Use of lettering technique in packaging graphics and an application suggestion

From past to present, packaging has been used in different materials and forms for purposes such as protecting and transporting various products. Over time, it has become a silent communication tool between the product and the consumer. Originally designed to protect the product inside, keep it together, and provide basic information and legal warnings about the product, packaging has evolved to visually convey information about the product. This information includes not only the names of the products and brands but also the content, type, and idea. An engaging and creative graphic language should be developed to convey this information to the consumer. It is expected that the product will stand out among the equivalent products of other brands with which it competes, attracting the consumer's attention and influencing purchasing behavior. Nowadays, packaging designs are developing to meet such expectations, and the variety of visual expressions in packaging graphics has made product shelves colorful and interesting. One of the visual expression tools used in packaging graphics is the lettering technique. Lettering is an original and artistic typography technique that involves drawing and arranging each letter individually, without adhering to an existing font. These designs, which have the effect of illustrations in the text, are preferred in packaging graphics to increase visual appeal and convey the message more effectively. This research examines packaging graphics that use the lettering technique. It aims to reveal the appearance of packaging graphics created with lettering in terms of product diversity, target audience, aesthetics/originality, and communication. This study, structured based on the document review method, one of the qualitative research techniques, includes design applications in addition to packaging design reviews. The application study was created by redesigning the packaging of a food product for children in accordance with the subject. To create a theoretical basis for the research, the development of typography, especially in modern design movements, and art and design products that can be considered the first examples of the lettering technique were examined.