Design Evaluation

To prepare for this assignment I visited my local Lin's Market and then wandered over to the Walgreen's Drug store across the street.  I was looking for inspiration.  What catches my eye or what do I buy and why.  Do I buy it simply because of the packaging? I settled on comparing a couple mint products.

 
Altoids
 
Contextually, Altoids hits it out of the park psychologically (strong, confidant), culturally (historic) and socially (fresh breath). Altoids have a lasting quality to the packaging.  According to their web site, Altoids have been around since the turn of the 19th century and were originally marketed for the medicinal purposes of calming the stomach. The tin container, inside paper lining and overall design gives a feel of an old time pharmacy. 
  
 The container is made of tin plating and is one of the most recyclable materials in manufacturing. 








It also a great way to store buttons, paper clips, pins, screws, etc.


The container itself is aesthetically pleasing.  Rectangular in shape and the label is embossed onto the tin. The contrast of the name "Altoids" is not only black on white but the letters and outside edge of the design are raised giving the cover texture. It has simple, clean lines. The name "Altoids" and the "flavor" are in black which draws the eye and gives the reader the information at a glance.

I find the law of similarity in the color. My eyes group the colors together, first black, then the "color" then the gold which has information, but is not as important. A interesting note, each flavor has a different "color" and that color is used throughout the design.

Icebreakers

The container of the Icebreakers is less than impressive.  It is round, plastic container with a colored base and white lid, plus it has a stick on paper label. Perhaps the goal was to make it appear like a large mint. 

When I look at this label, my first impression is it is too busy, so I asked myself why? More than anything, I think they used too many different kinds of fonts and did not use color well.

The main lettering is a block font, done with white letters and silver/black outline. My eyes don't know where to go. Plus there are all these stars in silver foil that are supposed to represent the flavor crystals, but I think they are a bit distracting.

There is a line in the design of the label from the top of the I then it uses the law of closure and swoops down to the bottom.  It gives the impression of a circle. This gives movement to the label but may also be one of the reasons my initial reaction is that it is too busy.


Going for a fun appeal, the container opens with a "to share" (large opening) or a "not to share" (small opening) option. Unfortunately on the package that I bought, the label was put on the opposite way.