Graphic - refers to the use of image form for the dissemination of the meaning of visual information, graphics is a universal language that transcends the barriers between nations and ethnic groups. In modern packaging design, graphics should not only have relatively complete visual semantics and ideas. Connotation, we must also weigh the laws of formal beauty, combined with the composition, pattern, painting, photography related techniques, through the computer graphics software processing to symbolize it, and has rich visibility, easy to recognize memory and other characteristics, in the color of packaging design The elements of text and elements highlight their unique role.

First, the semantics of the graph

Having a complete sentence implies the essential characteristics of the graphic. (USA) graphic design guru Herbé Lubín said: "The graphic designer's vocation is to use image projection information," and (Dutch) Escher in his massive positive In negative graphics, contradictory graphics, gradient graphics, and monster variations, topics such as ancient and modern, fusion and development, and interaction between subject and object can be displayed ingeniously and interestingly through common lines, sharing shapes, and isomorphism; or they can be realistic. The details achieve specific and plausible perspective effects, so that the graphic works go beyond the general visual experience and convey the philosophical ideas hidden in the absurd form.

Cave paintings, frescoes, masks, and hieroglyphs in the early days of mankind can be said to be the earliest figures. They often have the meaning of warding off evil and recording life, or are related to religious ceremonial activities. They try to pin their original ideals of hunting and martial arts. Its totem color is obvious. The prosperity and development of modern commodity economy have determined that the graphics in packaging design carry multiple meanings.

1, face a different audience

Currently, the "Wine Wine" produced by the Shanghai Guanshengyuan Group, which has a large market in Shanghai, has its packaging label design vertically arranged in traditional warm colors and woodblock texts, embodying the orthodox concept of "being harmonious and expensive", and at the same time, Its audience is dominated by middle-aged and old consumers in southern cities. The concept of "nutritional rice wine" is proposed to meet the new consumer value trends in today's society. It is used as a low-grade, nutritious, health-care brewing wine that meets the development trend of the world's beverage and wine and is more suitable for "communicative Cooperation". Therefore, the wine packaging design graphic is composed of a simple extra-large standard Song type font and the harmonious color of the book, as well as the nutrition, sweetness and softness of the design of the rice wine taste. In early years, Shaoxing, which is well-known in Shanghai "Longshan" gradually faded out of the Shanghai market. Its pure taste and outer packaging of yellow rice wine is neither "local" nor "relationship with wine" in the city's graphical aesthetic interests. It is obviously in a weak position.

Similarly, in recent years, the “Shikumen-Shanghai Old Wine” series with the geographical and cultural characteristics of Shanghai was designed by the famous designer Mr. Zhao Zuoliang in recent years. The signage will be the graphic symbol of the Shikumen building’s gate building, with nostalgic residuals. In the image processing, the two main colors of red and black in Shikumen building were adopted, and two series of “red label” and “black label” were launched, evoking people's pursuit of the passage of time and delusions. It was the same as “wine and wine”. The “mass design” and high-level skills in the mass consumption level reflect a classic and nostalgic attitude. It is a model for designing middle-aged and old-aged specific objects in southern cities and gradually forms a competitive advantage. At present, it is produced by the Guanshengyuan Group. "Wine and Wine - Golden Age" series has covered young consumer groups. “Fine and wine, make real friends”, talk about taste, talk about fashion, talk about lifestyle, and make it a fashionable consumer product. In this successful marketing process, the role of graphics has contributed.

2, in the face of different environments

Three types of soft drinks, cola, coffee and tea, generally reflect three different consumption environments. Coke's unrestrained movement in the graphic design of the packaging is consistent with the interest of the younger generation. Its consumption status is often at the time of walking, movement and sticking. Coffee is blended with elegance, quiescence and leisure. It is fully applied to graphics. Reflecting the humane care and affectionate warmth and honesty, it is as if the packaging of wine is full of delicate and romantic tastes; the drinking habits of tea are consistent with the poetry and painting, and it is entirely the unique taste of the Chinese people. In the graphic application of the packaging, it is more inclined to The innovation under the traditional text composition, color, and graphic interpretation is a typical static, implicit, and meaningful situation for the Orientals, whether it is the Jiangnan green tea, the Fujian oolong tea, the Yunnan Puer tea, and the northern tea flower, in the packaging graphics and The color tone is always related to the color of the tea soup, related to the national graphic elements, and related to the consumption environment.

3, in the face of different times

In the primitive period, free-hand drawing of graphic symbols highlighted the indigenous colors with its simplicity and closeness. After today's society has experienced the industrial revolution and the wave of informationization sweeping the world, economic integration has forced graphics to come in concise form in packaging design. To adapt to the rhythm and aesthetic taste of modern people, this is the agreement that different regions and different nationalities should integrate the information in the modern era. Under this prevailing premise, we can only talk about the deeper understanding of the packaging design features of nationalization and regionalization.

