Product name and logo

Now I am in the planning stage of my brief, I want to come up with design ideas for how my product will look. This is so I can progress further in the planning stage because I will be in the position to create my storyboard, which features all the shots I plan to use in my advert.
To design my product, I first need to come up with a suitable name and logo that connotes meaning behind my idea and attracts an audience. To do this, I am going to research existing muscle relief products to see if there is any pattern in their names, and also understand what these type of products have for their logo. Doing this will help me create a name and logo, which follows the conventions of the product I am creating.

The image above is the muscle relief spray from Astroplast. The name doesn't symbolise anything to do with muscles directly, which suggests that there is freedom to what the product is called. This tells me that when I choose the name for my product I can be creative and not worry too much about how it relates to muscle relief. This brand isn't the most popular for muscle relief. One reason may be due to the fact its name "astroplast" is in small font and the top of the can. This means it isn't centred and fairly difficult to notice, denoting people don't know what the product is. Therefore, with my spray I should think about placing the name in the centre of the can with a slightly larger font so it is easily recognisable. The design of Astroplast is simple but to some extent creative. It has an image at the bottom denoting what each spray does, e.g flames for hear spray. This makes the product simple to understand for the customer, increasing the chances of them buying it. Bright colours such as red and blue are used against white which makes the can stand out, because it isnt dull. This means to make my product stand out, it needs to be colourful and engaging. Also, for my own idea, I don't think I would use white for the base colour of the can like Astroplast have. This is because its a neutral colour which isn't the most creative.

  

The image above is the muscle relief spray from Deep Heat. Deep Heat is the most popular, recognisable muscle relief spray. One reason for this is the name. Heat is something commonly used to help relieve muscle aches, so deep heat denotes extra relief, connoting Deep Heat is an effective spray. Unlike Astroplast, Deep Heat's name refers directly to muscle relief which denotes that a customer is aware of its purpose more so than other sprays, just by its name. This means I should come up with a name that grabs my target audiences attention so it is more likely to be purchased. Furthermore, the name of the product is positioned in the centre with large font and capital letters. This means it can be seen from further away and shows clarity, because it isn't difficult to read. Also, the use of capital letters denotes it is significant, unlike Astroplast which uses lower case letters. Lastly, the design of Deep Heat makes it different to other products. Like Astroplast, Deep Heat uses bright colours so the can is recognised. However, red is used as the base colour for Deep Heat. This further makes Deep Heat stand out from other products because it is lairy and bold. As Deep Heat is the best selling muscle relief product and it is bold, this connotes that for a product to be successful, it has to break the mould and use new ideas and conventions for it to be better than existing products. This is what Deep Heat has done, which is something I need to think about when creating my own products design.

   

The image above is a muscle relief spray from Numark. The name is in extremely small font in the top left hand corner of the can. This is really hard to see at first and makes it hard for a potential buyer to see what brand the product is that they are looking at. Also, the title of the product "Muscle Spray" is in small white font against an orange back. The white on orange makes it hard to read because it blends in slightly, denoting a bad choice of colour for the font. Also, the name muscle spray it too vague and not very creative which is boring for a customer. The colour of the can like Deep Heat and Astroplast is bright and stands out to an onlooker. However, the design of the product is too simple and not creative, as there is only two different colours and small, lower case Times New Roman font. I believe this design is boring and lacks imagination. This is why it isn't a popular product as it doesn't take a bold approach to its design, meaning it isn't very appealing to its target audience, who are more likely to purchase Deep Heat.