The constant re-evolution of package design

For the past four years, I've been in package design. I've dealt with fighting my intuition to make things look clean and elegant with the client's desire to make 458 claims super-duper important on the primary design panel. But have you all noticed the trend that's taking place? Simplicity! Oh it makes me so happy! Super huge cropped logos, single colors, less and less blurs, embossing, and crazy gradients.

I guess I have the public to thank for this, all you suddenly health conscious consumers who can really make the connection that simple packaging probably means less unnecessary crap in their products. You go into a Whole Foods, and all the packaging is simple and beautiful, for the most part. Companies are realizing this, and trying to live up to that expectation. Not only that, but when you're walking down a cereal aisle and every box has sooo many visual cues on it, what really stands out and grabs your attention? Possibly nothing, possibly the next aisle with the Pepto because you're so nauseous from all the colors. However, now you'll notice many companies are cleaning it up. I think I noticed Grape Nuts first. It was just a white box with their logo and a large beautiful image of wheat cropping off the box. So now, among a sea of craziness, there is this clean, beautiful oasis of type and image. I've been a big fan of Kashi packaging as well, because it's clean, but they also have fun with it. I don't know if it's always true, but even though I've been both designer and consumer, it somehow subconsciously says, "Less crap on the outside, less crap on the inside". The trend branches out further from this notion as well, because I've seen it in things like beer packaging, and lets face it, we aren't buying beer for our health. Well, mental health maybe...

It's inevitable, once everyone follows this trend, everyone is going to strive to stand out once again... but I'm going to enjoy it as long as I can. Who even knows what the next trend will be... maybe we'll just be eating food capsules...