Right on Target

I have a love (love, love, love, love)/hate relationship with Target. I love the place, I really do. However, I hate the fact that I can't go into one without spending $200 in one pop. Seriously. It's like their pumping the air full of some kind of chemical that makes me want to buy every. single. thing. in. the. store.

Or maybe I'm just a sucker for packaging.

Not that their old packaging was anything to brag about... but their new packaging certainly is.

Last time I was at Target (probably last week--maybe the week before; I try and stretch out the time in between trips but it never quite works out the way I want it to), I was in the baby section, and I noticed that the Target brand diapers and wipes had a new, exciting look:



Fancy, fancy, I thought. Turns out, all of Target brand health and beauty products (all 800+ of them), will be looking more fancy fancy. Check out Brand New for a side by side comparison of old versus new packaging, and you'll see exactly what I mean.

Yet another check in the love (love, love, love, love) Target column.

Beer!

I love beer, and I love design; so what's not to love about the following post on the history of beer packaging?

Beer has come a long way since breweries first had the idea of developing can packaging nearly 100 years ago. In the early 1900s, breweries had a problem producing a can that would withstand the pasteurization process and allow the beer to still taste good when it reached the consumer. In order to withstand the heat and pressure of the process, the first beer cans were constructed of tin and steel and were much more thick and sturdy than the ones we see today. By 1935, the first commercially produced beer in a can hit the market.

Some of the vintage cans are so cool--I love the art deco look of Krueger's. Very interesting to read--and see--the evolution of beer in a can.

(Thanks designsoft, via Twitter)

Snapple: Hey, what the--?

I have to confess, it's been quite some time since I last enjoyed a Snapple. Any time I'm at faced with a decision that involves Snapple and something else, I almost always go for the something else (usually water--and not the flavored stuff, either).

But today, while picking up lunch at the corner sandwich shop, Snapple caught my eye: their packaging is completely different! Their logo is completely different! And, a little internet research later, it turns out that the ingredients are different, and therefore, the taste is different!



According to the dieline:

Snapple, the original new-age beverage, is undergoing the most significant makeover in its 37-year history...

“We want to ensure Snapple continues to be the Best Stuff on Earth,” said Bryan Mazur, vice president of marketing for Snapple. “These changes to the formula and packaging come with one goal in mind: deliver the same great product, just make it even better.”

... Snapple will retain its clever and light-hearted brand personality, but with a more premium, mature execution. Gone will be the old logo and packaging, replaced with a sleeker bottle and label design that speaks to its new formula.

I haven't heard much chatter about this, but then again--while the change is drastic for Snapple--it's not like they're pulling a Tropicana... or are they?

Upon first glance, the new bottle and label definitely evoke a feeling of happiness--it's much brighter and cleaner than the older packaging:



I can't say I'm really crazy about the logo, but it does fit in nicely with the new packaging--although I do think one of the things that stood out on the old packaging was the logo. I can't say anything for the taste, but anything that gets rid of the high-fructose corn syrup, and adds real sugar in it's place has got to taste better--right?

For nostalgia, here's an image of the Snapple packaging from the early 90s (because you know you drank it back then):



AND, for your viewing pleasure, an old Wendy the Snapple Lady commercial (because you know you loved these spots):



(PS How cute is that little kid's laugh?)

Isn't she lovely?

Last year, almost around this time, I began working on a very, very cool package design project for a client (yes, regular readers, it's the gluten free cookies--again). I was fortunate enough to work with Silver Creative in Norwalk, who actually did the hard work of speccing (is that even a word? It doesn't look like it when you type it out) the packaging--I got the cool job of designing it.

Long story short, I did a TON of research for this. I was buying cookies left and right (never mind eating them--and gaining about 5 pounds in the process); grocery shopping took forever because each new aisle brought a slew of new package potential. And forget about Whole Foods--the client's target demographic--I pretty much set up camp there. But the one place I didn't go, and I wish I had known about it then, was Lovely Package.





Mmmmmm... lovely is right. Gorgeous, gorgeous design--I'm definitely going to keep checking back on this site. Oh, and the pretty awesome sidebar? No weight gain involved!

(Thanks David Airey, via Twitter)

Forget about the red cup...

The other day I noticed that Starbucks has begun using the seasonal "red cup." Everybody knows what the red cup means: it's the holiday cup; Christmas must be coming.

However, across the pond, there's something much more creative going on. At a small coffee chain called Puccino's, instead of a red cup once a year, they rotate cups on an annual basis. Designed by illustrator Jim Smith, every year the chain comes out with a new set of cups like this one:



The clever thing about it is there's a bunch of cups like this in rotation; so you never know what you're going to get. And it's not just coffee cups, it's also their bags, sugar packets, advertising, signage, etc. There's actually a Flickr set of some of the ongoing work. And if that's not enough for you, check out Jim Smith's website, or the short interview on Brand New.

Much better than the red cup.

So. Sad.

I might have mentioned that one of the projects I'm working on right now is packaging for cookies. As a result, I am a sweets magnet (OK, like I really needed this type of project to admit that). I am fascinated by all kinds of packaging--obviously the well-designed only need apply--but because this is a "dessert" type item, I am drawn to sweets.

One of the brands that I've come across in my travels is Blisscotti. First of all? Brilliant. Biscotti ice cream sandwiches?! Sign me up! But on top of the fact that this product might just be the most delish thing ever, their logo has been featured in quite a few design periodicals, winning awards left and right.



Pretty, right? Well, their packing--which, come to find out, is also racking up the awards--is just as nice.




So here we have this yummy product, coupled with premium-looking packaging that has won awards and been featured in respected design publications such as How and Comm Arts. This sounds like a no brainer, right?

Well, then I went to their website. And I saw this:



and this:



Huh? What happened to the pretty packaging? Why is this wonderful product (which somewhere along the line has acquired a chocolate coating. Excuse me while I wipe the drool from the keyboard) committing packaging suicide? I mean, clearly, this fits in Stop and Shop's freezer section now, blending right in with all the other frozen desserts screaming, Buy me! Buy me!, but part of the appeal--to me, anyway--was that before the vomit inducing redesign (Ugh, I never thought I would use the word vomit and biscotti ice cream sandwich in the same sentence) the packaging stood out, because of the tasteful (award-winning, hello?) design!

Why would you do this, Blisscotti? Why?

Oh, and PS: Not like I'd buy this now, what with it's ugly packaging and all (OK, I totally would, but only because of the product itself); but even if I would, I couldn't, because they don't even sell it in CT. It's a west coast thing, New York being the only east coast state to get it. Sigh.