WHAT IS A RATIONALE?
The rationale is an important and compulsory part of the entry and judging process. Its purpose is to communicate the fundamental reasoning behind the entry.
Please follow the guidelines as listed below:
- Rationale should be A4 in size and no more than 1,500 words
- Use of bullet points and brief, concise sentences are strongly encouraged
- Grammar and spelling are expected to be correct
- The rationale should be written in third person
- This is not a design piece rather an information tool
- Should be well presented, neat and easy to read
* The rationale is constantly referred to throughout the Judging process and has a heavy weight in your overall entry.
The rationale must include all mandatory requirements specified in the brief. Further areas to consider may include:
- Clear explanation of the design approach, options considered, obstacles encountered, final design choice and justification
- Communication with industry contacts that validate or offer advice on your entry (ensure your name/institution does not appear on any correspondence)
- Inclusion of visuals, a selection of rough hand-drawn visuals to illustrate initial ideas and developmental stages along the way and final rendered roughs
- Inclusion of at least one technical drawing showing the finished structural layout in either black and white art with a colour overlay or full colour art with colours specified (used for technical aspects of your entry)
- Research into the costing, manufacturing, shipping and production aspects if required
DESIGN JUDGING CRITERIA — WHAT THE JUDGES LOOK FOR:
Factors taken into consideration (where relevant) include:
- Communication of the brand image (logo, colours, typography, graphic style, imagery, graphic devices and layout all appealing to the target market)
- Communication of the product features and benefits (nutritional panel, barcode, product usage)
- Innovative structure, use of materials and mechanics of the package (eg. creative use of materials)
- Shelf appeal and stand out amongst competitors—you should be aware of the current market competitors
- Overall design of the products packaging to suit the target market
TECHNICAL JUDGING CRITERIA —WHAT THE JUDGES LOOK FOR:
Factors taken into consideration (where relevant) include:
- Conformity with the brief
- Compatibility of the package with the product
- Production costs, storage, transportation and ease of display
- Security/tamper evidence
- Impact of the design on productivity
* In conjunction with the above criteria, the Judges will award those who first and foremost have met ALL mandatory requirements of the brief and demonstrate a clear understanding of what the brief is asking.
What NOT to do
Do not submit entries which:
- Are late for submission
- Do not meet the brief eg, use or refer to the wrong materials
- Excluding Brief F—use an existing brand/company/product name without having written approval in the rationale. (If you choose to use an existing brand/company/product name you MUST receive written confirmation from the company and include correspondence in your rationale)
- Have your name/institution on the mock-up and/or rationale. Only your entry code must be used
- Are in bad taste or not in good spirit of the Awards
FURTHER TIPS...
- Research, research, research. Demonstrate an understanding of both the target market and existing competitors
- Create your own company name—this will avoid copyright and legal issues (excluding Brief F)
- Understand use of process colours, special colours and half tones
- Research and explain the approach to printing the design
- Demonstrate understanding of the legal and labelling requirements associated with your product
- Take pride in your rationale! This is a very important part of the judging process!