The application of the hottest visual design in ph

The application of visual design in pharmaceutical packaging (Part 2)

after a detailed investigation, designers can analyze and study the design content, and convey these contents through visual language. Here are the following visual elements to talk about medical packaging should pay attention to

I. appearance

refers to the appearance of packaging. The appearance of medical packaging containers belongs to industrial modeling. In addition to meeting the needs of aesthetics, because its contents have physical and chemical characteristics, bubbles, covers, bottles, cans, boxes, bags, tubes and other aspects should be considered comprehensively from the aspects of materials, protection, transportation, anti-counterfeiting, so as to achieve the protection and storage purposes of vacuum, bacteria free, moisture-proof, shock proof, light proof, etc. For example, tanyijing (acetylcysteine) should not be in contact with metal, rubber, oxidant and oxygen, so the design of spray should be made of glass or plastic. Brown bottles should be used for drugs containing components that decompose when exposed to light. From the perspective of convenient use, it can be combined with dosage forms such as tablets, capsules, injections, spray, external use, creams, pills, soup, powder, etc. to maximize the function of convenient use. For example, for the inconvenient activities of the elderly, the bottle for the treatment of asthma is designed to be small and easy to grasp, and the dosage form is spray, which is convenient to use. Another example is that the first-aid medicine adopts a disposable button type syringe containing medicine, which can be carried around and used quickly. Generally, the packaging of pediatric drugs should take into account the elimination of children's fear, and can be designed into a non drug shaped appearance with a spoon, but it should be noted that the packaging cover should be designed into a shape that is difficult for children to open, and a warning should be attached to remind parents to prevent children from taking it by mistake. In ancient China, a method of packaging honey pills with wax shell and printing a gold stamp after sealing was created, which not only protects drugs, but also is beautiful and easy to use, and also has anti-counterfeiting effect. So far, it is still an excellent shape design

II. Graphic symbols

today we are facing the era of knowledge explosion. Visual information from TV, Internet, newspapers, magazines, books and other media is overwhelming. How to sort out useful information is crucial to improve efficiency. It has been proved by experiments that the visual stimulation and memory time of graphical symbols are much longer than that of words. Therefore, in the era of complex modern information, the rapid and accurate transmission of information can be completed with the help of symbols. This is also very meaningful in the medical industry. For example, when emergency patients are in first aid, the logo color can accurately and timely help find drugs. 2. When changing indenters or anvils, graphics can help non professionals use some drugs and instruments according to the diagram. Medicine itself is a subject with a huge knowledge structure. In hospitals, we can often see that medical staff are faced with a large amount of information: medical records, test sheets, examination reports, prescriptions, various records, and so on. If you add the instructions of pharmaceutical products and various promotional materials, it will inevitably increase visual fatigue. The efficiency of graphic information is unmatched by words. If the abstract text is designed into signs or illustrations, it will greatly improve the work efficiency. Therefore, visual design will become more and more important in the future. Symbols are figures with certain meanings. Including logo, logo, logo and various graphics except text. Because of its significance, it is often used to express some abstract concepts intuitively. The requirements of these signs are strong recognition, good legibility, easy memory, outstanding artistry and sense of the times. It not only follows the artistic laws such as balance, contrast, rhythm, primary and secondary, unity, movement, gradual change, but also has rigorous scientificity. Pharmaceutical enterprises are all enterprises with strict scientific management and management system. Generally, there is an enterprise identification system (VIS), which strictly complies with unified standards in logo, color and text. And classify as required. For example, it will still be difficult to use; Drugs in China can be divided into modern drugs and traditional drugs, which are commonly referred to as Chinese and Western drugs. Western medicine can be divided into dozens of categories according to pharmacology, and can be divided into emergency department, internal medicine department, external medicine department, pediatric department, gynecological department, facial features department, skin department, radiation department, tumor department and other departments according to application. If drugs can be divided in detail, and different categories are designed into different colors and symbols, it will be convenient to take and place, and also prevent misuse. Some drug manufacturers at home and abroad, on the one hand, in order to promote products, on the other hand, in order to facilitate doctors' recognition and memory, have begun to design drug trade names (see the attached figure). Trade name is a unique appellation of drugs, which is mainly to participate in market competition and establish brand image. Therefore, it should be carefully designed, accurate and easy to remember

