging plastics such as cellophane: plant fibres from cellulose create a transparent film for sandwich boxes, or wheat and maise for sporks etc. and biodegrade naturally (are compostable).

Standard Components Standard components are products that are available to buy cheaply, in bulk. These are very useful in the commercial market because items that are consistent in size and qualities (eg. nails and screws) are needed in the manufacturing industry for many products, and these standard sized and non-branded items can be bought cheaply in stock form. They are also useful for the consumer – items like fuses are needed regularly, and the standard sizes make it easy to go to any shop in any country and request a particular size or type. In comparison, non standard items are much more expensive and specialist (harder to buy for the consumer).

Screw Fuse

Crayons

Various utensils LED Light bulbs

Hannah%Jones%

Vacuum forming is the process of when “plastic is heated and stretched over a mould, and a vacuum is created as the air is sucked out of the cavity between the mould and the plastic sheet”. This brief summary explains the process. The final product of vacuum forming is a blister pack – a PVC (polyvinyl chloride) plastic mould that can be used to package a product. It’s properties are effective as packaging because it the plastic is rigid, so therefore can protect the product well, and the plastic can be reheated and recycled, which is good for the environment. PVC (a thermoplastic) comes in a variety of thicknesses (the thicker the stronger) and colours. Vacuum forming is useful to our hobby kit product as it will be the packaging my gardening kit is contained in. Firstly however, I will have to design and make a mould for the vacuum former. The mould will be made out of MDF and cannot contain any sharp edges that may pierce the plastic, thus destroying the vacuum, or rough edges that would leave marks on the blister. Also, if there are to be details in the blister, small holes must be drilled through the mould to allow the vacuum to reach the smaller areas.

Die cutting is the process of using a steel stamp to cut through a sheet of material in order to make a package net or shape. Firstly, a design is made using a Computer Aided Design program such as Cinema4D, which has to be very precise. The design is in the form of a net than when folded and creased will create a carton or package. The next stage is for blank pieces of material, which can range from card, to sheet metal, to acrylic, to be printed on (normally using offset lithography) and glossed using an ultraviolet light coat. To minimise wasted space on the large sheets of card, designs are often put on in a tessellation pattern, where as many designs as possible are fitted on to one sheet.

Process Above shows an ordinary blister pack card net design and size, complete with euroslot, rounded edges and a window for the blister pack to emerge from. This will have been die cut using a die-cutting machine, then creased and folded along the middle (so when closed, both sides match and can be stuck cleanly together).

Euroslot!

!

Hole for blister !

!

Vacuum tray!

!

Heater!

!

Mould tray lever!

!Machine This is the vacuum forming machine, which sucks air from under heated PVC plastic (heated by the heater (labelled) by pulling it over the PVC), making it mouldable to any shape in its way. Note: The mould has to be lowered so it doesn’t heat up, by pulling the lever (labelled) down. Before vacuuming, it has to be bought back up. !

Suction Tray!

!

Rubber seal/Frame!

!

Thickness = 0.75mm!

!

Heater!

!

Material This is an example of the PVC (polyvinyl chloride – a thermoplastic) that is used to create a blister pack – it is usually 0.75mm thick, which is thin enough to be easily moulded when hot, but thick enough to be strong and rigid when cool. This means that the product receives protection from the plastic, but the transparency allows a customer to see the product.

!

Process This image shows the mould on top

of the suction tray, with the heater and rubber seal/frame also labelled. The frame is clamped together to form an air-tight seal to allow a vacuum to form in the space between the mould and the heated PVC when the suction pump is turned on. When the PVC is heated by the vacuum former heater, it becomes soft and mouldable (visibly wavy), which can then be moulded to any shape and as it cools, it retains that shape without sticking to the mould. !

Scrap PVC!

!

Blister shape!

!

Process This is the whole product that

comes out of the vacuum-forming machine (you can see the rubber frame marks) – the blister shape, but with scrap PVC on all sides of it. This has to be cut off and can be reheated and recycled.!!

Process This is what the blister and card

template look like before glueing and having the design printed/stuck on. The buff side of the duplex inside has to be glued together, along with the flat part of the PVC, to stick the two sides and and blister together. This can be done using a glue gun or super glue. The package template can take many shapes (pictured below)!

1

Vacuum forming has to be done in bulk on the commercial and industrial scale. This requires large machines and even larger amounts of PVC plastic to mould. The most effective part of vacuum folding for

2

commercial reasons is the ability to make multiple, identical copies of the component (package). Blister packs are most commonly used to package electrical components and are heat sealed, which is an advantage for security reasons because it shows any evidence of tampering with the product. The transparency of the plastic is also perfect for the ‘Displaying’ part of packaging – it shows off the product to the customer and the smooth curves of vacuum formed blister pack are appealing. To speed up the manufacturing process of the vacuum forming, the moulds have to be tapered to allow the PVC to unstick. Also, small intricate details are a disadvantage because they not only require more time to make (the mould), but the vacuuming of the air from underneath also has to be longer. This is evident on the cactus blister pack pictured on the left – the shapes are smooth cylinders. Blisters also allow Euroslots to be punched out.!

As said previously, to minimise wasted space on the large sheets of card, designs in commercial die cutting are in a tessellation pattern, where as many designs as possible are fitted on to one sheet. This is useful because the less waste the process leaves means the less scrap card that has to be recycled. The companies can not afford to waste space on the huge sheets of card. Commercial die cutters are very large to accommodate these large pieces of card. They work very quickly to keep up with the demand of the product, and have very precise controls. The maximum amount of cuts an ordinary commercial industry machine can achieve exceeds 10,000 cuts per hour, with a layout change speed of 15 minutes for different designs.

The next step is when the card itself gets cut by the die-cutter. The blades on the die-cutter are usually made from hardened steel because the need to be sharp and durable. The layout of the blades match the net, and can cut some lines all the way through (a clean cut) or press a bit for a later fold or crease. The cut nets can now be folded into the packaging they were designed to be.

Example of package cut using

a die-cutting machine!

Controls

!

• Die cutters can work to any scale of production - from 1,000 units, to 100,000 units and with a cutting speed of 10,000 cuts per hour, the demand for supply of the product is easily met. This suites the variety of industries die-cutting is needed for, such as card manufacturers and packaging manufacturers (examples of products shown below).

