With the recent release of the latest installment in the Harry Potter films Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince we watched in amazement at just how detailed the sets are in a recent ITV behind the scenes special, aired just a couple of weeks ago. Then out of pure coincidence we found a recent blog post showcasing probably the most amazing and detailed part of the behind the scenes special for the Weasley brother’s magic shop.

The packaging designs shown here were all created by designer Nicholas Saunders who worked within the graphics department of the film. In just a team of four under the expert supervision of Eduardo Lima, Miraphora Mina and Lauren Wakefield, Nicholas worked mainly on the Weasley joke shop ‘Weasleys Wizarding Wheezes’. His first task was to come up with the names for the products that would adorn the shelves of the shop for instance ‘Shimmering Silver Salt Drops’. Then the next stage was to cover a series of boxes and containers with labels created from the initial names. Shown here are some examples of his work from the film, all of which seems to conger up a more magical feel of the well known Roald Dahl book Charlie and Chocolate Factor… but instead of chocolates it’s all about magical surprises.

Visually the packaging is stunning, use of bright colours and the clever use of textures really create a magical yet realistic feel to them all. The designs seem to lend themselves to the vintage 30’s/40’s and 60’s style of design yet have a somewhat 1800’s feel to some of them. But… when watching the scenes from the Diagon Alley set your sent back in time and the illustrative approach lends itself and completes the air of magic.

©warnerbros

©warnerbros

©warnerbros

©warnerbros

©warnerbros

To see the packaging as it appears on set, check out this clip from the ITV behind the scenes special. Saunders can be spotted in the graphic design studio wearing a red T-shirt.

Liked this read? You might be interested in these other articles?

•    4 Tips For Making Headers Stand Out
•    Tabbed Navigation Is Useful
•    10 Great Free Fonts For Designers

Start following us on twitter @FHOKE