Free me!
“Once upon a time I was a successful, good-looking food packaging with a unique personality (mainly communicated by my sexy shape and the materials I’m made of) and 3 core graphic elements (my outfit, so to speak) I had come to love so much: a strong branding, a distinctive product name and a great-looking key visual... For my fans on the whole (= my buyers), these few but compelling factors stated quickly and concisely:
- - who I am,
- - where I come from,
- - what I do,
- - why I’m good and better than the rest.
What came to pass is what happens to every single one of us: I got older. And needed a couple of facelifts, small and discreet at first to keep me fresh and young-looking. Then the major ones to take the consumer community’s new needs and expectations into account.
That was fine with me at the time and it still is. It’s so good to feel attractive, to stay in shape and be up-to-date!
But even so… recently… somehow it seemed important to my owners to add what competitors claim / visualise, what consumers might expect or prefer or like... so lots of things were added to my face… on the left cheek, the right cheek, the forehead, on my nose…. A lot of little dots or big patches… I don’t always understand why, to be honest… I’m so pretty without them... and it really gets me down to look so… full… and… scarred now...
If I had a wish, I mean, with Xmas coming soon?
I’d like to get rid of all this make-up. To show my natural self, the real me again…
Maybe someone hears me out there…”
We are all aware of the power that ‘simplify’ and ‘less is more’ have.
Most of the briefings we get even contain these adages as the directional motto. Unfortunately, often followed by a ‘but...’ (and a long list of other ‘absolutely key’ things the facing should deliver) along with a roster of 3 to 5 “VIMs”: very important mandatories – or – very impertinent mandatories. They rarely help and never improve anything. Most of the time they just make things worse.
So, let’s put our heads together again and think about what really counts.
About how to put this in the limelight in a way that’s relevant and sets it apart.
About better packaging being more because it has less.
A grandly ironic showcase?
Please take a look at “Microsoft designs the iPod package” at
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