OUGD601 - Practical Initial Ideas 2

The research into target audiences surprisingly, showed that the average age of weightlifters for males, was between 23 and 24. It also revealed that the most frequent gym goers were 72 year olds, as they had the most time during retirement. The average age of a gym member in the UK, is 40 years old. One other thing to consider would be when these gym memberships are most popular during the year. This way the outcome may target the audience based on the season, using a seasonal offer or a specific sign-up time.

One idea that came about when thinking about the packaging, was to think of ways for it to look appealing to both men and women, or other genders. Packaging for men's and women's products are often reflective of the feminine and masculine traits. For example, the bottles used in men's fragrances may be broader and more geometric in shape, whereas the feminine approach of women's fragrances and skin care products were found to be curvy and smoother in shape. The idea that came from this, was to find everyday objects that all genders use and apply the designs to these, while analysing their shape. Most of the objects that were looked at were either related to skin care or health and vitality, so that the design would still relate in someway to health and fitness.

I particularly liked how the label looked when applied to the white packaging, as a mock up. This was because, the white gave the design a more medical approach, which took away any element of gender recognition. Instead it made the design look less personal to one group and more universal to everyone.

 After further feedback on this idea, it was suggested that the layout and identity of the brand should be reconsidered with better layout and choice of colour. Some say that the black packaging was too masculine in comparison to the white, which was deemed more universal.

As the design I had in mind was inspired by No7 Men's range, I decided to study the layout used on their packaging and how these guides could be applied to my own designs. Structurally, the text in the layout is split into 3 sections, making it easier for the viewer to gauge importance in a hierarchy structure.

It also used the layered the colours one after the other, in a sequence that made the design approach easier to read. These highlighted areas of coloured text were made with the intention of catching the viewer's eye and drawing their attention to the importance of these words.