As society's concept of gender becomes increasingly fluid, who's to say whether certain personal care products are "For Men" or "For Women"? I explore what packaging could look like if gendered packaging was expanded to non-binary and genderfluid consumers, in addition to men and women. This innovative approach not only embraces society's evolving understanding of gender but also emphasizes the importance of inclusivity and representation in the personal care product industry. These packaging designs don't include typical gender labels, offering consumers to choose products based on a unique aesthetic that appeals to individual preferences rather than societal labels. This exhibition highlights the potential for design to foster a more inclusive environment and invites consumers to express themselves and their preferences through the products and packaging designs they are drawn to, allowing them to choose products not based on identity, but on Eye-dentity.
Masculine and feminine design elements acoording to research articles (Ritnamkam, 2012), (Lieven et al., 2015).
My research took me through a deep dive into what design elements traditionally appeal to masculine and feminine aesthetics. Yet, I quickly realized the scarcity of information on non-binary, and gender-fluid design preferences.
I hypothesized that gender-fluid consumers would likely be drawn to a combination of masculine and feminine design elements since they identify with masculine and feminine pronouns. I determined that non-binary consumers would be most drawn to design elements that aren't inherently feminine or masculine since they don't identify with masculine or feminine pronouns.
Feminine Packaging Design
Feminine design elements: round & curvy bottle and boxes, light & warm colors, curvy lines and shapes
Gender-fluid / Androgynous Packaging Design
Gender-fluid design elements: square yet wavy bottle, round but geometric boxes and shapes, light but cool color
Gender-neutral / Non-binary Packaging Design
Gender-neutral design elements: used triangles and neutral colors, nothing inherently masculine or feminine
Masculine Packaging Design
Masculine design elements: square bottle and boxes, intersecting straight lines, dark and cool color