• All cuts and copies of the net are going to be the same (from the thickness to the cuts), which eliminates needing to quality assurance every so often (and eliminates the problems of human mistakes).

Hannah%Jones%

!

High Priority

· The safety of my product is paramount because it’s target market is under 14 year olds, specifically children aged 4-6. There must be no toxic materials used in the product or it’s components, and everything must be able to comply to European safety standards to be able to be sold in the mass commercial market. · All efforts must be taken to ensure that my product is environmentally sustainable, and this means using components that derive from natural and sustainable sources, as well as using recyclable and/or biodegradable components. This will also give my product a key selling point. · To be attractive to the target audience, the design of the packaging and indeed components must be aesthetically appealing. This is essential to make the customers buy the product and to make the product stand out from others on the shelf. Design elements include the use of (suitable) images, text, fonts and colour schemes on the packaging, as well as the colours of the components in the product. · Since the target customers of my product are children, the ease of use and ergonomics of the gardening kit must be as easy and stress free as possible. This includes aspects such as the wording, layout and design of the instructions, the ease of removing the product and it's components from the packaging and the overall 'usability' of the kit. · The product must be packaged to contain the components of the kit. Packaging is also essential to protect the product during transportation and to display the kit to appeal to customers. Different types of packaging have different advantages and disadvantages, for example cardboard die-cut box packaging provides good protection and the maximum area for the design of the packaging as well as being recyclable, however takes a lot of space on the shelf in a superstore. A blister pack would be more suitable for my gardening kit because of it's compact size and added protection, and PVC plastic can be reused. The type of packaging itself is medium priority. · My gardening kit must be able to be manufactured from within the school, using only the school’s equipment and resources. However, the product must also be capable and viable for mass production, therefore the profit margin (from manufacture to selling cost) must be commercially viable and the product must be able to be made using traditional manufacturing methods. Standard components are the exception to this as they can be sourced from retailers in bulk for a cheap cost. · The kit must always link back to it's intended function and must feature some useful educational value (in fact, a part of the national curriculum for my target age range is to understand the process of germination)

Medium Priority

· Although the profit margin must be taken into account when pricing the product, it must remain affordable to the mass target market of under 14 year olds, specifically girls and boys in the age range of 4 to 6 for my kit. It is also important to decide between expensive, recyclable components for the sustainable USP of my kit, verses inexpensive but non-recyclable affordability aspect. · When adapting the design of the packaging to appeal to the target audience- all social, religious and cultural issues (for instance; some flowers have religious significance for some religious groups) must be taken into account so as not to offend or mislead customers. · The type of packaging (material) used to package the gardening kit is medium priority because all packaging will give good protection and is easily (and cheaply) made using the school equipment and resources (cardboard packaging using the creasing board or blister pack using the vacuum forming machine). The finish of the packaging (eg laminated) isn't high priority either because of it's novelty use (makes the packaging wipe off, which is not essential). · A prototype of my gardening kit will be made to test it's manufacture and suitability (effectiveness) in the market using questionnaires. A prototype is also needed to test it's ergonomics as sometimes the information written on a computer may make sense, but not when you are faced with the components themselves. · As any viable product must be - mine should be capable of production in the mass manufacturing industry. However production techniques may be adapted along the design process, so can not all be determined at this point.

Low Priority !

· Alternative designs of my product can be made as back ups - but hopefully these will not be needed if I get my design decisions got the product and it's packaging right from the beginning. · The size and weight of my gardening kit must be suitable to the target audience but cannot be determined at this point due to the uncertainty of which components will be included. · The style aspects of the packaging (such as elegance, logos and branding) are least important because they will not be the aspects that sell the product- for instance, sacrificing colour and appeal to the target audience for elegance will mean less sales. · The standard components of my kit include pots and crayons. These are always readily available for purchase and therefore are low priority compared to designing the kit itself.

During the process of collecting information to make design decisions for my hobby kit (which will be a gardening kit with a target audience of girls and boys aged 4 to 6 years old), I have learnt many valuable aspects of hobby kit manufacture and design that I will use in my inspiration for original design ideas for my product.

For example, there are many different manufacturing processes and materials for different types of components and packaging for hobby kits in 11), commercial market. From the two kits I looked at - a ‘peg character’ kit and similar gardening kit to my chosen subject, I have identified the fact that both kits use aesthetics to their advantage. The peg character kit used a simple printed die-cut cardboard box to package the components, but to display them, there was a cellophane window on the front side of the box. Whereas the gardening kit used ergonomics to make the package attractive by doubling a ‘handle’ as a self locking mechanism to make the package look more like a carrying box. Both of these techniques are effective, but there are other packaging suitability elements to consider for my product: protection and transport. Using my packaging research, I am able to identify that blister pack will be most suited to my product because of the better impact protection and storage for the components, whilst retaining the display properties of clear cellophane window in a box.

The research and existing products also taught me about processes used in the commercial industry for the manufacture of components and packaging for products. Such as die-cutting, which is used to cut cardboard for package boxes, off-set lithography for the printing on that cardboard and vacuum forming which is used to make the blister packs out of PVC plastic, again for packaging. This research is important because one of the high priority design criteria is to make sure the product is able to be made from within the school (using the school’s equipment and resources) – and we do not have CAM machines that are able to do die-cutting, whereas we have a vacuum forming machine that can make blister packs.

Other information gathered from researching the existing products is the use of design elements such as fonts, images, colour scheme and layout of the packaging of the products. It is clear that a product must stand out against others on the shelf and it must be appealing to the target audience. In addition, all products sold must pass European safety standards to make sure the product is safe for it’s intended target market. It is therefore essential to research these safety standards and the safety information of my standard components to make sure they pass.

For further research on the eco-friendly aspect of my gardening kit, I researched different materials that gardening pots are now made of (such as bamboo fibres instead of plastic) and chosen bamboo fibre plant pots over the traditional plastic ones because they are biodegradable, but also have the same durability as plastic ones, which is important for the lifespan of the product which can be several months and is technically reusable.

