when design gets bland

This is an awesome statement. I too want carrots to look like carrots. I am not a big fan of abstract graphics. Maybe I am a bit jaded, but I like packaging that shows nothing more than the ingredients with nice product shots, meaning if it is carrots in the product, show me a carrot in it natural form. The structure should also fit the product but it is nice to not be over packaged and not have crap (meaning useless graphics) pasted all over the place. This makes me feel like the product is more premium, better tasting, and higher quality. This may not be the case but at least I have a better experience buying it. It creates an emotion which is no different that any other product that we design.

Other than the Pepsi bottle (and even with that, if you popped the 80’s logo on there, and took off the “foreskin” ripples on the bottles, it would be pretty nice), all of the products you sited are awesome. Again, as designers, this is the stuff we should be defending.

Trend wise, it is a pendulum swing, as with everything else. We are moving from literal graphics (for illiterate people, or people with so little time that they can’t read a package?), to abstraction. I think either can be done well. What I am excited to see here is a move away from bullshit, non authentic, 1930’s-esque graphics, and a move toward san serif fonts, bolds color blocks, and more cleanly executed identities.

I’ve never understood the desire for things to look old that aren’t. Why would I want a vinyl sided house built in the 21st century to look like an 1812 Colonial? Or an new sofa from Ethan Allen to look like an antique that it isn’t?

It’s 2009, lets act like it.

Totally agree. I put all those examples to show the quantity of application. They all look nice, but there are too many products going this way for the sake of the trend.

True. But i do think you can create exciting, effective packaging without resorting to only using a sans-serif, white space and a color block. Just because its not starck and modern doesnt mean its old.

I agree we shouldnt make things look old that arent, just for the sake of it. But what about nostalgia and heritage? What about the new challenger, camaro, or the Louis Ghost chair? These use references we have a visceral reaction to (a positive one) and make it relevant to today’s aesthetic, without being simply modernist. There are a lot of agressive lines on those cars that wouldnt fit in with the examples above, but still look ‘modern’.

The thing I do find interesting is that modernism really never dies. This is a trend from 50 years ago, but never looks dated. Timeless? Maybe the packaging in the thread will be timeless. But I do prefer the old Tropicana to the new :stuck_out_tongue:[/i]

That is a great point. Working for a 100 year old brand I work with this everyday. I will use the Challenger, as I think it is the best example of the ones you mentioned. That car is clean and modern. It the original Challenger is a serif font, the new one is a san serif font. They didn’t make a car that looked like it was from the 1970’s, they made a Challenger that looks like it was from the future.

Could Tropicana stuck closer with their very strong brand and still have been modern? Yes. For sure. I’d bet a million there was a great concept like that new Challenger that was not selected. They made a mistake, but I’m glad that mistake doesn’t peddle nostalgia.

The thing I do find interesting is that modernism really never dies. This is a trend from 50 years ago, but never looks dated. Timeless?

one point of view is that very classic timeless designs have their place, especially with items that will be around for a long time like furniture or other long lifetime products. I’ve heard it said for cell phones that since their lifespan is only a couple years, so they can make products that can a little more trendy. ie they can afford to have styling that might be prone to looking dated, because then they have to get the cooler new phone a year down the road

Packaging seems like a place where a designers and marketing can try out different looks and if its not working, not too much harm done (hopefully). Like the ridiculous but hilarious miller can with camo…

One thing I’ve noticed about the Tropicana branding - it does stand out in the orange juice aisle compared to the others around it. Maybe just being so different looking on the shelf is the marketing goal and out of the designers choices they went with that one, for that reason

This is awsome. Everyone know you need your beer to blend in when you are up on your tree stand. :laughing:

This is awsome. Everyone know you need your beer to blend in when you are up on your tree stand.

Miller is a Wisconsin company…

Miller High life has a very popular following in the south. Tree stands do too.

The Champagne of Beers! In a Tree!

that can is probably the opposite of all the super-simple modern designs this thread started with… but if I were at a baseball game and that was a choice, I’d probably get it because its soo funny

I find it funny too, especially given their latest marketing campaign with the chubby dude taking the stock out of snobby and/or expensive places. High life targets the low-price, blue collar demographic, so I think the camo can is humorous, but also on point.

On a different note, I saw this packaging today. Quite nicely balanced and clean…but its for…POPCORN?! Somehow seems incongruous with the product. Something we associate with entertainment and fun (movies, fairs, etc) trying to reach a ‘gourmet’ or ‘luxury’ status smacks of trying too hard. It would be more appropriate for coffee or perfume or something…


Worst one yet:

That Blimpie logo hurts! It reminds me of some home-made sign that a local sub shop puts up. Very bad.

I followed your link and was enjoying these version of their logo… much more fun like the name “Blimpie” is fun. retro for sure though

This is where we are missing the point. This is not ordinary popcorn. It is premium popcorn that probably sells for much higher than you typical microwave popcorn. The point of this packaging is to drive this. It is clean, appealing, nice color blocks, and all around looks like a more high quality product.

This is seen everywhere. Just look at the liquor industry, or the car industry, or even furniture. What I don’t understand is how we can say the sleek clean lines is great on products but not on our packaging. This is all design language and trends. What makes a product appealing also makes a package appealing.

Keep those clean lines and starck monotones away from my mouth! That’s not the experience I want from food. I want a rainbow of soft, luscious, mouthwatering, swirly, smelly, chewy, crunchy, colorful, fluid lines.

That popcorn packaging looks like software! I taste dry Cardboard and CD-Wrap plastic. Yuck!

I don’t know why, but pet food was the first thing I thought when I looked at the popcorn boxes… crazy? maybe… I think maybe because the kernals are scaled so large they look like little animals

I wish I took a pictue of the Gatorade section a the store this morning. The new bottles all look identical. Aside from the colors of the liquid, there was no telling them apart. They have about 6 flavors for each color, so even then I was completely lost looking for what I usually get. Next time Im there, I will upload it for you guys. I liked being able to tell the regular/fierce/rain/x-factor/g2/AM apart from each other.

Exactly!

Pet food does not need to be appetizing!
They sell it like a product “for the benefit of your pet.”

That one is not working so well.