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Old-School Prototyping Speeds Modern Packaging Design Workflow

A five-step packaging prototype design process based on ‘old-fashioned’ tools from Dr. R. Andrew Hurley helps students reap the benefits of both physical and digital tools.

Dr. R. Andrew Hurley, Associate Professor, Clemson University
Dr. R. Andrew Hurley, Associate Professor, Clemson University

I’ve been teaching package design at Clemson University since 2007. Over the years, I’ve noticed a change in how students mentally approach the prototyping phase of the design process.

When I started my academic career, students were quick to grab paper, film, or board, pull out their rulers, then measure, cut, and prepare physical prototypes on the manual cutting and creasing tables. Through this process, students “worked” the substrate and were able to craft highly functional and custom structural designs without the need for software. The pain in this process, back then, was converting that physical design into a digital design.

Today, 14 years later, the pain has shifted. All students are introduced to the Adobe Creative Suite in their first year; in fact, most general education courses involve projects that develop graphic design skills. Nearly all packaging students are competent in 2D and 3D design by the time they arrive in my classroom. All have learned to quickly generate parametric standards with a few clicks. But when it comes to a custom structure, a lot of students struggle during the conceptual phases of the design process. Designing, for many, begins and ends on a screen; the default is no longer to work the substrate.


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I’ve noticed, as well, that designing on a screen can limit creativity. You can fold a sheet of paper in an instant, but redesigning and rendering a simple fold in software requires many more clicks. The screen encourages the development of inserts and dunnage that look great, but if crafted crudely by hand, would quickly show the designer how impractical that solution would be. That kind of interaction between substrate and product is an experience I have yet to see emulated well on a screen.

So, with changing times, I’ve had to redefine and reintroduce the “old-fashioned” ways and have developed a process that enables students to reap the benefits of both digital and physical worlds through a five-step process.

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