The next steps of my design process of my gardening kit include:

• Designing the packaging (by sketching and drawing) of my product to be aesthetically pleasing to my target audience for maximum sales, whilst avoiding any social, religious or cultural issues with the text or images. Creating alternative designs is also key, though a lower priority.

• Ensuring the ergonomics of my product and it’s components are suitable to the target audience (for example, no sharp edges on the components and easy-to-read instructions).

• Creating a prototype of the hobby kit, in order to see if my design will work when manufactured.

The below design criteria are the specifications for my gardening kit product. The categorisation of low, medium and high priority helps me prioritise tasks and design processes to ensure that the kit is as effective as it can be (from aspects such as ergonomics, to manufacturing and recycling).

Hannah%Jones%This development sheet documents the development of my gardening kit contents, with sketches, diagrams and photographs of different techniques I have tried out and compared. The contents of the gardening kit must suit the target audience, which is mainly girls aged 4 to 6 years old, in all aesthetic and ergonomic aspects. The contents include paper for the plant pots, compressed compost blocks, two different types of flower seeds, instruction leaflets, crayons and plant labels. Some of these components are indeed standard components, ordered in bulk by the manufacturer and are cheap, easy to produce and easy to get hold of with no branding or copyright issues. This sheet covers the components specially made.

Development – Kit Contents

Net for insert

Final design of packaging

Manufacturing of Drip Tray Mould

An additional components I would like to include in the gardening kit is plant labels. I could use classic, white plastic labels – but these are non-biodegradable (therefore not applicable with one of my main selling points of the kit), and not original enough as I desire. I have opted to use two classic wooden plant labels (shown on the left) for the kit because of their organic feel and look which will match the inside and outside (shown right) of the gardening kit packaging. The crayons (also a component of the kit) can be used to write on and personalise the labels.

180mm

140mm

105mm

180mm

50mm

70mm

1

A major part of my gardening kit is the pots that the plants will grow in. There are three options for the materials these pots can be made out of. All materials are

2

biodegradable (this is important because sustainability is a major factor of my gardening kit). The first is a bamboo-fibre pot, which is store bought (a standard component), very sturdy (almost identical to plastic in look and feel), but biodegradable in three years. However, I feel the lack of customizability and generic quality will not make my kit original. Similarly, the wood pulp fibre plant pot, shown bottom left, although smaller and more ‘organic’, cannot be customized for the young audience of the garden kit. The bottom right pot is completely

3

different, because it can be easily made by the target audience, out of a single sheet of A4 paper. This means that a section can be marked to be drawn on with the included crayons in the kit, and makes the process of making the pot more innovative and original for the child, which is why I think it’d be ideal for my kit.

When the kit is opened by pulling the front side of the package outwards and ripping it off, the inside will reveal a tray like stand for the pots to be supported in, This tray (and indeed the entire inside aesthetics) will be designed to look like the inside of a traditional shed, in keeping with the design of the packaging of the kit. The front side of the tray will open outwards so that the packaged accessories of the kit (crayons, compost, seeds ect.) are accessible. Two tabs (shown beneath on my sketch of the design) will slot into slits on the bottom of the package to close the stand.

tab

Vacuum formed drip tray

flap hole for plant pot

This was a first draft, when the pot was a circle (and therefore the hole

was circular) 55mm

Firstly, I drew and cut out three identical shapes from thick corrugated cardboard using scissors. The shape is smaller than I wish the final drip tray to be, to allow for the thickness of the PVC when formed around the final mould. I rounded the edges so as to give the tray a more appealing look when moulded.

Next, I stuck all three layers of corrugated cardboard together using Pritt Stick adhesive, and cut off any discrepancies with the outlines of them to make a smooth shape. I decided to use three layers because this height of the tray seemed right – not too shallow for compost to soak in, but not too deep for there to be wasted plastic.

Then, I traced around the cardboard template cut-out using an HB pencil onto the same thickness MDF (Medium Density Fibreboard), which will be used as the final mould because it cannot be damaged by the intense heat produced by the vacuum forming machine whilst melting the plastic

Wearing eye protection and an apron, I used a band saw to cut the shape out of the large piece of MDF, taking special care to saw around the smooth corners and not damage the structure. Next, I used a sanding machine to make the sides of the mould slightly angled so it would be easier to remove the mould from the PVC plastic after the vacuuming process. I also used sand paper to smooth down any rough edges to ensure the wood would not puncture the plastic during moulding.

When the kit is opened fully (by pulling the front side of the package outwards and tearing it off), the inside will reveal a stand for the plant pots to be supported in, explained to the right. Inside this section will be the kit's components. Also in here (to stay here for duration of plant growth) will be a vacuum formed plastic 'drip tray', which prevents any water that leaks out of the paper plant pots moistening the bottom of the kit's packaging. The tray will be made out of 0.75mm thick transparent PVC plastic, and will measure 140mm (W) by 180mm (L) by 50mm (H). Below is the manufacturing process of the wooden mould for the tray.

180mm

105mm

50mm

The vacuum forming machine works by heating thin PVC plastic to a temperature that it is flimsy and can be manipulated around shapes, but when cooled down, the plastic (or blister) will retain the moulded shape. A hard mould is placed on the vacuuming surface, and the heated plastic is pulled down and clamped in place on top of it. The vacuum pump then sucks out any air from the gap, causing the plastic to bend round the shape. Scrap plastic is then cut off and recycled.

50mm

70mm

Hannah%Jones%Standard Components My gardening hobby kit will include two types of packaged components – firstly, ones that I will have to make, which are individual to the kit, for example: the drip tray (required to prevent water from the plant pots from moistening the bottom side of the packaging), made out of 0.75mm PVC plastic and moulded using the vacuum forming process, which is individual to the kit because of its mould, which is unique since I made it. Secondly, the kit will include ‘standard components’ which are pre-made, pre-assembled and pre-ordered items. They have several advantages over individual components – such as their cost, which is much cheaper since standard components are manufactured in bulk, and ordered in bulk. Manufacturers of products such as hobby kits use standard components because of their ease of order and delivery and standard sizes. Below are the standard components that I have included in my gardening kit, and my reason for choosing them:

Crayons are included in the hobby kit for the user to draw on the plant pots and plant labels in different colours. They appeal to the target audience of 4 to 6 year old girls because of their creative and freedom aspect, which allow for customisability of the gardening kit, which makes the child feel more engaged with the process of the intended outcome of the kit (which is to plant, and grow plants). The item comes with 4, non-branded coloured crayons. They are cheap to produce and buy, and state that the ingredients used are non-toxic. Crayons are made out of paraffin wax, which is biodegradable, and therefore okay to use in my eco-friendly conscious kit.

