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r W
Lord knows there are enough great water brand identities
around to float a boat, but this one misses the mark for
me. Debossing this structure with the mountain relief is
not an insignificant investment in design, and this specific
execution looks cliché. It does not effectively echo the
mountain icon behind the logo. The logo is weighty and stiff.
In all, I find it less than refreshing, visually and perceptually.
r W
All the elements of this identity look as if they came out of
a standard design application toolbox. The stock container
does nothing to reflect a unique product experience. The
outlined typefaces are unimaginative. Nothing new about
the layout. The background art looks like a stock texture.
The resulting effect is less than brilliant.
r W
Hum drum. How often have we seen the stars and stripes
reinterpreted? Can’t we please be more imaginative? I like
the product-as-hero, in-your-face photo perspective, but,
like popcorn and chips, nuts just don’t look beautiful when
shown in a pile. Carefully craft your photo styling; focus the
consumer on one or two beautiful peanuts and you’ll drive
their appetite appeal.
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r W
So, who is that masked man? There is no need for this cliché
photo. The incongruous typestyles and garish colors are
scary enough. At least this design uses the product to carry
the brand mark. So often blister-packed products repeat the
logo on both the product and the blister. That redundancy
creates clutter. Just clean up these elements and create a
hierarchy of messaging so the consumer’s attention flows
from the brand to the one unique benefit. Do so with smart
type and perhaps a reassuring endorsement icon, and that
is enough.
r W
Consistency at the expense of personality. A great design
needs both. I assume from the name that this brand
uses chocolate as a unique ingredient. This identity does
nothing to explain that premise or its relevance in the
hair-care category.
S W
I am so impressed with the breadth of the product offering.
There are so many elements to this package that are really
good, but they don’t all add up to a great package. I think
the reason is that every element of the package is asking for
the same amount of attention, either by virtue of its physical
size or color value. My eye doesn’t know where to start and
stop. The quotation marks are a great idea for this product,
but because the photographed objects are large and all the
type is large and the borders are bold and the colors are
garishly bright, this big idea gets lost. I really want to go in
and tweak everything just a bit.
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r W
Here is a design founded on one “cute” element that is not
effectively leveraged across the rest of the identity. Every
element of the design must complement the concept in
some way. The carton design and its irrelevant die cut, the
multiple typefaces, the dated sparkle texture, and the heavy
metallic diamond icon all feel like they come from different
places and do little to enhance the unique structure. And,
while the light bulb idea may be cute, it does nothing to
enhance the product experience.
S W
Once again, I’m not sure where to begin. I understand why
this bottle was chosen in that it’s a “capillary light bath”
product, but that’s not a good enough reason. From what
I can understand, this is a hair treatment or shampoo
product. I can’t imagine trying to hold this bottle with wet
hands in the shower, not to mention—how does this bottle
sit? It’s round on the bottom and I would guess that it’s very
tippy if balanced on its cap. There’s something about the
lavender color and sparkle graphics that feels vaguely like a
feminine hygiene product.
r W
Arguably, there are too many elements on this package.
The brand mark is oversized for the ordinary logotype
within it. The logo leaf icon, the hand-drawn illustration,
the overall layout of elements are all somewhat expected.
The magenta logo outline is jarring and artifi cial. And yet,
there is one element that draws me in: the fl avor type.
With its disintegrating elements, the type is literally falling
apart, almost looking like a low-res printing fl aw. However,
it’s specifi cally this low-tech, hand-stamped, hand-crafted
impression that somehow makes the product more real.
It all results in a nice visual impression, particularly when
you consider that it’s printed fl exo on a fi lm bag. Funny how
sometimes all you need is just one emotion-driving element
to make an entire brand architecture work.
(Ray) Text
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