Comments on: Which polish would you buy?

By: Paul

Paul — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 06:13:30 +0000

A similar example we all know:

Craigslist.

By: Amy Dean

Amy Dean — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:26:38 +0000

What a great, yet simple, example of what design can do. There are many good points made about the history of Wright’s Silver Cream and the emotions associated with it, the practicality of the jug, and the unassuming packaging. What really strikes me is that the cleaner, more modern packaging is so unenthusiastic about doing the job. Polishing silver is about gleaming, shiny, bright objects. The Wright’s packaging at least illustrates what it is for and, for better or worse, the felt type says, Hey, we’re excited about getting our silver shiny! The Maas couldn’t be much more dull. You gotta at least pretend to be exciting by what you are promoting, right?

Great exercise!

By: Kate

Kate — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 09:50:06 +0000

Sitting on a shelf, the tub immediately tells me that I will be able to polish my silver. And the box? Well, it might do it because it’s near the silver polish . . .

I agree with Dave to not let “design” get in the way of what we are trying to really do — communicate the message.

By: Seb

Seb — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 07:07:22 +0000

Here’s a plumber’s opinion on the matter:

The tub packaging is the kind I would look for on the shelf. It is highly practical for the job that needs being done, easy to open and handle.

The Maas packaging would not have caught my eye, as it looks more like the packaging of a beauty product than a household product. If I couldn’t read English, I would think it was some sort of skin lotion. That’s probably because of the color of the box.

By: Christian Nelson

Christian Nelson — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 20:06:42 +0000

Does anyone even have silverware anymore?

Does anyone polish silverware anymore?

For what it’s worth, I’ll take the tub.

By: Dave

Dave — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:12:45 +0000

I’m a writer trying to learn a little more about design (I know, heresy), not a designer, so I’ll make a couple of points from the perspective of the great unwashed:

1 — The picture of shiny silverware tells me (visually) what the product does.
2 — The yellow border was irrelevant to me. I didn’t even notice it until I read about it in these posts.
3 — The Maas box, while a “cleaner” design, might as well have been a brown paper bag that said, “polish” on it. Its design communicated nothing of value to a person who does not consider such things as a matter of professional interest (me). As I’m always trying to get across to our designers, don’t let the art get in the way of communicating the message.

Keep up the good work — I’m learning a lot from this site!

By: Tobias

Tobias — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 09:32:18 +0000

I’d choose the container as well. But I have an idea for the box: Supply the tube with a sponge to apply and spread the polish directly like some shoe-polish products. Show this feature on the box, and voilà: It will attract more customers. I’d bet on it. Simplicity rules.

By: Laura (aka Pixel Princess)

Laura (aka Pixel Princess) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:39:00 +0000

I like this example. It is a good learning device. I would buy the old-fashioned container, because I already know and use this brand of polish. However, I do not know what I would buy if there were only the more modern-looking boxes vs. and old-fashioned, tub-like containers. But, since there were two distinct types, I would go for the brand I grew up with — and it looks like it has more product in it than the tall, modern-styled box. I must agree that the label is ugly — and that sometimes as a designer I do fall for that kind of marketing of “pretty labeling and packaging” — depending on what the product is and what the cost is.

Thanks again for a great example! I shared it with other designers.

By: David Kunkel

David Kunkel — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:01:54 +0000

I agree with all the comments that “silver cream” is task-specific; that the Wright’s tub suggests greater value for my dollar; and that one assumes that a traditional product is best for a traditional task. I was intrigued by Paw Hermansen’s (of Denmark) comments . . . that the Maas name and package design looks/sounds European, and he was drawn to that product. I come across this often in my work for a multinational corporation; European design expectations and culture are very different than U.S. ones, and you must carefully design to meet their expectations. For instance, my stock photo subjects must be overwhelmingly Caucasian and young; non-work life must be implied; Bauhaus design influences are still very strong. “Know your audience” is the takeaway from this conversation, overall.

By: Greg

Greg — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:41:14 +0000

I think one of the things that people are missing here is the connection that the label makes with its audience. If you see a round, white tub with a dark blue background, white printing, and yellow accents, what do you think of? To me, I think of mayonaise (Hellman’s) or, to a lesser extent, Miracle Whip. Associating a silver polish with something familiar and, possibly, comforting, would make one more inclined to buy it, no?