Article

Hello Brand Managers!  How many times has the direction of your NPD had to change during the design process, adding unnecessary cost and time to your project?

One of R3DEFINE’s missions is to make your design process as efficient as possible, hopefully reducing the risk of potential time delays and additional on cost!

The design of any product or packaging should always end with the same outcome; to be functional yet aesthetically pleasing.  After all, not many people want a sports car that doesn’t deliver on both style and speed…what is the point?!  But how do you know you are designing in the right direction?…

Qualitative research is a vital part of any design process, an exploratory task undertaken to gain an understanding reasons, opinions, habits and motivations behind buying decisions and behaviors. So does it not make sense that when you present your design concepts to your hand picked focus groups, that you provide them with something accurate to look at?

It also makes sense that as a brand manager, you evaluate your concepts in their full glory, in their true packaging format with correct finishes, rather than sketches or 2D visuals on piece of paper.  By all means you want your concepts to look the part, but in making something look unrealistic to sell into your target audience, means you are effectively collecting false data meaning that it is more than likely your design will require changes later down the line – your focus groups and line managers, are providing opinions and decisions on a design that is not accurate!

R3DEFINE can help to stimulate your focus groups with realistic visuals, enabling you to make key design decisions early on with regards to aesthetics, form, substrate and finish, inevitably saving costs and more importantly time later down the line!

You could even really push the boat out and provide your focus groups with an animated exploratory visual that will really engage your audience!

There is so much that goes on in a 3D image – the extensive modeling, subtle lighting, depth of field, camera position…we could go on and on!

Ever tried to look at your packaging in a different light? The environment in which packaging visuals are showcased, can determine how your audience perceive your packaging, your product and more importantly, your brand!

R3DEFINE have recently invested heavily in technology that allow us to quickly create an unlimited number of bespoke lighting rigs to ensure your visuals are displayed, literally, in the best light possible!

With every visual we undertake at R3DEFINE we are striving to learn more and more how lighting affects not only how your product is viewed, but also how lighting evokes certain emotions; desire and nostalgia.  R3DEFINE understand that companies are no longer selling just a product, but also a promise that their product and company is going to have a beneficial impact on their customers lives.

The below images will show you exaggerated examples of how the lighting of a scene can change the mood and ambience of your visuals.

Let R3DEFINE help you make sure your visuals are communicating to your audience in the right way.  Our plugins allow us to quickly save off different LoRes renders with different lighting setups so we can collaboratively pick the right direction for your visuals…

We don’t just want to light your product, but we want to illuminate!

It’s finally here! the new and improved R3DEFINE website!  We recently wrote an article on how important it is to always try and keep “on trend” with your packaging, and keep the visuals of your product/packaging & brand.

We are not in the habit of dishing out advice without taking it on ourselves, so we can now proudly officially announce the launch of our new improved logo and website!  The aim of this new and improved site, is to ensure we are fully compatible across all platforms; mobile, tablet and PC, and to add interactive features to help us better connect with our audience.

R3DEFINE can now keep you up to date on all our latest projects, and insights with our new Showcase section, and will provide a platform for greater exposure on social media; keeping up with the kids!!  More significantly for us, it is important to us to try and instil a sense of community with our audience; to provide not only an efficient service, but to encourage collaborative working on all levels!

We hope you enjoy!

VISUALISE TO REALISE

www.R3DEFINE.co.uk

Immersing in NPD conceptual design, a holistic approach is imperative… 

Having a good understanding of the entire packaging process from concept to shelf will limit unforeseen production costs and provide a basis to successfully manage client expectations.  A vital component of such a holistic approach, is understanding the print process, substrate and varnish limitations.  Limitations often glossed over or ignored by some designers as they strive for design perfection… R3DEFINE however, choose not to deem these as restrictions, but more so technical parameters that allow the exploration and ultimately utilisation of the capabilities available. 

This approach was adopted recently, when an opportunity arose for R3DEFINE to design a new exciting gourmet trial mix range.  An exciting prospect for any design team, but also daunting when the technical specifications of the brief limited the designs to 3 print colours, printing on an out dated Flexo press.  A savvy yet measured approach would be required to add a premium feel to the range of four SKU’s – exploring a patterned white on a metallic substrate playing a key role in this. 

Patterned varnishes, and whites on metallic films can be a lifeline for designers where ranges require that added value to stand out from a saturated market.  But where do you start?  Rather than spending the clients budget solely on producing various proofing options, eating into time and budget, R3DEFINE’s visualisation offering meant that we were able to explore various options for patterned whites in, literally, seconds!   

The below set of images demonstrate of how R3DEFINE visuals can help dictate design direction.  Side by side are the same artworks, same model, with different white patterns (shown below), allowing different areas of the substrate to show through.  In the 30 seconds it took to render the image, a decision was made with regards to the direction we wanted to take…

The above set of images demonstrate of how R3DEFINE visuals can help dictate design direction.  Side by side are the same artworks, same model, with different white patterns (shown below), allowing different areas of the substrate to show through.  In the 30 seconds it took to render the image, a decision was made with regards to the direction we wanted to take.

Always striving for efficiency in our work-flow, we proved the case that R3DEFINE’s visualisation offering provides a great resource to enable cost effective and decisive design direction.  Don’t get us wrong, R3DEFINE are an advocate for proofing design files where colour approval is a must, and time and budget allow.  But if it is quick and decisive design direction you require, then R3DEFINE visuals are the perfect resource for you.

Don’t hinder your designs potential by taking a stab in the dark with patterned finishes, come and chat with us to see how we can implement a collaborative approach to improve all areas of your NPD design and packaging process.