Plant labels are used to differentiate between different plants in similar plant pots. They are a common and iconic gardening accessory, and though not necessarily essential in a children’s gardening kit, they add a certain feel of authenticity to the product and it’s outcome. They can be drawn on using the crayons (above) by the user to make them more individual and engage the target audience more, and being made out of non-treated wood, are sustainable and completely biodegradable.

Because I have chosen against including ordinary plant pots in my gardening kit, I found an original alternative. The user can assemble their own origami plant pot out of a single sheet of A4 paper with no need for adhesives or scissors. The kit will include two coloured sheets of A4 paper for this purpose, as well as (non standard) laminated instructions on how to fold them into pots.

Compressed compost discs (also called compressed compost blocks) are used in gardening hobby kits similar to mine because of their size, convenience and effectiveness at growing plants in small conditions. They are environmentally friendly with high water retention (they absorb water and expand to at least 4 times their size), with microbial enhancers to stimulate and enhance plant growth (according to the packaging). I will include 6 in my hobby kit because 3 discs are needed to fully fill each individual pot.

My hobby kit will include 2 different varieties of plant seeds – nasturtiums and calendulas, which grow range of colourful flowers so as to interest the target audience, and are hardy and quick growing in indoor conditions. The seeds are easy and cheap to obtain in bulk, coming in their own, unbranded seed packets. Only three seeds will need to be planted in one pot, but the packet will contain approximately 10 to 20, leaving left overs for garden planting (though this is unavoidable since they come in their own packaging.

Crayons

A4 Paper

Plant Labels

Compressed Compost Bricks

Seeds

4 colours - red, yellow, green, blue

Pre-packaged

Non-branded

wooden

Not coloured or treated - natural

IMG_0078.JPG

Hannah%Jones%

This Final Idea sheet documents the development process of the net of my final packaging design. In the top left, we start off with a blank net, which when assembled, makes the shape of a carrying package with a handle. In the next step, I adapt the design

Final Idea - Packaging

the net itself to make more of a 'house', or shed shape when assembled, by getting rid of the interlocking handle, and replacing it with a sloping 'roof' with handles that attach to the sides instead of lock into them with a tab. The design at this stage was simple but effective – it looks very much like a shed, and serves as the foundation of more advanced details for the next stage of the design process. Below the initial two nets is the next draft design: again more complex, with an added logo (more information in the bottom left of the page) and flowers to make the shed look more appealing as a whole. The structure of the net remains the same, but I found a design fault which caused the 'roof' to not slope enough so there was too little space for the handles to join together properly. I had solved this in the final draft of my gardening kit packaging by cutting space off of the side flaps. Also in the final design, I separated the front side of the kit from the rest of the net, so as to create a door which opened vertically downwards, as can be seen in my development photos to the right of the page. Also added to the final design was a barcode and placeholder text for information about the product, on the bottom.

Logo - I have designed the logo of my gardening kit product to appeal to the target audience, which is mainly girls aged 4 to 6 years old. The logo uses a soft edged, bold white font for the text, as well as an image of a flower in the corner, which conveys the happiness – since yellow/orange has connotations of this mood – that the kit will bring. The grass indicates the kit is all natural (as well as linking to 'gardening'), and the fabric behind the logo is a bright, hessian colour, which again links to nature and gardening tools/accessories such as straw hats.

Self-locking bottom

The environmental aspects of my product are a key selling point. In this day and age, people are keen to be as environmentally friendly as possible – this means recycling recyclable materials, so as to be sustainable since our planet has limited resources to continue making raw materials used in the production of plastics such as polystyrenes, which are used to make drinks cups. This is why my packaging needs to be made of out cardboard, which is commonly recycled in the UK, because it is biodegradable, it can be added to compost to decompose over time, without environmental damage (compared to plastics, which biodegrade over a far, far longer time). My packaging would display recycling information in the form of a recycling symbol, as shown. However due to the design of the insert, the packaging cannot be reused as a package but can be reused as a stand for flower pots instead.

Sustainability

There are several materials used in my gardening kit as a whole. Only three are used in the packaging – card, laminate and adhesive. The card I am planning to use will weigh at least 220g/m2, to class as card and not paper. I will use card to thicken the structure of the package therefore making it more sturdy. The surface finish will be laminate, which uses a type of plastic 'pouch' which softens with heat, and has heat-activated adhesive on one side to stick to the card. The laminating machine at school can laminate 80-250 micrometre pouches. Finally, the adhesive I will use is Pritt Stick glue, which claims it is made out of 90% renewable ingredients, so is therefore eco friendly.

Materials To achieve an appealing and professional finish to my final product, I will use laminate to cover the entire packaging. The laminate will stick to the printed card, and has desirable properties of a plastic without the weight or loss of flexibility, for example, water or stains can be wiped off, and it creates a shiny gloss effect. In mass production, packages are often coated with a UV gloss, but since this is not available at school, I have chosen to go with laminate instead.

Finishes With the development of a product, all social, cultural and moral issues that could cause conflict must be taken into account. These include the use of stereotypes in images or religiously significant colours that could offend people, as well as moral and social issues such as the perception of certain beliefs or events in society (packaging cannot be shown to be for or against the circumstances of the war in Libya, for example). I have taken steps to ensure no offence in my packaging, for example, not including white flowers or poppies, which are used in graveyards and war cemeteries, instead opting for happy sunflowers and other generic plants. The shed is also a very generic one – no features that label it as upper or lower class.

Social, Cultural and Moral Issues

Net (top and bottom)

Insert, which acts as a

stand

Net for insert

Final design

The first process is obtaining and adapting the basic net design and ensuring that it

will be effective for the product it is packaging.

