Mad, I mean BAD Packaging

I'm a big Mad Men fan and so seeing this Season 4 DVD and Blu-Ray cover design really, really ticked me off. It seemed like it was just thrown together in Illustrator. The previous covers picked a significant object from the show and came in unique packaging. A lot of people from what I've read enjoy the clean and simple design of the cover, which to be honest ... upsets me. After doing the DVD series assignment, I've understood the significance of cohesion between all the covers. This one doesn't really seem to fit. Take a look ...






Again, It just seems to me that not as much effort went into the design itself. Considering it's a show about advertising, you'd think there would be more effort. I'm wondering if it's because the show has gone on hiatus till March 2012 that the design team got pushed back too?

Very cool packaging

This made me want to go back to elementary school again. Created by a design student, these juice boxes are a cleverly packaged to illustrate the juice that they are holding. Visually, these would be great for kids, especially at a young age and still developing various learning skills. Even the typeface, I love. It fits perfectly with the overall look of the packaging. The grunge look fits sooooo well with the design and looks as if a child sketched it in. Even the colouring ... works so well. The bright colours attract the eye and again, if designed for a child, these would be perfect

Typeface Packaging

I'm too much of a self-obsessed type geek ... these are *amazing* and would love to get my hands on them at some point ... I can only imagine how interesting they are. It gets me thinking ... it would be amazing to create a type series on some of the newer type that has been gaining attention. I've been following a type designer, Ale Paul, and even thinking about seeing his work in something like this ... just gives me chills. The examples above seem to represent older type, ones with rich history ... but expanding into a new line would again, create some very cool reads. I'm not much of a serif girl but even so, would love to have these in my expanding collection.

http://www.behance.net/gallery/TYPEFACES-PACKAGING/295858

About time ...

I can't tell you how many times I've been politely corrected at Starbucks for not properly saying TALL, GRANDE, or VENTI. Playing off of that terminology that seems to work for Starbucks, Brooklyn Fare worked it into their design theme and playfully uses it to their advantage. The colour scheme works very well in this design as well. The white text against the bright orange background gives further emphasis to the meaning that the company is trying to convey. The simplicity of the design is what gives the product strength and to be honest, I really like it.

http://www.behance.net/gallery/Brooklyn-Fare/334380

Best thing since sliced bread!

I'm a complete school supply nerd and working at Staples all those years when I was younger didn't help either ;) So coming across this completely made my day. To be honest, I really don't know what you'd do with all those blank note books but hey, to each their own ;) It's a very, very clever and playful design, which is always guaranteed to make you smile. Even playing off of the saying 'the best thing since sliced bread,' the notebook design fits completely with its theme. Love it.

Mario World Packaging

I came across a really cool site for designers (www.behance.net), which brings together designers from all over the world to showcase their talent. One thing that would be a lot of fun to design would be a board game. I'm not a big Nintendo fan but how could I not post this? We're all used to seeing the game on the screen but to make a 3D version ... way cool.

The design for this game was well thoughtout ... even to the last detail connecting it very much with the earlier gaming system. Even the packaging that the game comes in looks like an old-school game box, accompanied with controllers. All these little touches make the game all the more realistic.

http://www.behance.net/gallery/Mario-World-Board-Game/47863

Babees Design

I've started to appreciate the awesomeness that is packaging design. I'm known for my love of type but man ... I've really started to get into product design. I think what started this love affair was the above product. Babees Honey playfully imitates the insect itself but in a much more softer way. The soft tones used enhance the product itself and lend very well to the overall design of the product. Every detail was thought out in this design ... even the placement of the label imitates the wings of the bee. Simple and clean, the product design gives the product much more power and hold over its audiences. I *love* the type. The flow of the letters work to accentuate the feel of the product as if itself was made by the little insect itself.

Very cool.

http://www.behance.net/Gallery/Babees-Honey/49552

Very cool packaging design

http://www.behance.net/Gallery/Quick-Fruit-packaging-concept/216596

Interesting + Cool Packaging

Not only do these look good ... but they also TASTE GOOD too. Starbucks introduced a new line of desserts entitled Cake Pops. Playing off of lollipops, the tiny little treats are little balls of moist cake dipped in yummy frosting. What really got me about this cute little pops was the packaging that they came in. Starbucks created mini boxes that encased the pops ensuring their shape and form. These boxes also work well with the other treats that the company introduced as well. I've found though that even the boxes themselves have become quite popular as most stores revert back to the paper bags due to the boxes being sold out.

The packing design fits in with the 40th anniversary of Starbucks and as such, a new branding image arose ... clean and simple design, which dropped the Starbucks Coffee and left just the siren herself. To me, this shows the brand expanding ... becoming more than what it was before.

Designbridge.com explained it even better ...

"Starbucks have redesigned their iconic logo to coincide with their 40^th birthday. The redesign aims to honour their heritage and the equities that have made up their logo for the past 40 years. The answer to the challenge was simplicity, a zeitgeist that has recently been leading the evolution of many brand redesigns (think Coca Cola, Pepsi, and Guinness).

The design is made up of both bold and subtle modifications. The brand name and wording have been removed from the mark. The green has been brought in, substituting the black, and the Siren has been removed from her porthole window. There have been subtle enhancements to the Siren itself; smoothing her hair, refining her facial features and weighing her scales on her tail in order to bring focus to her face. The end result celebrates the Siren in a much more confident way; reducing the four circles to an understated one."