The third dimension

Lianne van den Berg van den Berg-Weitzel and Gaston Van de Laar

Structural design (3D) is as important as graphic design in today's packaging. Lianne van den Berg-Weitzel and Gaston van de Laar, from Claessens Product Consultants, describe research to investigate the role of bottle shape in drinks marketing, illustrated by a Bols Vodka case study.

The third dimension

Lianne van den Berg-Weitzel and Gaston van de Laar

3D is hot. While the development of packaging used to focus primarily on graphic design, in recent years a redesign with no consideration given to structural design would be almost unthinkable (see photographs below). Graphic presentations are still evolving, of course, but nowadays, unlike ten years ago, 3D seems to be leading the way in design development.

The freedom to design 3D forms seems to be limited only at a functional level. Factors such as material properties, the capabilities of filling lines and other basic technical...

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