This is a project I recently completed for my Package Design course at SCAD. Our assignment was to recreate a non-food packaged item.  We had total creative freedom otherwise, as long as the design was appropriate.  So to start this assigmment, we first had to choose our products.  And thinking up a product off the top of my head in about 5 minutes wasn’t a good idea.  It’s like when you aren’t needing your computer to do anything it works really fast, but as soon as something is due – it conks out on you.  Well, that’s what my brain did – so I did what any sane designer would do,  I went shopping.  First I headed over to Target.com then on to the real store and somehow ended up in the camping section.  Not a camper by nature, I am not quite sure how I made it to this section (perhaps because it was next to the toys section – yes!). But a shiny red knife that could do anything and everything caught my eye and thus my product was chosen.  The original packaging was dull and boring, a plastic clamshell that has that sealed plastic weld that is impossible to open (The kind that a Swiss Army Knife would be quite helpful for and yet it merely mocks you enclosed in its plastic shell – yeah that kind). These knives are supposed to be the end all be all of pocket knives and yet the best they can come up with is a damn clamshell…my plans were to one up them and design a feasible yet beautiful package (Dream Big!).

For research I really thought about this product and who used it.  Right off the bat I knew I wanted to use their logo (duh) and of course my prominent color would be red.  My font choice was pretty obvious as well with it being Helvetica (Swiss Product = Swiss font). But my research also led me to other preplanned decisions.  The typical user of this knife would be boyscouts, outdoorsmen, etc. and therefore I deduced a love for the outdoors.  From this, I selected my paper choice as a natural style paper that was eco-friendly and recycled.  I originally wanted to go with something from French Papers but found that they were a bit expensive for my tastes.  Instead, I was able to find exactly what I was looking for with Neenah Paper’s Enviroment Series.  I ordered samples from their website which were free except for shipping and handling (rock on Neenah!).Also from my research I found that people that get these knives really just want an excuse to use them (this is pretty much on a personal level – I bought the knife for the project and have since used it every chance I get). But from this, I decided early on that I wanted to include an interactive element in the package. From these choices and ideas, this is what emerged:

Alright so the design starts out with a 100lb paper sleeve that is very simple and features the logo on one side and a techincal drawing of the knife on the other side.  I wanted to keep this design as simple as possible while making sure that the package stays true to the Swiss Army Knife lifestyle.  The techincal drawings are meant to play into this idea of field manuals used by the military and also plays well into the technical aspects of the knife with the precision and manufacturing that the knife actually employ. The sleeve gives the packaged a very refined and elegant finish and allows the logo to be prominently displayed.  I feel that when browsing the pocket knifes that brand is strong enough that the logo alone is enough to sell this knife.  Basically, everyone knows what a Swiss Army Knife is (at least people that are shopping pockets knives, and those that have somehow manged to wander into this section from the toys). When sliding the package out of the sleeve, you are greeted with the company name and the glisten of the knife through the diecutted opening.  Various sides of the packaging contain information about the product.  Opening the tab at the top allows you to retrieve the product. Like I said earlier, this package is about interaction and allows you to use the knife right away.  The instructions and ‘operating manual’ are acctually printed on the insde of the package and to reach them you cut open the side of the package.  So, after carefully slicing the side open, you can unfold the attached booklet to reveal the operating manual.  This gives youthe guide to the tools, care, service, etc. While it may seem silly to cut open the box that stores the product, the mentality of this is that you should use the knife the way it was intended and attach it to your keychain with the keychain implement included on the knife – thus, no need for a box.   Well, that’s it thats my packaging.  Overall, I feel that this is a pretty successful package. It’s a practical design that works for the mentality of the typical Swiss Army user. The flat piece is printed on Neenah Enivorment (Desert Storm, 80lbs & 100 lbs cover) and is less then 8.5″ x 11″.  It is printed in 2-color (Red & Black), double sided.