Student Spotlight: Trip Kit

Olivia Paden (Art Center College of Design) created this educational "road-trip adventure kit" as a part of her packaging design class. Check it out.

"Project Brief: Design a “conceptual kit” that packages 3-5 items. It can be a how-to, an introduction/membership, or a how-to-survive kit.

My Project Concept: An engaging, educational “roadtrip adventure kit” for each child in the car, to help break up a long roadtrip into a series of mini-adventures. At each stop along your route, open a surprise gift, plus use photos and interesting facts to learn about your destination. 

TRIPKIT, which is targeted at elementary school age children, is playful, analog, modular, and social --  the goal is to get the whole family involved in the learning process. 

Inspirations: The design took visual cues from the unfolding of an old-school map, along with a rounded, kid-friendly graphic presence.

Materials: The custom folding carton could be produced using Clay Coated Boxboard made on a cylinder grade machine, using recycled corrugated boxes (tan and white), or with a virgin fiber 18 point paperboard such as Kraft. 

Printing Process: Printed with offset lithography using spot PMS colors using soy based inks."

Designed by Olivia Paden, Art Center College of Design, California 

Comments

[w]

This is a really nice idea.

My first thought is that the wordmark does not look completely resolved. I would like to be able to read the word trip first instead of attempting to puzzle out what it says. To me it immediately seems to be an arbitrary shape that reads as roadtrip markings, but is a little unclear and as I said, has me puzzling over what it says, as opposed to have an "ah-ha" moment.

Having said that however, upon seeing this it makes me wish I had thought of it first. It's clean, it's simple and it holds its own. So overall a good idea, executed wonderfully.

[Marlene]

From a parent point of view, I think this is absolutely brilliant! From a Packaging Technologist point of view, how do you mass produce this?

Well done!!

[Kendra]

I disagree respectfully with the person who says the mark is not completely resolved for the pure and simple fact I looked at it and knew instantly what it said. I thought the whole packaging was very smart. I just took an impromptu road trip to New Orleans and laughed when telling my wife I my mother used to always get these horribly organized Trip Kits from AAA and make me try to utilize them, etc.. Seeing this kit makes me wish it was around back then because who wouldn't have fun opening up a surprise up for at each destination? Oh, and good job including environmental responsibility in the materials/ ink. Kudos.

[Sassy]

As a parent that has always emphasized education, I love this idea!