Students get creative with food packaging

Doing the weekly supermarket shop, have you ever looked at labels, pondered over packaging and wondered: how was this created and why?

Students studying food creativity at Harper Adams got an inside view of the process from guest lecturer and experienced graphic designer, Dave McCourt.

Dave, of BananaDesign, a creative agency near Welshpool, gave an insight into how packaging specialists use Adobe Illustrator to create eye-catching and informative labels for brands.

The 2nd year students, who are studying the Food Creativity, Styling and Photography module as part of a BSc (Hons) Food Technology and Product Development degree, discovered how to use the basic tools of the powerful Adobe design package used to create the vast array of labels you see on the supermarket shelves.

They will use what they have learned to design and print their own food labels, using an industry-standard Mimaki printer; a recent investment by the university’s Food Sciences department.

The food industry offers hundreds of different career paths, including creative routes such as graphic designers, stylists and photographers. Getting used to professional design packages and equipment whilst at university allows our students to explore these areas before undertaking their placement jobs and graduate careers.