Elements of Islay Whiskey – Poisonous Packaging or Not?

I read a great post on The Dieline today and had to write about it here to find out what everyone thinks about the packaging for the Elements of Islay Whiskey.  In a hat tip to the product name – the “Elements” of Islay Whiskey, the package labels are designed to look like they came from the periodic table of elements.  Even the bottle shape has a chemical feel to it reminiscent of high school chemistry class.

When I first saw the picture of the Elements of Islay Whiskey packaging, I thought the bottles contained a poison or harsh chemical.  It wasn’t until I clicked through to see the image on Liqurious.com that I realized what is in the bottles is actually whiskey.  Of course, whiskey certainly could be poisonous, but that’s a topic for another blog and blogger to tackle.  I’m just interested in the effectiveness of the packaging from a branding and marketing perspective.

What do you think?  I have to admit that this packaging would probably stand out on a liquor store shelf, but I wonder what type of customer would be compelled to purchase it and try it after seeing this packaging.  It might as well have a skull and cross bones on it.  Is the customer demographic that would be moved to action and make a purchase based on this packaging the target market that the company behind the Elements of Islay Whiskey, Specialty Drinks Ltd., wants to attract?  Does the price point match the brand message that the packaging communicates?

So what do you think?

Sprite Green Packaging Mimics Lemon Juice

I’m not sure if it was intentional or not, but the packaging for Coca-Cola’s new Sprite Green product looks a lot like a lemon juice bottle (at least from a distance).  It could be an intentional subconscious connection to the “naturalness” of Sprite Green which does contain 5% lemon juice, or it may have been a mistake.  Either way, it’s a nice package. 

I suppose the bigger question is whether ten years from now we’ll learn that Truvia (the natural sweetener used in Sprite Green instead of sugar or an artificial sweetener) is actually bad for you, like saccharine and some other artificial sweeteners.  That’s another story entirely though.

What do you think of the packaging for Sprite Green?  By the way, here are some lemon juice bottles for comparison.

 

Hat tip to The DieLine for this post topic.

Innovative Package Design Let’s Users Paint Nails on the Go

A new line of Karpati nail care products is innovative in two ways.  First, it’s free from harmful chemicals used in many nail care products, and second, the packaging is just plain cool!

Check out the picture of the Karpati nail polish bottle (courtesy of The Dieline).  The unique bottle fits over the user’s fingers like a ring, so a person can do his or her nails just about anywhere! 

The Karpati website reports that the package design is included in the ‘Design Collection’ at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. 

What do you think of this package design?  I don’t think I’d actually use it, but I can think of a number of people who would want to try it out!

Image: Karpati

Compostable Packaging Gains Speed as Green Business Trend

Compostable packaging isn’t new, but developing a set of standards for compostable packaging, particularly home-composting, is still fairly new.  A standard and logo has been in place (called the Seedling logo – pictured) that denotes packaging that is suitable for composting in centralized facilities (e.g., on ships), but starting in 2009, a new logo will appear on packages deemed suitable for disposal in home composting-machines.

Retailers are keen to jump on the bandwagon to reduce packaging waste, so don’t be surprised if you start to see the new logo more frequently as 2009 progresses.  It seems “biodegradable” is no longer good enough, and “home-compostable” is the term of the future. [Read more]

Pepsi Through the Years – The Brand Moves On

Pepsi has officially launched its new logo and package designs.  As part of the move to the new look, PepsiCo released a video that shows the evolution of the Pepsi logo and package design.  It’s a somewhat nostalgic look at branding history.

 

I’m not completely sold on the new Pepsi logo and package design.  The entire look seems too reminiscent of RC Cola to me.  It just doesn’t seem distinct enough to warrant a redesign.  I certainly wouldn’t confuse the two brands, but I would have liked to have seen something bolder and more unique from Pepsi.  What do you think?

 

Images: Pepsi, RC

Pentawards for Package Design 2008 Winners Announced

This news comes courtesy of my favorite package design blog, The Dieline.  The winners of the 2008 Pentawards for package design have been announced, and there are some highly creative designs included in the mix.  There is some consistency however in terms of trying to use unique bottle designs in the beverage category and clean, crisp designs across all categories.

I think my favorite is the humorous packaging for Tesco chips that features a character called “The Bandito”.  The funny part is the way The Bandito’s clothes and accessories change depending on which flavor of chips package he adorns.  Very clever and memorable!

 

I also like the unique packaging for Spark laundry detergent out of Korea.  Turning the package into a mini washing machine replica is so simple yet so effective. [Read more]