RPC

Today RPC welcomed the University of Northampton into their Rushden based factory. For those of you that have not heard of RPC, it is a company that focuses on designing and manufacturing packaging. I guarantee that you can reach into your cupboard, pick up a bottle and see their logo embossed onto the side. They have a wide product range from Tesco to ‘Yowk’ the new egg company

As a budding designer it was nice to see what role I would play in such a big company as well as understanding other aspects of a manufacturing business and how much that influences your design. I learnt that one thing that the designers often forget is its stacking ability. When in warehouses waiting to be transported, there have been instances where it gives in or is unstable and this would damage the products on top, thus making a loss for the business.

Packaging wasn’t a field of design that I considered before this point. I touched on it in primary and secondary school but not properly. I definitely think that this is a route to consider as there’s a lot more that goes into it than what is believed. I always considered that designing a product immediately involved designing its packaging, now I know it’s not the case. I definitely find it interesting as well as the branding that is involved on the label - RPC is not concern themselves with this part as they are not a graphic design company – I have always enjoyed the branding, buying and merchandising sides of business so I believe honing in on my graphic design skills would benefit me in terms of working in industry opening up the range of design I would be able to employ.

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