The effect of packaging materials in packaging design

The function of packaging is not only beautiful to advertise their products with the purpose of protection and storage of goods, but also affect the sale of goods. The traditional packaging concepts emphasize the protection function, modern packaging is in line with the essence of product requirements to meet the needs of the consumers. The packaging material is the material basis of commodity packaging, they are rely on scientific and technological development. The designers must be familiar with the characteristics of a variety of packaging materials and scientific use of them in the packaging design with beautiful and unique morphology to provide consumers with more product information and selection.

Packaging materials has experienced a long development process of primitive society, people with leaves, shells, bamboo, gourds and other natural materials to wrap food, in Northern Song Dynasty, paper, cloth became packaging materials; the development of modern industry, metal, glass, plastic and other packaging materials appeared in succession to broaden the new fields of application. The commonly used packaging materials include paper, plastic, glass and metal four main categories.

Paper is one of the four great inventions of ancient China and it has wide resources, light weight, low cost, good folding bility, suitable for printing, recyclable, and many other advantages, known as the "green packaging materials, is the most widely used kinds of packaging materials. Paper packaging materials can be divided into paper, cardboard, corrugated paper three categories. Plastic as a packaging material it is waterproof, oil resistance, transparency, resistance to cold, resistance to drug, low cost, light weight, coloring, easy processing characteristics of plastic caused by a variety of shapes, packaging and printing. Glass as a container widely used in the 15th and 16th centuries BC, the ancient Egyptian. It has a high degree of transparency and corrosion resistance, the manufacturing process is simple, the shape of free volatile, hardness, resistance to heat, easy to clean, airtight, easy to seal, can be used repeatedly, rich in raw materials, low prices for a number of advantages. Glass as a packaging material for food, oil, wine, beverages, condiments, cosmetics, and liquid chemical products, has a very wide range of uses. In the early nineteenth century, the metal material used in packaging, along with advances in manufacturing techniques, metal packaging has become a very popular form of packaging. It can cut off products from air, light, water vapor entry and aroma of the shed, airtight, resistant to impact, the food can be packaed in it for long time. The choice of materials is often the basic principles of scientific, economic, and applicability in packaging design. A reasonable choice of packaging material has an important role in the overall effect of the packaging.

The visual effect of the product packaging will promote the sale of goods, it plays an important role in increasing the competitiveness of goods. Packaging materials are the only reality of substance being touched by consumers, contact with consumers is more intuitive and more specific. Packaging materials in the packaging of goods assume the role of information carrier. Materials of different attributes, the packaging manufacturing process is different, naturally occurring visual effect is not the same. Therefore, the choice of packaging materials in the packaging design is an important part, is also one of the main factors influence the packaging effect.

For a packaging designer, to master the design techniques is only a necessary skill, he must be familiar with the characteristics of the various packaging materials, and clear in mind about the effect of each material acheives to give full play to the material role with the best packaging of visual effects, to make the best goods packaging to impact the consumer's visual organ.