Packaging with a Rural focus

The project was an effort to develop alternative packaging solutionsfor products produced within a rural set up using local materials, skills and strengths. It explored the possibilities of using eco- friendly materials like handmade paper, paper pulp and leaves as packaging materials to pack Aggarbatti sticks and Terracotta lamps. The identified products and packaging materials are both produced in cottage industries rooted in the rural areas. The diverse properties and characteristics of the products and the materials was the very basis of their selection. The project lent itself towards providing new openings to these setups; in turn contributing towards the development of the currently unstable rural economy. The design solutions were developed keeping in mind the urban market. Besides addressing to prerequisites of packaging; carrying forward the rural identity of the products has been the focus. The solutions take cues from the current market trends, the cultural connotations of the products, the rural identity and the available local resources. The final output of the project has been in the form of a set of packaging solutions for aggarbattis and terracotta lamps respectively.