New Online Course in Packaging Design

María Manda is a highly experienced freelance packaging designer and artist. She has previously taught packaging design at IÐAN Education Centre but has now put together a very ambitious online course that thoroughly covers all the main aspects of packaging design. The online course gives students the opportunity to build their knowledge of packaging design in well-defined steps.

A rapidly growing industry

Such knowledge is a prerequisite for being able to participate in the rapid growth predicted for packaging design and production. It's an industry undergoing major changes in line with contemporary demands for environmentally friendly yet safe production. The courses are suitable for designers and layout artists, salespeople, and those who work in marketing and are interested in design.

Design as a life's work

What is your background in design/graphic communication?

“There's a bit of a story to tell there. I was interested in architecture and enrolled in civil engineering at the University of Iceland, but after the first introductory meeting, I saw it wasn't for me. I took a bus straight from there to the Technical College in Reykjavík and enrolled a week late in the technical drawing programme. I finished the course but have never worked in that field. Two years later, in '83, I was studying fashion design at FIDM in LA, California, and after returning home, I worked in the design department at Álafoss for a year. After that, I worked as a freelance costume and fashion designer for twelve years until I was hired as a structural packaging designer at the old Kassagerð Reykjavíkur in '97. I worked there for six years, and during my last year, I studied graphic communication as an external student at the Technical College. In the spring of 2004, I started working as a structural and graphic designer at Prentmet and worked there for 6 years before I founded my own packaging design company, Umbúðasmiðjan. I closed the workshop in 2015 but have since worked as a freelance packaging designer alongside my work as a tour guide.”

Design provides financial security

You are also an artist and work in visual arts, how do these two things work together?

“I've always enjoyed visual arts and have taken many courses over the years. I probably should have gone to the Iceland University of the Arts, but I didn't. But design has given me financial security, so it took precedence. But now I try to focus on my art as much as I can and recently became a member of ART67 Gallery, where I exhibit and sell my work.”

Catching the customer's eye

What characterises good packaging design?

“I would say it varies depending on the product and the market. But packaging design that manages to differentiate the product from its competitors, catch the customer's eye and get them to pick up the product, protect the product, and facilitate handling is pretty good.” It's complicated to explain in a few words what designers should emphasise in packaging design, but if you had to choose just three words to describe the design, what would they be? “Imagination, knowledge, and diligence.”

Paper bags are making a comeback

Does the customer think differently today than before? Is there more thought given to environmental considerations, for example?

“Yes, people are generally more aware of the environment when it comes to packaging than before. Pressure groups have formed in society that constantly remind us about packaging use, especially plastic. People are using reusable shopping bags more, for example, and paper bags are making a comeback. Then there are those who want to skip packaging altogether. We've just created so much regulation around packaging that it will be difficult to do that. Many companies have adopted an environmentally friendly policy and want to sell healthy products in environmentally friendly packaging to customers who think that way. It used to be more common here that it was enough if the packaging looked environmentally friendly, even if it wasn't necessarily so. Like turning the brown side out instead of the white one. Now, people look more into what the paper is made of, and where and how it's processed, which is of course more environmentally friendly.”

An awakening for the environment

What has changed in designers' choice of materials for packaging?

“I think most designers try their best to use more environmentally friendly materials, whether in the packaging or the product itself. There's a great awakening in recycling and reusing. Working against things like food waste by creating something new from waste, etc. But then we mustn't forget that for designers to be able to choose more environmentally friendly materials, they have to be available, and that's where the companies come in that have long since started developing their products, such as more environmentally friendly plastic or materials that can replace plastic, etc. Many companies, both small and large, have established an environmental policy in these matters, not least due to pressure from the market and designers.”

Sometimes shocked by the packaging at Costco

What's on its way out? Is there anything in packaging design that is no longer considered appropriate?

“I haven't really thought about that. But it's the same in packaging design as in other design and fashion; everything goes in circles. What mainly comes to mind as being on its way out is packaging that is larger than necessary. By that, I mean that in the past, people would package small and expensive products in larger packaging so the customer felt they were getting more for their money; that has changed a bit. I am, however, sometimes shocked by the packaging at Costco, but many people avoid plastic if they can. I would say that people are trying to get rid of plastic.”

The future is interactive

What is the future of packaging design?

“I think the packaging of the future will be more interactive. That development began long ago. It's been a long time since a packaging material came on the market that changed color according to the condition of meat products. Bottle labels that you photograph with your phone come to life, etc. Technology has long since crept into packaging design, and that's only going to increase.”

If you could choose your dream project to take on, what would it be?

“Many of the projects I've already worked on have been dream projects, and more are yet to come. The courses for IÐAN Education Centre, for example, are one of the things I've wanted to do for a long time.”

Registration has opened for the first two courses in packaging design, basics in packaging design and structural design. Registration for even more courses will open in the spring: graphic design of packaging, production of packaging, and environmentally friendly packaging.