Energy
Drink
Project
Victoria University
International Design
ACM2009
Design Presentation
k
Danielle
Mulcahy
The Current
Market
All of the above products are well known for both good and bad reasons. Energy
drinks like Mother and Monster have unfortunately become synonymous with
health problems, heart issues and all manner of medical phenomena.
These drinks are not particularly detailed in their design, conversely they are for the
most part very simple and are not overly colourful in their approach.
Red bull and V would have to be the most colourful, and Mother is eye catching
because of the use of red.
What Would My
Product Be Like??
In order to make a successful product I would want to look at both what makes
the current leaders in the energy drink market successful and also what their
lesser qualities are.
This would entail looking more closely at colour, shape, ingredients, packaging size
and materials, ingredients, functionality, recyclability and aesthetics.
Regarding ingredients in particular, I would be making note of and dismissing
certain ‘natural’ ingredients such as Gingko Biloba due to the undesirable side
effects it induces in combination with many medications.
Straying away from the current sugary trend encouraging hyperactive behaviour, I
would aim to produce a product promoting the immediate yet sustained release
of energy of certain natural ingredients such as citrus, pomegranate, spearmint,
pineapple, and spirulina.
The product will aim to be as much if not more satisfying than other energy drinks
on the current market.
Initial Sketches
50 Odd Sketches For Energy Drinks
50 Odd Sketches For Energy Drinks
International Appeal
Appropriating my product to appeal to international audiences means creating a
logo and a product that are both simple to recognise and easy to understand.
I would want to make a product that has minimal to no impact on the land or our
resources and can be easily reproduced in multiple countries.
It would be neglectful for the design to not cater to the target audience in a broad
context, taking into consideration dietary apprehensions as well as accessibility
issues surrounding ‘getting into’ some products for people with mobility issues or
loss of limbs.
I should mention that the exemplary design I wish to present towards the end of
this talk is multi-national and has a following in places such as Russia and
Denmark as well as a growing respect from the design community for their
inspiring product innovation.
Logo and Branding
Brainstorm
When brainstorming, I opted for the most simple energy related words that came to
mind. The more simple, the more easily diversifiable the logo outcome would be.
I wanted to find a name with some jolt to it, a name that has energy in its own right.
Yomm Refined
Sketches
This design came about by utilizing unbroken
triangles to create a shape capable of
containing liquid.
This design however was dismissed
as it’s jagged nature doesn’t suit the
shape of the hand nor would it be
practical for shelving
or storage.
GULP GULP
Refined Sketches & Logo
Exploration
The inspiration for this bottle design came
from science lab equipment. I liked the idea of
utilizing a test tube or beaker, inspired by The
Croft Institute and Happy Lab.
The design I was most happy with utilizes the OM logo as the container with specially
moulded glass. This however would prove to be too difficult for prototype.
OM – Initial Refined
Sketches
Playing with the notions of form and figure, I extended up on the original design by
adding and subtracting curves and by simplifying and abstracting the original design.
OM Font
and Logo
Design
I chose this design because it is simple, easy to
construct and leaves room for the design of
the logo. ‘Om’ is a Buddhist mantra which Is
said to be able to elevate life force, and is also
strong in its simplicity regarding its
appropriation for logo use, being the re are
only two letters involved. To the right, 3 and
6 were the most likely candidates for the logo.
..Further Design
Elements
The design of the bottle is boosted in its appeal by its
functionality.
The hook element of the design allows for easy carrying
ability as well as assisted pouring function with its
swivel capability.
The grip on the opposite side to the mouth of the
bottle is an added extra to ensure drink slippage never
occurs again!
The ripple effect beneath the bottle rim is inspired by
the ergonomic shape of the human hand and will
provide a comfortable surface atop recycled materials.
The design aims to use recycled and repurposed
materials where possible and provide a refreshing
alternative to the sterile chrome and dark glassed
environment the energy drink market has become.
Transforming the original sketch into a digitized prototype
meant jumping into Photoshop and playing around with
layers.
I utilized different opacities and filters in order to create
certain textures that would eventually mimic aluminium,
glass, plastic or compressed cardboard finishes.
Photoshop:
Layers &
Textures
In researching the materials for the project I was able to
find plenty of information regarding recyclable and
reconstituted materials. The use of aluminium pouches
such as the ones utilized in baby food packaging has
become more prominent and is a viable material in the
scope of this project.
Compressed cardboard has been utilized for decades in
long life milk storage and more recently in wine packaging.
These receptacles can be made two or three
dimensionally.
Technology and
Materials
Creating the product from food safe and completely recycled materials, the
options are open regarding the execution of the product in compressed
cardboard, recycled aluminium pouches, glass or recyclable and BPA-free
plastic.
There are many factors to be taken into consideration when designing an
energy drink such as how the shape of the product will be achieved in
different forms, such as injection moulding for plastics, down to what kind of
glue and ink is going to be used.
For an eco- friendly product, it is advisable to opt for an epoxy resin that
doesn’t contain isocyanate or VOC’s .
VOC stands for Volotile Organic Compounds which can lead to an array of
adverse and long term health effects.
Inspirations
360 Paper Bottle
Touching Senses Tetrapak
Long Flat B Pack Australia
Chateau
GreenBottle
Shiraz
Ergonomics and Product
Design
It was important to me throughout the design process for the energy drink to
strongly consider the natural curvature of the hands in order to make a successful
product.
The moulded clay indentations on the right are quite indicative of the kind of
texture I aim to express within the design features of my product.
Exploring the realm of colour as an addition to
the product meant finding certain colours that
would stand out against the design.
