At GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), my project was a cluster of three different projects: ‘Futuristic Packaging Design of Health Food Drink HFD’(a key project), ‘Designing the Design Process’ and ‘Hope’ (HFD packaging for an unexplored segment). These projects were extremely critical to the positioning of the packaging department (R&D) in their organization. This, being their first initiative to hire a design professional, was indicative of their open-mindedness towards multi-disciplinary growth.
The first project ‘The Revolusign’ was about revolutionizing the design function at GSK India packaging department. The aim of the project was to strategise a design process for GSK Consumer Healthcare which could facilitate innovation and create lasting experiences through packaging. This involved understanding their perception of design, and then bringing their understanding to a level where they could appreciate design intervention in their management and processes.
The second project called ‘Future HFD aimed at giving futuristic packaging design directions for the re-launch of an HFD. This project exemplified the initial few steps of the design process developed in the first project. It also formed the basis of the research methodology for any project at GSK. ‘Hope’, the third project, aimed at exploring HFD packaging for a new segment, unexplored by GSK. My aim was to identify and shortlist a packaging format for this target group.
My project led to a change in the perception of the packaging department, leading to the acceptance of design as an integral part of their processes, which in turn led to the conversion of the ‘Packaging Department’ into ‘Packaging and Design.’ This new change created a buzz in all the departments of GSK. Thus, my project created a new wave of change in the field of design in a small but effective way.