III. words

as a tool of communication, words are unique to us. Although it is less than the effect of graphic intelligence in reflecting the situation, state and overall composition. However, complex and abstruse abstract concepts still need to be explained clearly through words. Therefore, when designing the packaging of prescription drugs, the signs and instructions should be mainly written. Pay more attention to the font, type, size and typesetting, and pay attention to the visual process. Many drug packages now list a lot of useless information. Once there was a drug that listed the Chinese character trade name, Chinese character common name, Chinese Pinyin trade name, Latin common name, English common name, manufacturer's name and manufacturer's English name on the front of the package, and used the same font, which is not because PPC is an amorphous material, plus the commercial logo, manufacturer's logo and various specified words and logos, which will inevitably cause confusion in the layout. The text is mainly targeted at consumers, and clear and concise layout and convenient reading are the ultimate goals. The design and arrangement of foreign and national characters should also be mentioned here. It should be noted that if the market is dominated by Chinese characters and languages, a large number of foreign language descriptions will interfere with reading. If the market is for both domestic and foreign consumers, we should also try to avoid mixing Chinese and foreign languages, so as to make the reading line of sight smooth.. After the implementation of drug classification management, because OTC drugs are purchased and used by non professionals, the description should be more detailed and accurate, and explanatory charts should be attached when necessary. Traditional Chinese medicine has a long history. Many Chinese patent medicines are OTC drugs. National characteristics, such as calligraphy and vertical typesetting, can be added to their packaging and instruction design. More importantly, traditional Chinese medicine knowledge can be introduced to the public. For example, it is common in the packaging of traditional Chinese medicine in the past to describe the properties of traditional Chinese medicine and draw its samples with Chinese line drawings (of course, photos can also be used). The pattern of Chinese herbal medicine can not only give people an intuitive impression, but also beautify the outer packaging as a decorative pattern. However, it should be noted that hard to read calligraphy fonts, such as seal script and cursive script, cannot be used in drug trade names and instructions to avoid difficulties in reading

IV. color

color has always been a subject that many experts are committed to studying. Because color is also a special language to some extent, which plays a subtle role in the senses. It can not only represent a certain symbolic meaning, but also play an advertising effect to attract attention, but also cause a series of psychological changes in the gaze body. Therefore, it is very concerned by people. Color has rich connotation, which is determined by your personal preferences, personality and experience. Patients belong to a special group and have complex psychological changes. Pessimism, melancholy, shyness and irritability are common phenomena. Therefore, the color design of drug packaging should closely focus on the patient's condition: critically ill patients such as cancer, uremia and patients with advanced liver cirrhosis tend to be depressed and depressed. The warm colors with high lightness and color should be mainly used in the drug packaging to achieve a relaxed and warm effect. For drugs that reduce blood pressure, high color red should not be selected, because the effect of red on vision and psychology often leads to the release of adrenaline in the body, causing vasoconstriction and elevated blood pressure. The drug packaging for the treatment of sexual dysfunction cannot choose calm and mild colors, but rather choose strong warm colors to help patients improve their excitement. Color can also play a role in recognition. Different color blocks can be used to distinguish the drug categories on the drug packaging, which is clear at a glance. For example: cardiovascular drugs in red, digestive system in yellow, sedative hypnotic drugs in blue, antibiotics in green... Marked on the designated position of the package. This can be accurate and timely when taking drugs, avoiding misuse. Take chlorpromazine and promethazine for example. The words are very similar, and misextraction often occurs. But they belong to two systems. If we can distinguish them by symbols and colors, we can solve this problem

v Pattern diagram

pattern diagram is a graph that is highly summarized and refined. Its characteristics are intuitive, concise, vivid while maintaining accuracy. When drawing, we should pay attention to grasp the essence and laws of things, remove the visual information irrelevant to communication, and describe it with simple visual language. The common ones are molecular models, cell structures and some complex substances and reactions. It can even be expressed in the form of 3D animation simulation. It should be mentioned here that if the characteristics of the original object are reflected through size, color, texture, texture, position, etc., it should be described in strict accordance with the actual state of the original object, and subjective fabrication, such as anatomical drawings, is not allowed. The design of pattern diagram is widely used in the medical field. Many product manuals or literature materials need to be assisted by pattern diagram teaching, so that doctors and many non professionals can quickly master the basic principles of products

VI Chart

the pharmaceutical industry involves a variety of disciplines, and statistical data are often encountered. The intuitive expression is the chart. Chart design is an abstract concept that explains the phenomenon of something or some thinking by means of diagrams, tables, text annotations and so on. It is characterized by the expression of concepts such as time and space and some abstract thinking, which has an irreplaceable communication effect. There have been a number of excellent chart designs abroad. Over the years, Chinese graphic designers have paid more and more attention to chart design, which can be fully reflected in the drug instructions

the visual elements mentioned above are often encountered in pharmaceutical packaging, and are widely used in outer packaging, inner packaging, sub packaging (sugar coating outside tablets, shell of capsules, etc.), labels, instructions, and promotional materials. In addition, designers should be familiar with some pharmaceutical and packaging equipment, such as stamping the batch number with a specific machine at a specific position on the outer package, and adding laser holographic anti-counterfeiting marks at the seal to protect consumers. For the consideration of businesses and consumers, some feedback sheets can also be designed in the package to collect the effects and side effects of doctors and patients in time, which is very beneficial to improve the quality of drug production and the health of the people

author/Zhang Min (drug packaging designer)