the horror. the horror.
Design that works, sells volumes, while design that is beautiful is heralded in the design community. To any designer with a fetish for tattoo-like filigree or a penchant for overlapping color to create a transparent effect, I say, just go to the largest outdoor festival or fair you can find in your area and witness for the day, those who buy the products you design. It’s a humbling experience to see those hoards of people consuming fast-moving consumer goods with apparently no awareness or care for the graphic tension on packaging or the choice of interesting and unexpected typographic compliments. In fact, most of the time, design is overlooked. From the moment all people wake up in the morning to the moment they go to bed, most objects used are without second thought.
A Dieline contributor on the failure of a redesigned package of Kraft Natural Cheese. Worth reading in full, if only to exercise the muscle that keeps you from reaching through your display, grabbing the author by the neck, shaking vigorously and shouting NO DUH! at the top of your lungs.