This is also a way of possibly attributing
different flavours to different bottles, or special
edition collections.
The graphic to the right opens up the
possibilities regarding material optimization and
the use of different material combinations in
order to achieve a successful final product.
The colours chosen for these particular designs
align with jewel colours and are in contrast to
the clear, aluminium or cardboard backing of
the product.
Cream or black grips are administered into the
design as a means of functionality and utilize
recycled and repurposed materials such as
matting and the rubber from tyres.
Refining the Logo and
Final Design
After finding the right texture to mimic
the shape of the bottle I have
endeavoured to create, I then redrew the chosen
font combinations and superimposed them onto the
cardboard OM design.
On the right you can see the transition of the stages
of the logo design from superimposition to design
implementation and finally a more delicate approach
utilizing the embossing technique.
OM: Refined Design with Logo
The six bottles above are the final designs complete with embossed logo, my
chosen form of branding the bottle as it requires less ink than would otherwise.
These six bottles were presented to a group of friends, aging between 17 and 35,
and amongst them, the second and sixth were chosen to be the strongest
designs above the rest.
The utilization of compressed recycled cardboard encasing an aluminium pouch
also ensures that the drink is considerably insulated, thus keeping it fresher for
longer.
Peer Reviewed!
Upon the receival of the opinions of my peers it was down to the last two design
choices.
I opted for the design on the right as it has a certain flow to it that is not achieved by the
design on the left. The general consensus of todays society tends to lean towards a more
organic approach to design and I feel that this product complies with that movement.
Beho
ld!
By Danielle Mulcahy
The finished design for
Energ
y Drink
Now for the
comparison
Vs
Froobee Om
Froobee by
Waterwerkz Ltd
Waterwerkz Ltd, also
known as The Green Drinks
Company, are the creators
of Froobee have invented a
tetrapak slimline drink
similar to the aluminium
pouches used in baby food.
I chose this product to
compare mine to since the
pouch is also a component
of my design.
The product is also similar
to my design in that it has
ergonomic features and is
easy to hold.
This product is very
colourful in appearance –
perhaps too colourful!
The font used within the logo is
bubbly and employs smaller and
larger text, which in my personal
opinion is a slight bombardment
on the senses and could be
regarded as being intended for a
younger target audience.
Since this particular product is
dispensed via a vending
machine it may be impractical in
its implementation of colours for
a target audience of late teens
and early twenty year olds.
This design however I found to
be quite inspiring due to reasons
other than schematics..
Machines &
Dispensaries
Waterwerkz Ltd (England) were
actually the invetnors of the
Pouchlink Vending Machine. This is a
vending machine that mixes and
dispenses the drink on the spot.
This means that more pouches are
able to be contained within the
vending machine and ingredients are
considerably fresher than if they were
mixed at the factory.
Each vending machine is able to
contain over 2,000 pouches each and
dramatically reduces the company’s
eco-footprint the company and
product emit due to lowered
transport costs and the change in
where materials are sourced .
Froobee /
Waterwerkz Ltd
The Waterwerkz Ltd Froobee
design and its associated Vending
Machine are relatively new in
their injection into the energy
drink market. The product was
released late 2010 and has yet to
take hold of the Australian
market.
Froobee was started by England’s
Steven Jenkins in 2006 and has
also managed to design the
product to meet with the new
standards of health within
England’s schools , making the
product ideal for broad spectrum
distribution.
Conclusion
Om Energy drink has the potential to be
utilized in a similar manner to Froobee’s on
the spot dispensary innovation.
Utilizing simple technologies and space saving
logistics, the amount of energy saved and
stored in this one little bottle is immeasurable
and can only lead us to imagine the fluidity
with which the design world could usher into
our everyday lives .
For a refreshing alternative to the sugar-filled
overstimulating drinks we’re currently being
promoted, try Om Energy Drink and Power
On!

Bibliograph
y
Picture References:
Red Bull: www.redbull.com.au/
Mother: http://www.coca-cola.com.au/index.jsp
V: http://v-energy.com.au/
Monster: http://www.monsterenergy.com/
Rockstar: http://rockstarenergy.com/
Froobee: http://www.fahad.com/2007/05/froobee-drink-vending-machinemixed.html
http://inventorspot.com/articles/top_5_coolest_vending_machines_2009_27176
http://www.springwise.com/food_beverage/drinks_vended_blended_on_deman/
360 Paper Bottle:
http://www.packagingdesignarchive.org/archive/pack_details/373-360-paperbottle
Flat Pack B: www.illknowitwheniseeit.com
Touching Senses: www.graphichug.com
Chateau GreenBottle: www.trendhunter.com/trends/chateau-greenbottle
Waterwerkz Pty/ The Green Drinks Company:
http://www.companieslist.co.uk/05088162-the-green-drinks-company-ltd
Information References
Tripwire Magazine - 35 Packaging and Eco-Friendly Recycling Ideas: for Inspiration:
http://www.tripwiremagazine.com/2012/06/eco-friendly-packaging-designs.html
Eco Adhesives: www.Ecobondadhesives.com/?page_id=116
EPA: http://www.epa.gov/iaq/voc.html
Australian Aluminium Council Ltd: http://aluminium.org.au/recycling
Recycled Compressed Paper: http://inhabitat.com/tag/recycled-compressedpaper/
How Glass is Recycled: http://recycling-guide.org.uk/science-glass.html
Gingko Biloba: http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono333-GINKGO.aspx?activeIngredientId=333&activeIngredientName=GINKGO
Reiki Power Symbol (Chokurei):
http://www.reiki.nu/treatment/symbols/chokurei/chokurei.html
Questions?
Thank You For
Your Time
k