Design Brief
OVERALL OBJECTIVE:
To make improvements on current fresh food packaging design while including both people with normal vision and people with visual impairment.
MAIN ADVERTISING MESSAGE:
Fresh, Touch, Natural
USP (UNIQUE SELLING PROPOSITION):
- Tactile Labelling
- Braille included
- Fully recyclable package
- Easy open package
EXECUTIONAL CONSIDERATIONS CONTENT:
To make everyone’s life easier.
Research
PAIN POINTS OF NEGLECTED PEOPLE:
Blind/ Colour blind/ Visual impairment
- Cannot read the text (Cannot tell the expriy date of food) (A simple code like this is better than usingbraille)
- Cannot distinguish different prodcut by colour (Legibility and high-contrast graphics)
- Legibility
People with limb disabilities
- Cannot hold/ open the packaging easily
Aging people
- Text size can be too small
- Too difficult to open (too tight, design is too complex)
- Cannot find ‘date of manufacture’ and ‘date of expiration’, and always forget them
Target Auidence
Geographic: City and/ or suburban living
Economic: Middle
Demographic: Young to Elders
Psychographic: Healthy, Environmentally conscious
Physiological: Visual impairment, Normal vision, Colour blind
Inclusive Design
Initially, the idea of using a push-button mechanism on the cup lid was intended to help users track product freshness. However, further research revealed that this approach would not be practical in real retail environments. In Canadian supermarkets, for example, salads and meats are often left on shelves for multiple days, and store employees are not responsible for manually updating freshness indicators for every item. Additionally, the expiration of fresh foods like meat cannot be reliably calculated from the moment of opening, making the original concept less feasible.
To find a more accurate and scalable solution, I explored emerging technologies in the food industry and discovered a touch-sensitive solution known as tactile labelling. One example, developed by Mimica Lab, is a small sticker-like pouch that inflates when the food inside is no longer fresh. This system has already been tested on meat products and offers a smart, real-time freshness indicator that does not rely on arbitrary dates.
To further enhance accessibility, I considered incorporating Braille into the design of the tactile label, allowing visually impaired users to understand its function and status.
Academic Project
Fresh Buttons
Date
Nov 2021
Project type
Packaging Design
Fresh Buttons is a brand design project that centers on inclusive packaging.
The goal is to create a solution that not only helps people with physical limitations open and use products more easily, but also improves the experience for all users by making freshness and usability more intuitive. By focusing on both dignity and efficiency, the design offers a universal benefit without compromising on clarity or visual appeal.
Design Process
This section documents the structural and branding development for Fresh Buttons packaging.
I began by exploring two material options for the container: full plastic and full paper. Plastic offers the advantage of transparency, allowing users to assess the freshness of the food inside easily, but it poses environmental concerns. Paper is more eco-friendly, yet it has drawbacks such as higher production costs, poor moisture resistance, and the inability to show the contents clearly.
After gathering feedback from classmates and reflecting on the trade-offs, I decided to combine both materials. The final structure uses a transparent plastic lid for visibility and a wax-treated paper tray to improve sustainability without compromising function.
The logo also went through multiple iterations before reaching its final form. I created two versions—one for meat and one for salad. The finger icon enclosed in a rounded square symbolizes the tactile freshness indicator that defines the brand’s concept, reinforcing both function and visual identity.