Net

The second process is designing the net itself. The design has to be effective at selling the product by

being appealing to the target audience. CAD software such as Photoshop is used, or it is drawn by hand, but

this usually leads to a less professional outcome.

CAD of Net

Die Cutting

Tools Used

Assembly

In the industry, CAM tools such as die cutters are used to print and cut out the shape of the net from a large sheet of card. Because we have no such equipment at school, I will need to cut it out

by hand.

I will print the net on card using a laser printer, and use scissors to cut it out. I can also use a crease

board to fold and crease the card along the marked lines to ensure smooth, sharp edges along the

folds to make a professional outcome

This final step of creating packaging requires large tools and equipment in large scale manufacture, but I will

hand-assemble my packaging since we do not have this equipment at school. I will use Pritt Stick to glue the

tabs of the net, applying pressure by hand to ensure the adhesive sets.

Information about

product

180mm

140mm

105mm

180mm

85mm

105mm

!

!

Hannah%Jones%Manufacturing Specification My gardening hobby kit will include two types of packaged components – the first being ones that I will have to design and make myself, which are individual to the kit. Secondly, the kit will include ‘standard components’ which are pre-made, pre-assembled and pre-ordered items. They have several advantages over individual components – such as their cost, which is much cheaper since standard components are manufactured in bulk, and ordered in bulk. Manufacturers of products such as hobby kits use standard components because of their ease of order and delivery and standard sizes. This sheet is a specification describing the kit's components, to ensure that a manufacturer would produce identical products on a large scale.

Crayons are included in the hobby kit for the user to draw on the plant pots and plant labels in different colours. They appeal to the target audience of 4 to 6 year old girls and make the users feel more engaged with the process of the intended outcome of the kit (which is to plant, and grow plants). The item comes with 4, non-branded coloured non-toxic crayons. The packaging they come in is 95mm in length, which will fit in my packaging with 1cm to spare.

Plant labels are used to differentiate between different plants in similar plant pots and add a certain feel of authenticity to the product and its outcome. They are made out of non-treated durable wood, are sustainable and completely biodegradable. They are 90 millimetres in length, and 10mm in width, with no visible branding. The kit will include 2 of these because there are two plant pots. I will round the spiky bottom so as to reduce the risk of being a health hazard.

The kit will include 2 sheets of coloured, standard size A4 paper (210mm x 297mm) for the user to make the plant pots out of (origami). (therefore I have chosen against including ordinary plant pots in my gardening kit because I have found an original alternative. The user can assemble their own origami plant pot out of a single sheet of A4 paper with no need for adhesives or scissors. The kit will include two coloured sheets of A4 paper for this purpose, as well as (non standard) laminated instructions on how to fold them into pots.

Each gardening kit will include a PVC "drip tray", which prevents water leaking on to the bottom of the packaging. It will be made for the purpose of the kit only (unique) and is therefore not a standard component. It will be vacuum moulded using transparent 0.75mm PVC plastic (polyvinyl chloride – a thermoplastic that is thin enough to be easily moulded when hot, but thick enough to be strong and rigid when cool). The drip tray will measure 140mm (W) by 180mm (L) by 50mm (H). Firstly, a board of MDF is cut to the shape of the drip tray to act as a mould since MDF cannot be damaged by the intense heat produced by the vacuum forming machine whilst melting the plastic. Only one will be necessary for a small production run. Next, the vacuum forming machine works by heating thin PVC plastic to a temperature that it is flimsy and can be manipulated around shapes, but when cooled down, the plastic (or blister) will retain the moulded shape. A hard mould is placed on the vacuuming surface, and the heated plastic is pulled down and clamped in place on top of it. The vacuum pump then sucks out any air from the gap, causing the plastic to bend round the shape. Scrap plastic is then cut off and recycled.

Differences between School Manufacture and Industry (Commercial) Manufacture

4 colours - red, yellow, green, blue

I have designed the logo of my gardening kit product to appeal aesthetically to the target audience, which is mainly girls aged 4 to 6 years old. The logo uses a soft edged, bold white font for the text, as well as an image of a flower in the corner, which conveys the happiness – since yellow/orange has connotations of this mood – that the kit will bring. The grass indicates the kit is all natural (as well as linking to 'gardening'), and the fabric behind the logo is a bright, hessian colour, which again links to nature and gardening tools/accessories such as straw hats. The logo itself will be glossy and embossed on the packaging, giving it a physical quality, by laminating it and sticking it on top of the packaging, In the industry, it would be UV coated during the die cutting process.

The instructions on how to moisten and seed the compressed compost discs and secondly, how to fold the other included coloured A4 sheets into plant pots, will be printed on a single, double sided sheet of A4 paper, using laser ink printing process. In the commercial industry, they would print using offset lithography method since it less expensive producing in bulk and produces a better quality image. The sheet will be folded in half so as to fit inside the package, and will also have a laminated finish to make them wipe-off (for longer durability) and more sturdy, which will be an ergonomic advantage since the target audience of the kit is 4 to 6 year old children. Again, in a bulk industry, undoubtedly they would use a UV Gloss finish to produce a shiny gloss effect on the sheet, but we do not have access to this at school, so using a laminator and laminating pouch will be my only option. In addition, the corners of the sheet will be rounded by cutting them with scissors, so as not to present a health and safety risk to the child.

25 grams

35mm

10mm

80mm

95mm

There numerous differences between the manufacturing methods we are limited to at school (because of limited equipment) compared to the production process in commercial industry. There is need for a manufacturing specification sheet that would be given to a manufacturer to ensure that products that are made on a large scale remain identical, and to also give details on specific sizes, materials and techniques for the manufacturing processes involved after all development work is complete. At school for example, we have no CAM machine to work with (which would usually cut materials to exact size), so die-cutting work has to be done by hand. Other examples include laminating instead of UV Gloss and laser ink instead of offset lithography. Quality control and assurance remains similar, because there are critical examination points for ensuring all work is handled safely and the outcome to a good quality (for example, checking that folds and creases in the card net of the packaging are in-line with the template, which would affect the outcome if they weren't). Within the industry there are also variances, such as the number of orders in one batch, which can range from hundreds to tens of thousands (whereas at school it is only possible to make a prototype and the finished product once).