Master Liu Wei designed the "Kang Yugan Yujiu Wine" with orange as the main color, together with the dragon and crown graphics to highlight the palace's creative theme, showing its noble and strong artistic effect, and its outer packaging and inner packaging container shape is still Concise geometric lines and densely organized graphic organization have established a graphic example of the organic combination of the times and the nationality.

Second, the graphic method

In addition to the interpretation of the semantics of the package, the graphic is easy to remember, beautiful, and innovative. The just-in-time graphics play multiple functions such as beautification, information media, and communication in the packaging design.

1. Physical transparency and physical graphics: It is particularly common in food and beverages and other goods and electrical appliances that have a short shelf life. The main advantages include the physical appearance of goods, physical images, and physical illustrations. The texture and credibility of the product make it clear at a glance.

2. Symbolic shape and color: The use of symbolic shape and color is expressed in various types of product packaging, such as perfume, food, beer, firecrackers, stationery, etc. It uses imagery in non-deterministic graphics. And color association with product content consistency, such as moon cake packaging design, often with the cultural meaning of the Mid-Autumn poetic scene expression product, paint pigment packaging with sudden color graffiti symbol and so on.

3, text graphics: For example, "Coca Cola" and "Wine Wine" are "text" to form the main body of the figure, it uses different font styles and sizes, as well as the density of space processing to form a packaging design on the appearance of the form. Through textual graphics, the concept of product names, product attributes, historical sources, and product functions are emphasized.

4, aesthetic graphics: women's cosmetics, wine, moon cakes and cultural goods, often with abstract shapes and colors, or figurative poetry and painting to decorate the best, to modify the noble, delicate, delicate products in Japanese packaging design Particularly common, reflecting the exquisite quality of goods.

5, expansion of graphics: has a dramatic feature to attract the attention of consumers. The “drinker” wine container designed by the master artist Mr. Huang Yongyu is a typical expansion pattern. It arbitrarily squeezes the shape of a clay bottle into sacks, leaving people undiscovered of the taste, first getting drunk and combining simplicity and expansion. It echoes with the graphic subject of the signboard, Mr. Huang Yongyu's writing of the “drunk” madgrass typeface. It is full of association, tempting tasting, and the image of wine and people's mental state. It is strange and intriguing.

Third, the purpose of the graphic

We can see from the origin of the original graphic that the first meaning of the graphic lies in ideographic meaning, and the appearance of hieroglyphs in the East and the West has thus begun to promote morale, ward off evil, record life, and describe people and events. This role of graphics in modern packaging design has never changed, so graphics unrelated to the content of the product are likely to be invalid graphics; contemporary text is the human abstract information exchange code, people need to have a specific cultural basis to interpret, The graphic has a visual image, regardless of people's cultural level, or language barriers between different ethnic groups, they can often be communicated through graphical exchanges, and have the characteristics of popularity, affinity, and easy to remember. Undoubtedly has a significant effect. The appearance of the graphical form complements the tediousness and boringness of the text narrative, gives the package design a sufficient aesthetic and intimacy, and the function of the graphic in the package is the same as the logo in the VI design. In the systematic design, it plays a role in establishing brand and interpretation. The role of promotions.

IV. Problems

In packaging design, reflecting the cultural and ethnic characteristics of a product is one of the issues that designers must consider. The “people-oriented” design is first of all a dialogue between the designer and the consumers in the virtual market. “To whom?” When saying, "Where to say" should have a clear positioning, and ultimately make the product recognized by a specific consumer group, which will win market and profit for the merchant. Our nationalization and internationalization of design has experienced a total negation and wide-ranging discussion and attention. In the annual "Packaging Star" organized by Shanghai Bao Xie and the packaging design competition of the first "Oriental Star" of this year's college students. Many young designers have made many useful explorations of the use of graphics. However, they often only stay on top of the blunt understanding of localization. The use of external traditional graphics is abrupt and blunt. The appearance of the graphics is not good, and the content is Insufficient contact and other deficiencies. The author presided over and participated in the graduation defense of the art design undergraduate level, young students often do not interpret the characteristics of different tea varieties, geographical and consumer groups, regardless of the relationship between the cost of food products and packaging costs, talk about the design of national attributes One of the main problems with artistic effects is the lack of mentality in the interpretation of culture, the metaphysical and conceptual understanding of the use of graphics in packaging, the second is the thinness of cost consciousness in commercial design, and the third is the basic elements of packaging design. The concept is not strong. In addition, while more and more export commodities emphasize national characteristics, they must also integrate with international laws such as the consensus of the times.

Therefore, nationalization and modernity are a pair of tough swords. How to grasp the relationship between the graphics and the success or failure of the entire packaging design.




Author/(Zheng Han)

Source: Shanghai Packaging