Internal Collab - period box research

Emma and I researched into existing period product packaging, looking at both pads and tampons. We were looking for a few different considerations including 

• design
• language
• content
• use of icons
• shape
• size
• fastening

From the bodyform boxes, the packaging style was typical of what you would find across other period products. The box was pink and decorated with 'sparkly' patterns. Both of these design features lend themselves to a feminine aesthetic. Tampax however used less gendered style, using a deep blue and circular yellow patterns across it. This made the box look more medical/clinical than bodyform.

Both boxes had a fastening where one flap of the opening was glued to the other, so to first open the box you would have to rip these flaps apart. The bodyform box also featured a perforated section where you could rip this out and have the box dispense pads through the hole made. The tampon box however had a handy tab that could refasten the box when not in use. 

The bodyform box was taller than it was wide, although the orientation of the sides of the box varied. One was vertical to match the front of the package, and one was horizontal, so the box could be stored in either orientation. The tampon box was square, and wider than it was deep, this looked to be the best way to package condoms. Notable extras in the design features was that the body form box featured a cut out in the front of the box so you could see the pads through.

Content

The content for the products varied across type and brand. The recurring features were obviously the name of the product, as well as the number inside the package, and the type/absorbency of each product. Any other information seemed to describe beneficial features of the product e.g. fresh, comfort etc.

Also in use on the packaging was the use of imagery to show what the product is, as well as icons to represent absorbency. This is clear in getting across what the product inside is, and I think icons could be used in our designs as this seems to be a useful feature, instead of using ambiguous words that could be open to interpretation.