Project 1: Cereal Box Research
Tu Le
University of Houston
DIGM 1350
Cereal Box Research
TARGET MARKET
My cereal box design is focused on both kids and adults of both genders. Our cereal is made from corn and honey which is sweet but has a lot of energy. This product will be released in the Lunar New Year period, so we use the lunar new year theme with a red and golden box and the cereal with the shape of coins.
COMPETITION RESEARCH
Healthy, organic cereal is a competitive market. There is already some big company which leading the market. As a young Asian company like mine, I will focus on the flavors and the appearance of my products.
My product is honey and corn cereal which is not a special flavor, but it is a delicious one and easy to eat. My competitions in this market, especially in the USA are Kellogg's Crunchy Nut Golden Honey Nut Cereal and NATURE'S Path Honey’d Corn Flakes.
Both are famous brands on USA market. However, their box design is also old and outdated with no attractive image besides a bowl of cereal. That is why not a lot of kids like and try their honey and corn flavor.
According to Anika J.M from Texas A&M University. The cereal used around the world is increasing each year. Especially the Asian market, since there is more and more Asian food company joining the cereal market and creating new and better flavors (Awika, "Major Cereal Grains Production and Use around the World", 2011). Our company is one of them and we understand what Asian people prefer. That is why our honey cereal is less sugar and uses real honey for the sweet flavor.
Moreover, we know how to impress people with our box design especially Asian market with their culture. That is why we release this product with a lunar new year theme. On the back, we design the box with color and a funny Asian character and a maze mini-game behind the box. We also change the cereal inside to the shape of golden coins.
RESEARCH REFERENCES.
Awika, J. M. (2011). Major Cereal Grains Production and Use around the World. ACS Symposium Series Advances in Cereal Science: Implications to Food Processing and Health Promotion, 1-13. doi:10.1021/bk-2011-1089.ch001
Kellogg's Crunchy Nut Golden Honey Nut Flakes Cereal. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.directionsforme.org/item/6747465
Nature's Path Organic Honey'd Corn Flakes Cereal Gluten Free. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.directionsforme.org/item/7085401
ANALYTICAL REASONING: WHY I APPLIED CERTAIN ILLUSTRATOR FEATURES:
Why create a character with the Pen tool:
For creating a character for a cereal box. In my case, it is a boy playing lion dance – a tradition of the lunar new year. To create that character, I have to combine the eclipse tool, rectangle tool, and pen tool.
A pen tool is a powerful tool in Adobe Illustrator. I used it to create some minimal curve shapes like the fingers, the curve of the lion tails…. I also use the pen tool to shape the milk from an eclipse shape.
Why create two-color swatches:
For creating the cereal box, I need a theme color. So, I created two color swatches. One is the gradient from red to orange. That color is the main color of the lunar new year. The second one is two shades of yellow to make a golden look for the typing. With them, I can fill up the box and stroke objects.
Why label layers:
Labeling layers is how I can control which layer I was using at that moment and what objects in that layer. That helps me find and edit objects faster and accurately.
Why outline text layers:
The text when you type it requires the installed font. That is the way you have to outline the text layers, so it could save their text in shape form and can be seen on another computer without the need of font.
Why design research is important to quality work:
Design research is important for the quality of works. Because you can see a completed design of other people. You can look and analyze what is good and bad about the design that will help you get more experience to improve your design.
