Thursday, March 12, 2009

Monday, February 16, 2009

CHEEZ IT!!!

So here's where I'm at with CHEEZ IT. The color is finalized-its classic cheez it red. I'm pretty much set on the logo type also. Its very similar to the original, but a little cleaner and more modern looking. This is just front layouts I haven't gotten to the back yet. It'll be simplistic like the front though. I'm going back and forth with this die-cut idea...let me know what you think.
This is my first version. The boxes have die-cuts shaped like an icon based on the flavor. So, for example original is the classic cracker shape, white cheddar is a cheese wheel, and hot & spicy is a pepper. I really like the idea and the look on paper at least. I'm just concerned it wont look as good when built and if a clear bag on the inside is practical.




This is another idea I had...originally  these cheese wedge shapes were die-cuts also. But as I said above, I had some concerns. So I had this idea of representing the crackers within the box in an abstract kind of way. The colors of the strokes are based on the flavor. So in a way its an "abstract die-cut" (does that make sense? haha) It came about as sort of a mistake, but I'm kind of liking the way this looks actually. It looks somewhat artsy and stylish, yet the cracker shapes are still fun and vibrant. Its much more minimalistic than the first. Do you think this looks good? or would the die-cut in this design work better....?



Monday, February 2, 2009

thumbnail sketches

here's some ideas I came up with for my cheez-it packaging. As far as the structure goes, i decided to stick with a simple or rectangular shape. I did play a little with the functionality though. One has a pull out drawer you can eat out of and one has a pour spout. Cool ideas, we'll just have to see how it works out in real life. As far as the design, I ranged from clean and modern to whimsical and childlike. I tried to keep a feel of the existing brand, however, because it is so strong already. Keep in mind that all the boxes will be the classic red and the logo will generally remain unchanged.

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Tuesday, January 27, 2009

GOOD & BAD PACKAGING

Ok, here's what I came up with as far as good and bad packaging. Sorry for the low res images I used my cell phone. On a side note, i wouldn't recommend looking for bad packaging at Target. It's pretty difficult they tend to carry very well designed products (i mean come on, its Target)





THE GOOD




This is Sierra Mist's new branding. They have the image of the forest and the typography on the boxes and the cans. I just think its fantastic. It's a HUGE improvement over the old generic green cans and logo. You really get the feeling of the misty sierra mountains don't you? And I just love the typography it's so simple yet it conveys the idea so beautifully. And they were able to stick with their same color scheme but just kick it up about 50 notches with the sophistication and edginess of the look. It just looks like absolutely nothing else out there right now.









As far as I know Choxie is only available at Target. Its a line of uniquely flavored chocolate. What is even MORE unique about it though is the packaging it comes in. It is so beautifully designed, the boxes are pieces of art themselves. The entire Choxie line is just a marvel to look at. I love the color palette: the chocolate brown splashed with brilliant and bold pinks reds
browns greens blues and oranges. Its pretty feminine but at the same time I would not be ashamed to have one of these boxes on my desk. I would definitely say that this is a product for the fashion forward female. I also really like the graphic work simple shapes such as circles and dots really pop off the brown. The box below uses the x's and o's wonderfully as a pattern.




































I really like the cereal boxes below. The cereal is made by archer farms, which I found to have fantastic packaging in general. It was really hard to pick just one example. They just use such simplistic and eye-catching design. There's a lot of these bright colors such as these oranges and blues against a deep-colored background, such as this deep green. It really makes the colors pop. I also like the use of subtle patterns that really add an elegance to the packaging. Also the photography is just beautiful. Makes me pretty darn hungry looking at it. But by far the thing I like most about these cereal boxes is the actual design of the box. Unlike EVERY other cereal box, these are packaged in thick cardboard in a flat tube shape with a plastic lid that opens easily for pouring on top. The functionality is wonderful. The design not only makes the cereal easy to pour but keeps your cereal fresh till the last bowl (which isn't always guaranteed with the typical cereal box/bag combo. Its as if you're getting your cereal in one of those stay-fresh containers from the get-go without having to transfer it over. Just wonderful. Its amazing that other cereals haven't caught on to this idea.




























THE BAD

Ok, so this nivea can of shaving cream for men isn't necessarily badly designed-i mean it has a good shape and a clean look-but my main issue with it is the color choice. Once again, its a MENS product. Do you any man who would keep a sea green and purple can in his bathroom willingly? Its a bit feminine. And if you look around at the other cans of shaving cream, they use a lot of silvers, blacks, and a bit of orange and red. This one sticks out like a sore thumb. I thought it was in the wrong section.












This is just plain bad. Color choice, too many (bad) fonts, bad logo, and not to mention too much going on on the front. It just looks cheap like something you would buy at the $.99 store. And the photography is just terrible. The picture of the bald guy looks like it was pulled from stock photography from the 80s.










This is pretty similar to the shaving cream. First of all I do not understand the color choices at all. Green and yellow gradient with red and black? And once again it looks like they're using too many fonts. This product also looks like it belongs in the $.99 store. Just a total lack of design. And the image is...once again, dated.