Goodness : de-signing the nature and culture of New Zealand milk packaging signs : a thesis submitted in fulfilment of the Masters of Design at the Institute of Communication Design, Massey University, Wellington

Abstract

By means of semiotic analysis and exploration of contextual analogies this paper interprets both historical and contemporary New Zealand milk signs and packaging since the 1800’s and explains how these signs and simulacra, in a mergent urbanised society, evidence and express a battle of culture versus nature. It sees these signs as an exemplar of semiosis at play that explains the significance of their allegorical meaning in the culture. It also visually articulates children’s responses to some fundamental elements of contemporary signs and with some pre industrialised packaging examples arrives at one possible industrial generic packaging solution, using new, biodegradable materials, that presents milk as it is – an industrialised product from nature not as nature itself.