The Package Design class is directed at students who have basic Illustrator and design skills, adding onto that knowledge with instruction on designing flat cartons, folding cartons, labels, flexible packaging, and shrink wraps, explains Bruner. It discusses the ramifications of what is needed in the file to build a package. The instructor also discusses the business side of packaging - sales, marketing and branding, market distribution, and shelf placement at the retail site.

Learning the practical implications of 3D

Prior to implementing Esko software, students were only able to talk theory about packaging design; with Studio they are able to actually create the graphics in Illustrator, and then work with the file in 3D. Working in Studio, package design students create full size samples, developing a comprehensive understanding of the 3D aspect and the implications of the prototypes, says Bruner. "Studio allows us to introduce the 3D aspect of package design. Students are able to take a PDF file and create a 3D prototype. They are able to take the 3D image and rotate it, seeing all the various sides and checking the quality of their design, seeing how their folds work."

Students are also able to design a 2D flat and test if it is structurally sound, using the 3D capabilities of Studio. Studio helps fold the flat die drawing, allowing an understanding of how the artwork aligns - or doesn't - and how to account for cuts and creases. Before additional design elements are added, Studio's 3D capabilities can see placement of seals or gussets for possible obstruction of design elements. "Studio lets them see where the flap is and how to construct it the right way, folded inside and out," explains Bruner. "When the flaps are created in 2D, you aren't getting that information; in 3D, you can see if it folds up correctly."

Appreciating importance of structural design

While Harper College doesn't yet have specific courses on structural design, the tools from Esko allow students to gain an appreciation of structure, explains Bruner. "The instructor brings in existing CAD die files and the students utilize those files for their designs," she says.

In the Packaging, Finishing and Distribution class, the course work covers a host of techniques, including foil stamping and embossing. "Packaging is very complicated," says Bruner. "It has to be finished and distributed, plus, there are environmental issues. Students learn how to fill out a pallet and ship the finished package, and where it will end up on the shelf."

The Package Design concentration now has a total of 10 students, a "perfect' number according to Bruner. The maximum number of students enrolled at any one time in any packaging class is 17, keeping the teacher-students ratio at a level that allows students to get the most from the class.

For those students interested in transferring to a four-year college to complete their graphic arts education, Harper has agreements with several colleges, including Arizona State University, Ferris State University, Illinois Institute of Art, Illinois State University, Robert Morris University, University of Wisconsin-Stout, DePaul University and Harrington College of Design.