Manufacturing of Drip Tray

X2

My hobby kit will include 2 different varieties of plant seeds – nasturtiums and calendulas, which grow range of colourful flowers so as to interest the target audience, and are hardy and quick growing in indoor conditions. Only three seeds will need to be planted in one pot, but the packet will contain approximately 10 to 20, leaving left overs for garden planting (though this is unavoidable since they come in their own packaging).

X2

Compressed compost discs are used in gardening hobby kits similar to mine because of their size, convenience and effectiveness at growing plants in small conditions. They are environmentally friendly with high water retention (they absorb water and expand to at least 4 times their size). I will include 6 in my hobby kit because 3 discs are needed to fully fill each individual pot. They measure 10mm height by 35 diameter each.

CE Mark

Not safe for ages

The packaging of my gardening hobby kit is aesthetically designed to resemble a garden shed. It measures 180mm width, 140mm height by 105mm depth, and has to be printed on (using laser ink because we do not have offset lithography printers at school) and cut out from two A3 sheets of card using a die cutting method. In the industry, large due cutting machines would slice the printed card from a template and discard waste material as well as creasing and folding tabs and sections at the same time. However, we do not have die cutters at school, so I will have to cut out the net by hand using scissors and a scalpel and crease using a creasing board. This method is suitable for a small scale production run, but if a batch of 50 to thousands of kits were to be ordered, it would not be viable due to the amount of time it takes to cut a single net. Adhesive (PVA glue) will be used to stick tabs together, and transparent cellophane will be stuck over holes on the top side of the packaging (the 'roof') to resemble windows and allow light to reach the growing plants. The packaging and kit is designed to be of one time use (and therefore comes with only two non-reusable pots and enough compost to fill those pots once), though A4 paper is easily obtainable and garden compost and seeds can be bought to use the kit a second time. Above is a photo of my prototype model of the kit, as well as the kit in net form (and the insert to the packaging which acts as a pot stand). The packaging of the product will need to have certain safety symbols and texts shown/written on it. These include European safety standard marks (shown) and information that this product is biodegradable and "Only safe for children above the age of 3 due to small parts". Proof checking of this text is essential to the professional outcome I am aiming for (and in the industry for quality control on the large scale market).

!

Task Plan of Action Process Tools & Materials Quality Control & Assurance 1.Construct Package I will have to print out the net of my

gardening kit package, glue it to strengthened card, cut out the template, crease the template lines, and finally check the tabs align so that the package is ready to be constructed and sturdy. Cellophane will also be stuck over holes on the top of the packaging to resemble windows.

• Design the net using CAD software • Print the net out on multiple sheets of A3 paper • Measure size for Quality Assurance • Cut the net by hand using scissors • Crease and fold using creasing board • Cut cellophane to size and glue on inside of hole for "window"

• Laser Printer • 2X 80gsm A3 Paper • Transparent Cellophane • Card • Scissors • Craft Knife • Safety Ruler • Self-healing cutting mat • Creasing board

• During design, ensure tabs and joints align so no problems with template contours are encountered

• Ensure measurements of printed sheets match those of intended size

• Crease and cut out with care and precision – double check creases and incisions follow outlines

• Layout all pieces, check and assemble, but do not glue

2. Mould Making Construct mould for drip tray insert (included to prevent water from plant pots leaking on to packaging), by marking out the measurements on MDF and cutting using a fret saw. Then, sand down edges and to prepare for the vacuum former.

• Draw measurements of 140mm (W) by 180mm (L) on corrugated cardboard

• Cut out template using scissors, and repeat three times • Glue the three cardboard templates together • Measure desired height of mould (50mm) • Outline tray template on 50mm thick MDF • Using band saw, cut around outlines on MDF • Using a fret saw, round edges of the mould • Using a sanding machine and sandpaper, smooth and angle sides

of MDF mould

• Corrugated Cardboard • Scissors • Pencil • Ruler • Adhesive (Pritt Stick) • MDF • Sandpaper • Sanding machine • Band saw • Fret saw

• Measure size of MDF template outline compared to intended outcome size, but leave 3mm for the size of the PVC bending over the edge

• Chamfer edges using sand paper • Smooth surface and check for dents, knots or

nails • Check angle on side and depth of mould

3. Vacuum Forming of Drip Tray

The drip tray will be vacuum moulded using transparent 0.75mm PVC plastic (polyvinyl chloride – a thermoplastic that is thin enough to be easily moulded when hot, but thick enough to be strong and rigid when cool).

• The vacuum forming machine works by heating thin PVC plastic to a temperature that it is flimsy and can be manipulated around shapes, but when cooled down, the plastic (or blister) will retain the moulded shape.

• The MDF mould from the previous step is placed on the vacuuming surface • Then, the heated PVC plastic (which has been in an integrated heater for a few

minutes) is pulled down and clamped in place on top of the vacuuming surface and mould.

• The vacuum pump is then switched on and sucks out any air from the gap, causing the plastic to mould round the shape.

• The clamp is finally released and any scrap plastic is cut off and can be recycled.

• MDF mould • 0.75mm transparent PVC

plastic • Craft knife • Apron • Goggles

• Make sure the mould is smooth, with no sharp edges or corners to go in the plastic or it will pierce it.

• I will check the plastic blister for marks or bubbles and uniform thickness

4. Print graphic kit contents (Instruction sheets & finish)

I will print out and laminate the graphic kit contents, which include the instructions on how to use the compressed compost bricks and plant pots. They will be double sided on a single sheet and laminated for durability, and rounded edges for health &safety.

• Print out the CAD designed instructions sheet on a single side of A4 using a laser printer

• Flip and replace the paper in the printer and print out the second instruction page

• Insert instructions sheet to A4 laminating pouch and run through laminating machine

• Ensure the Quality Assurance procedures have been met • Round laminated corners with scissors

• Laser Printer • 1X 80gsm A4 Paper • Scissors • Laminator • Laminating pouch

• Check for tears or colour discrepancies on the blank A4 paper sheet

• Once printed, check detail and colour matching of printing quality

• Ensure paper correctly placed in pouch • Once laminated, check that the edges of

the plastic are straight with no bubbles, and the finish is shiny

5. Purchase standard components

These standard components are bought from manufacturers in bulk at a low price. My kit includes crayons, plant labels, A4 paper, seeds and compost.

