This design was created in a course as a special project developed in conjunction with The Vignelli Center for Design Studies at RIT and the graduate Industrial Design program. I was assigned a Vignelli-designed artifact and evidence of its developmental process from the archive and afforded the opportunity to study the item first-hand. After researching the designated context in which the item was generated, I developing a clear metric for assessing the item’s success in its original context. I was then responsible for using the same metric for developing a new object, adjusted in order to accommodate today’s landscape of conditions and habits.

My inspiration was to allow users to have a pleasant and memorable "To Go" take-out lunch experience. I focused on the element of a lovely surprise when my users interact with the packaging. Keeping in mind that people who have to take food to go from a cafeteria are usually too busy with work to sit and enjoy a meal. When my users experience the hidden markings on the take-out packaging it would hopefully help to reduce the pressure on this particular segment of society.

The original packaging was designed in 1990 for Pei’s Place. The logo was created under the art direction of designer Michael Bierut, while working at Vignelli Associates in the late 1980s. For more information visit http://designarchives.aiga.org/#/entries/to%2520go/_/detail/relevance/asc/1/7/10163/2-go-to-go/1

My additional research into the Vignelli's design of the logo and simple packaging, inspired me to be playful and use lively design elements. I retained the original colors and font of their logo, bringing back the traffic light comparison concept that is an interesting discovery for users. My packaging design also needed to include the cafeterias requirements of all types of packaging, that has been improved to include a simple folding system, food separation, and the surprise graphics.