This is an open post so please feel free to add any questions in the comment section and I will do my best to answer these as soon as possible.

What’s your educational background?

I have a bachelors degree in furniture and product design from Nottingham Trent University (UK)

Have you ever worked in a studio or have you just freelanced?

I have only ever been self-employed but have worked as a freelance designer on-site and remotely with design studios throughout the UK.

What’s a typical day like in your life as a designer?

Unfortunately there is no such thing as a typical day, the type and quantity of work can change frequently throughout the year. I do however start each day by researching and writing about design for my blog BP&O or on Monday’s for The Dieline.

What’s your design process like?

I begin with client conversations and brief specifications, followed by research, design strategy, conceptualisation and then design for print. On receiving mock-ups I will talk it over with my client and make any adjustments and sign-off the art-work. The final stage involves invoicing and accounting.

How do you find inspiration?

I don’t typically go looking for inspiration. I write daily for my blog so that puts me in front of a lot of different design work which I then analyse and review (this really helps to get to understanding of why something is an appropriate design solution or the current trends and expectations of the modern consumer).

I also find that if you have a good design strategy then that should dictate the best solution rather than replicating what’s already on the market, this often leads to a new visual aesthetic that stands it apart from the competitors.

In my spare time I do frequent sites such as Pintrest, The Dieline and Lovely Package.

On your website you only have a few samples of your packaging work. Is that all you’ve done, are those just your favourites, or do you specialize more in logo and branding?

There are less packaging projects on my site in comparison to my visual identity work due to the difference in lead times. Packaging can take over a year to bring to market while a identity project may just be a month. I do have more packaging projects in my portfolio but choose not to put these on my site as the older pieces aren’t representative of what I’m capable of now plus getting decent photography done requires a lot of time an investment.

What do you think are the hardest things about packaging design?

The time it takes to get from concept to final product requires a lot of patience especially if you’re working with a client that is learning on the job. You are often required to help educated the client as well as managing the design work.

What’s your favourite thing about packaging design?

Receiving the final physical product and seeing that it has exceeded your expectations. Sometimes on-screen a piece can look great but the three dimensional object can often be even better.

What’s your favourite packaging design that you’ve done?

I find that my latest piece is always my favourite as I’ve built on everything I’ve learnt from previous projects.

Follow me on Twitter: @richbaird

I’m currently collecting tips for a guide to help new designers make the most of a formal design education which will be published on my blog Design Survival.

If you are a designer and have any advice you would like to add please submit your contribution here or as a comment at the bottom of this post (Please include your Twitter, Dribbble or Forrst ID so your tip can be credited).

Tips could include advice on:

• Choosing the right design education
• Working with other students
• Learning to accept criticism
• Choosing the right university
• Critical thinking and design writing
• Applying to universities

If you would like to contribute to this topic please submit your tips here or as a comment at the bottom of this post. All tips are credited.

Thanks to the following designers for their contributions:

I have been lucky enough to contribute a review of Dulux’s new global identity to my favourite blog Brand New, a site that features opinions on corporate brand identity work and part of the broader Under Consideration website that includes the blogs For Print Only, Art of the Menu and Quipsologies.

Click here to read my review.

Read the case studies here.

I have recently been given the opportunity to write packaging reviews for The Dieline. As an avid follower for a couple of years the chance to write for them is really exciting and hope that I can build on the experience I have gained from creating content for my own blog BP&O. Please feel free to let me know what you think of my packaging reviews (good or bad!), I am always very interested to read other opinions.

“Richard Baird will be contributing to The Dieline to cultivate our next Opinion Series: CRIT* tell us how you really feel. This Designer & Blogger will share a critique on packaging that merits discussion in addition to the weekly post that receives the most traffic. Be sure to come back (at least) every Tuesday to read Richard’s CRIT* on the top post of the week!” - From The Dieline

You can read my first two reviews by going to the features section of The Dieline.

A continually updated list of tips provided by international industry professionals to help new designers create, execute and maintain digital content for the web, published on the blog Design Survival.

If you are a designer and have any advice you would like to add please submit your contribution here or as a comment at the bottom of this post (Please include your Twitter, Dribbble or Forrst ID).

Read the article HERE

As part of an extension to my blog, BP&O, I have created a gallery of some of the logos reviewed over the past year and will add to it as new projects come in. I wanted to create an accessible site for the people who are predominantly interested in finding identity inspiration based around commercial briefs and real world constraints. The logos posted are entirely chosen by myself and are selected for their conceptual strength and consistent execution and application. The site has been designed to be as clutter free and as focused as possible, I have added a couple of my own projects as self promotion but as the site is ad free and funded from my own pocket it would be acceptable. Let me know what you think.

BP&O Reviews    |    BP&O Logo Gallery

IVPN was founded in 2009 by a group of information security professionals who aim to build a highly secure network using only the strongest proven VPN technologies while remaining user friendly. IVPN’s mission is to establish itself as a benchmark for high security VPN services, protecting its clients’ privacy and fostering trust. IVPN contacted me in October to develop an identity that would resolve their vision. In response to my logo questionnaire I identified the brand’s key values, structured these into a hierarchy and delivered architecture of manageable assets that included a logo-type and easily expandable icon suite.

The logo-type’s simple, bold, custom geometric and monospaced execution allows the brand’s message of steadfast security, reliability and unique service to be placed at the heart of the visual identity. The natural shield like aesthetic of the V has been emphasised and enhanced by extending its lower terminal past the baseline to introduce a protective and defensive quality. This detail also functions both as a visual and analogous barrier between the I (internet) and the N (a customers’ network) and is reinforced by an authoritative black and white colour palette. The radius placed on the corners softens the letter-forms enough to deliver a personal, accessible, service led sensibility without compromising the impact of the logo-type.

The light and consistent line weight of the icon set (a feature that also runs through the centre of a three-ply business card) delivers a distinctive contrast against the logo-type, resolving the technological and forward thinking aspect of the brand (in its reference to circuitry) while also having an underlying sense of consistency. A simple shield motif has been utilised as a hero across the website, software and stationary, and forms the basis of an expanding coat of arms. Each icon is individually distinctive but unified under one aesthetic and can be easily expanded as the company develops further services.

A continually updated list of tips provided by seasoned and international industry experts to help new designers manage packaging projects published on the blog Design Survival.

If you are a designer and have any advice you would like to add please submit your contribution here or as a comment at the bottom of this post (Please include your Twitter, Dribbble or Forrst ID).

Read the article HERE

A continually updated list of tips provided by seasoned and international industry experts to help new designers learn and achieve more, published on Design Survival.

If you are a designer and have any advice you would like to add please submit your contribution here or as a comment at the bottom of this post (Please include your Twitter, Dribbble or Forrst ID).