Packaging Design in Ecological Face Creams : How to represent an ecological face cream on the Swedish market

Background Advances in technology resulted in a transition to mass production of goods. This signified an increase in packaging demands, as well as the need for packaging to stand out. The usage of graphic design can make a packaging sell a product and it is vital to a company. At the same time, demands for ecological skincare products have seen an increase in the past years. Aim The purpose of the study is determining the most prevalent design characteristics of ecological face creams on the Swedish market, as well as evaluating how a potential customer would perceive an average product with such characteristics. Method The study used the strategy design and creation to produce an artefact, as well as the survey strategy to evaluate the artefact. The data collection methods used within these strategies were documents and a questionnaire. The study used the website jordklok.se for its data collection, where 78 products with organic certifications were visually analysed in order to design an average ecological product. Results The data collection results established that most products studied were grouped into ranges. Characteristics of ecological face creams packaging could be summed up after the visual analysis in percentages. The range of face creams Ariory was the artefact produced by collecting data through the visual analysis, within the design and creation strategy. The survey strategy resulted in the majority of respondents assessing the designed range as ecological in appearance. Conclusions It has been concluded that packaging that is perceived as ecological by potential customers can be designed by using average design characteristics of existing products.