Within: Packaging
The second part of the Within project was to further develop the company to a VRT subscription box. To do this, a mailer package, a prototype VR headset, and an operations manual were created to simulate the experience of recieving tangible products and packaging to match the immersive experience of the Within animation.
This project explores what subscribers receive in the mail from Within that is catered to their mental health journey through virtual reality therapy. To develop packaging, prototyping became a very heavy portion of the process. This included the development of a headset with accessible capabilities and ease of use. The idea was to create a rudimentary viewpoint system that matched the viewing experience of the animation, and so the idea to create a VR headset for mobile phones became crucial.
Once the prototype was ready to send to print, an Ultimaker 3 printer was utilized to print the prototype in one piece that would later be hollowed out.
Once the prototype was printed and later refined, measurements were taken of the prototype to measure how much space was needed for the mailer packaging, and how much room there would be to accomodate the operations manual. The packaging was outsourced from Packlane where the interior graphics would be printed, and the exterior box would later be wrapped with soft-to-the-touch velvet flocking.
The interior also became modified with the addition of foam inserts to keep the headset and manual in place during travel, and the inclusion of a soft touch grass topping to create a fun surprise reveal for users that calls attention to the immersive nature of the VRT suite they are about to enter.
Alongside mailer packaging and the headset prototype is the Within operations manual, a guidebook on the operating systems of the VR world, headset use and handling, breathing cycles and meditative suites, among other useful information for users.
The mailer box, headset prototype, and operations manual all work together to simulate the user experiences recieved outside of the digital world in a tangible experience.
