Photography or Illustration?
Choosing illustration vs photography is a fundamental decision when thinking out a new food packaging design. Sometimes you want to use illustration because your competitors are using photography. Illustration can add an element of fantasy, depicting the taste as it exists in the imagination of the consumer. A painting can also add a precious and hi-end look that contrasts with the ubiquitous cheap photoshop collage. (I paint in Photoshop, so have nothing against that.) Or maybe the product just doesn’t photograph well, or at all.
All of these came into play with the new Asian Traditions Ramen carton, designed by San Francisco branding agency Gauger and Associates. They wanted a very asian style design. Simple with no unnecessary elements. Noodles should have the elegance of a long formal evening dress.
Noodles are just out of control on chop sticks. Gauger used a photo to show what they wanted. They also sent me some product and the first thing I did was to boils some up for lunch. I took some photos of my own, just to study the look, color, textures, etc for my own painting.
