Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Simple typefaces aren't always better


The masses have spoken and have shot down one of The Arnell Group's awful designs. Wish the same could be done with the Pepsi logo. Hear him try to explain it, here.

Clean typography can be good in some instances, but in this case, the previous organic-ness of the straw in the orange was simple, beautiful and said exactly what is needed.

From the New York Times:

The about-face comes after consumers complained about the makeover in letters, e-mail messages and telephone calls and clamored for a return of the original look.

Some of those commenting described the new packaging as “ugly” or “stupid,” and resembling “a generic bargain brand” or a “store brand.”

“Do any of these package-design people actually shop for orange juice?” the writer of one e-mail message asked rhetorically. “Because I do, and the new cartons stink.”

Others described the redesign as making it more difficult to distinguish among the varieties of Tropicana or differentiate Tropicana from other orange juices.




The one thing that IS cool about the new design, is the orange twist-top cap. I'm glad to hear, that it is staying.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have to say that I had exactly the same thought as one of the consumers—that the new design looked like a generic brand. All the equity that Tropicana had built up with consumers was thrown out, and consumers resented the unemotional, detached design that was foisted upon them. I believe that consumers form emotional attachments to certain designs, especially those that have been around for a while. Those componnets of the design that had become familiar to consumers could have been kept and expanded upon in a design update. Coca-Cola, as an example, is smart to capitalize on this type of thinking.

Marcus said...

I agree, Michael. Coke is a great example.