• Make a list of components needing ordering (including specific sizes, price and quantity)

• Order the standard components either online or in a shop

• Internet/Computer • Money

• Double check that right items are being ordered

• Once standard components have arrived, check for faulty, damaged or wrong items which could be hazardous for users

6. Assemble entire product and photograph outcome.

The final step in the production of my gardening hobby kit is to assemble the entire product as a whole, including packaging and components. Once the product is up to the highest standard, photograph the final outcome.

• Gather and lay out the individual components of the packaging and components themselves.

• Assemble and construct the packaging using glue to stick the tabs together, and pack the components in the packaging snuggly and safely.

• Packaging and components

• Adhesive (Pritt Stick)

• Ensure all component items have been packaged before sealing package.

!

Step by Step Plan of Production Hannah%Jones%

Hannah%Jones%This development sheet documents my testing of several components to be used inside the gardening hobby kit. I will note the testing procedures and results as well as evaluate my findings with sketches, diagrams and photographs of different techniques I have tried out and compared.

Development – Testing Components

I carried out testing on the compressed compost discs so as to find out how much water each of the discs will absorb to make the information on the instruction sheet correct (e.g how much water to add to the drip tray, and how many discs will need to be included to fill two whole plant pots). The compressed compost discs are not impregnated with seeds.

By carrying out research, I found out that on average, one compressed compost brick weighed 6g. I added water until the disc would absorb no more, then drained the excess water off. The brick weighed 34g in the end – absorbing 28g of water, which equates to 28ml of water per brick, which rounds off to 30ml.

Compost Disc Testing

Vacuum Mould Testing

Packaging Testing

1

Using 0.75mm thick HIPS thermoplastic, I have tested my drip tray mould using a vacuum forming machine. This was mainly to test the stress of the sides of the angled MDF (medium density fibreboard) mould. I used HIPS instead of transparent PVC to test the mould because it allows me to see stresses (white against green, shown below). The mould admittedly didn't come out from the plastic easily, and in doing so, caused scratches on the sides, so I know to angle the

I have tested the quality and accuracy of my hobby kit's packaging by assembling it. I will check for alignment of the edges and overall structural integrity of the package. To the right are shown development stages of the insert to the package, and move from circular holes to square holes because of the change in shape from circle flowerpots to square ones.

Stress mark caused by tension on plastic during vacuum forming

Mould after vacuuming Upside Down view Birds Eye view

2

edges of the MDF mould more, and 'knock' the mould out instead of pry it out with scissors.

Uncompressed (maximum amount of water absorbed): 2.5cm

I also measured the height difference in the blocks.

Compressed: 0.5cm

Photographic evidence of 6gm being the weight of a dry compressed compost brick.

Testing note: After laminating the instruction leaflet, it was clear something was not right with the lamination process because bubbles and discolouring were visible on the surface (shown). This could have been caused by the laminator not being heated enough, and do not pass my quality control.

Bubbles

Discolouring

Absorbed water

Third Party Evaluation I designed a questionnaire to ask a third party audience what they thought of my gardening hobby kit, and the development folderwork so far. I asked the below questions to a third party audience to gauge their answers to evaluate my gardening hobby kit. Mr Peachment is an art teacher in his middle age. He has a seven year old son (who fits within the target audience of my hobby kit, making Mr Peachment's input very valuable). From his answers, I can see the positives and negatives of the kit's design and idea from a non-biased source. Which of my ideas do you find the most interesting? Mr Peachment found the idea of the origami plant pots interesting because it was "unusual" and "entertaining" for the use of the gardening hobby kit to put together, making the hobby kit stand out from others which on the face of them look similar. Is there a specific aspect of my design that you think is innovative or imaginative? He commented again on the paper origami plant pots as being different, but also liked the design of the packaging, which resembles a garden shed. He explained that eye catching packaging is key to a successful product, and I agree with him, and explained that I designed the packaging with that in mind. I have also carried on this philosophy through to the inside of the packaging, which I had to show to Mr Peachment as a net because I had not yet assembled it. He showed appreciation of the effort I had put in to the design of my kit, which was imaginative. How much would you pay for my product? Mr Peachment stated that he would pay around £9.99 for the hobby kit if he were to our base it at a retail store. He explained this was a reasonable price for he considered my hobby kit to be an up-market product. I think the price he chose is balanced between the lack of materials required for a gardening kit (cheap compost, seeds and pots on the most basic level) versus the more expensive design of the packaging, though a downfall of the packaging at the time was that it did not state the included components inside the kit. This is something I will have to address so that the audience knows why they are purchasing more fully. Which shops do you think would stock my gardening hobby kit? Mr Peachment saw my product as being very successful in a commercial industry. He said he would see my hobby kit being sold in just about every gardening store or centre, because of the gardening theme associated with it. This is interesting as I would also foresee supermarkets such as Tesco selling the product, which he didn't. Who do you think is the target audience of my product? My third party question answerer replied with "Boys probably 6 to 8ish" - which is spot on to my intended target market in both gender and age. This shows that my product - packaging and idea - are well suited to the target audience and are well represented, showing successful design and demonstration of my intended ideas. Would you or a member of your family buy my gardening hobby kit? Mr Peachment said that he would "Definitely buy it for my son Sam", who is 7 years old. Again, this shows that I have successfully made and targeted my gardening hobby kit product.

Hannah%Jones%Quality Control

I also carried out quality control on the vacuum-formed tray that lies inside my gardening hobby kit. I tested the mould (explained and showed in Testing Components), but also had to make sure that there was no dust etc. lying on the mould when it came to moulding the final outcome. I checked for scratches and dirt on the surface of the insert, and it looks clean and scratch-less. I also made sure I cut around the insert carefully, to avoid any dangerous sharp edges that could harm the user of the kit (shown in the photo to the right) - but the outcome was safe.

