packaging
The New Renu
We’ve always used Bausch + Lomb’s renu contact solution, so I was excited to see the packaging refreshed with new graphics in a clear, textured bottle. As a product, in hand, it’s great. However, there are a few things holding it back from being a truly great piece of strategic aesthetics.
Everything about this bottle felt immediately like a good move on B+L’s part: the clear bottle and friendly graphics are disruptive in a category filled with competition struggling to straddle the healthcare and CPG worlds. Pentagram, the agency handling Bausch + Lomb’s new identity, seemed to find category balance in part through the addition of a nice serif typeface. For more background on the graphic design, read about the work on Pentagram’s site or from the critics at Brand New. Beyond the graphic aspects, selecting a transparent PETE bottle over the opaque HDPE one gives B+L a better sensory experience. The thinner walls of the new bottle make it easier and enjoyable to squeeze. A slight texture prevents it from feeling too stock, and it probably helps a little bit functionally. Finally, a clear bottle works well in the store because shoppers like to see the product they’re going to purchase.
However, all the advantages of packaging contact solution in a clear bottle are erased by the paper box that covers it up. I’m not sure if this is a regulatory issue or if it’s an unwritten rule for the category, but every bottle of contact solution comes in a secondary box (image courtesy of The Dieline). Regardless, Bausch + Lomb may have missed an opportunity for more disruptive innovation and more category leadership. Clear bottles typically cost more than the opaque ones, so why invest the money if it’s not going to help the brand stand out in the store? On the other hand, one could substitute a clear acetate box for the paper one in order to celebrate the bottle inside. It would be a bigger investment, both to spec a clear box and to spend time working in a more integrated manner to make the entire package work together. This example, much like the Dove Go Fresh bottles, indicates that achieving good design today is much more of a management challenge than an aesthetic one. I’m confident Bausch + Lomb will have success despite some of these details, but I think the payoff would have been bigger had they achieved a more holistic vision of how they want people to experience their products.
WTF (Function, Form, Failure)
Sometimes design needs to show its sense of humor to create positive change, and Seth Akkerman WTF project does just that. WTF stands for What’s the Function, Form, and Failure and investigates problems with current packaging solutions. Check out this PSA announcement by host Basil Horsfield:
Visit Seth’s blog and leave a comment or your own story about WTF packaging.
via NotCot
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