Vacuum-formed Insert

Quality

On one occasion of laminating a prototype double-sided instruction sheet, the laminating plastic pouch had made bubbles under the surface of the plastic. This also discoloured the ink on the paper, as shown on the right, which is obviously not of commercial quality. Another problem with laminating the pouch, was the creases and bubbles increased when bigger (A4) paper was used. This led me to resize the instruction leaflet to A6 size, but also works out to my advantage because the sheet now fits inside the kit snuggly, without having to be folded.

Laminating Bubbles

By "quality of edges", I mean the aesthetic quality of the edges of the packaging, where I have cut (e.g. around the handle). Because the colour of the copier paper is white, the edges were white, which contrasted with the black look of the top half of the packaging (shown on the right). I solved this by using a black marker pen to draw on the edges, colouring them black, which effectively solved the problem. During the manufacturing of the kit, I also had to make sure I was cutting the edges neatly, not leaving scuffs.

Quality of Edges

During the manufacturing of my gardening hobby kit, there were numerous things which didn't go as planned, which I therefore had to re-do or work around. This sheet documents the quality control I have carried out during the manufacture, and explains and evaluates the problems that occurred.

The quality of photos both on the package and components (eg. instruction leaflet) is of great importance because it can affect how professional/commercial the product looks. There were several watermarks that I had to get rid of from the photos. I used Photoshop's 'Content Aware Fill' to remove them, and it worked very effectively. Shown on the right are the watermarks before removal.

Quality of Photos

The quality of the printing of both my package and the instructions varied from day-to-day. Network issues caused discoloured squares to appear on the instruction leaflet, rendering the page useless because of the unprofessional look. A real example is shown on the right. Another variable factor in the outcome was the amount of ink in the printer. If a certain coloured ink in the printer was low, it would print stripes on the page. The stripes looked very unfitting - also shown on the right. I had to do trial and error each lesson to wait for my final outcome to print correctly.

Printing Quality

On several occasions, laminating the double-sided instruction sheet resulted in creases, folding and melting of the laminating pouch, destroying the look of the outcome and rendering the sheet useless. Shown here are some examples of the creasing and melting, which were caused because of two reasons: firstly, the laminator has a tendency to get too hot. Secondly, because the school printer cannot print double-sided, I was not able to stick the two sides together without glue. The glue added thickness to the paper, causing it to wrap around the rollers of the laminating machine, leading to creasing as one side of the pouch was being drawn in faster than the other. I solved the problem by both decreasing the temperature of the laminator (to around 110°), and finding a printer elsewhere that could print double-sided.

Laminating Quality

Shown on right are two more examples of laminating creasing that occurred when the laminating pouch was not fed in to the laminating machine straight. The sides of the pouch curled up as they reached the sides of the machine, causing these creases to appear lengthwise along the sheet. This problem occurred before the temperature problem (described below), so were separate, but I had to take the same precaution (feeding the pouch in to the laminating machine straight, along with the temperature checking).

Laminating Creasing

Hannah%Jones%Prototype Final Outcome

On the prototype, the finish was simply that of the ink on paper. In my final design, I have chosen to laminate the package so it looks more professional, and is more resistant to spills/etc. meaning an ergonomic advantage.

1 - Surface Finish

1 1

2 2

3 3

4 4

5 5

6

6

7 7

8

8 9 9

10 10

2 - Locking Tab

I have changed the Velcro tab, to a self-locking tab to make the hobby kit more secure. The self-locking tab is also more ergonomically and aesthetically pleasing.

3 - Method of Closing

In the prototype, the Velcro left a large gap between the two sides of the package, and was hard to remove without damaging the side. I replaced it with magnetic tape, which holds better and leaves less of a gap.

4 - Picture Quality

I removed the "mr100993" watermark for professional aesthetic presentation.

5 - Product Information

I added "for kids" to the front side of the package to increase the information visible on the package, because otherwise it wouldn't be clear who the hobby kit is marketed towards on first impressions.

6 - Method of Closing (2)

Here are some more photos of the difference between using Velcro and magnetic tape to fix the gaps left when the package closes. The magnetic tape also 'clicks' into place.

7 - Inner Aesthetics

It was hard to get the inner window design elements in the prototype to line up with the cut out windows, so I removed the frames because they offered very little aesthetic value in any case.

8 - Product Information

On the left hand side of the package, I removed the watermarks from the flower images, and added "See underside for more info" to the side to draw attention to the bottom of the package where product info is given (and could be missed if not given a cue to look beneath).

9 - Inner Shelf Attachment

Inside the package, the "shelf" doesn't attach to the side in the prototype. This left a wide gap which looked amateurish, so I added a tab to the final outcome to stick to the side to hold on to the shelf. The result works well (pictured)

10 - Opening Front Side

1

In the prototype, I did not design the inside of the front side because I did not see it necessary. However in the final outcome, I didn't feel that having a white space suited the overall look of the kit, so I designed and added the pictured component, which cues the user to "cut this section off" (meaning remove the front side

Pictured here is a pre-prototype model I used to create the net for the original "shelf". Here, you can see that the original holes were circular, because this was before I had decided to use origami plant pots, which are in fact square. I had to amend this design to fit, as you can see from the prototype and final outcome of the kit.

Underside shows product information

Ergonomic handle

Velcro used to attach

package sides

Self-adhesive magnetic tape used to attach package sides

On top-back side,

cut out windows

Designs appear to 'rest' on shelf

for aesthetic effect

This section is designed to be cut

off, but, as explained in #10, there was no cue to cut it off on the

prototype.

Stable structure ensures protection

for components during transportation

2

with scissors.).

Logo remains the same as on

prototype because of effectiveness

I took more care in cutting the net of the final outcome

to avoid scuffs

This image did not need

correcting as it has no

watermark

This section is designed to be cut off, although the prototype

does not indicate this.

On this sheet, I explain and evaluate the changes I have made to the design of my gardening hobby kit package from the prototype to the final outcome. Numbers on the images link to text boxed on the sides of the page.

I check each surface for quality of printing and

laminating, as explained in Quality Control.

There was also no floor decoration

under the insert on the prototype

!

!! Instructions

3

2

4

5

ORIGAMI PLANT POT

1 A

A

repe

at fo

r all s

ides

!

!! Instructions

3

2

4

5

COMPOST

1

10 mins