"Isn't it Iconic?" and "The Power of The Box - Powerful Packaging Design" Questions

1. To what extent is packaging important in marketing a product? Give an example of how a package influenced your decision to buy (or not buy) something.
Packaging is very important when marketing a product. On busy store shelves a consumer needs to be able to recognize what they want or be draw to a particular brand if they are not sure what they want. Packaging is especially important when it comes to beverages. This is one of the few products where the packaging is not immediately thrown away. I don't drink wine but I like shopping for it with my parents because the labels are so interesting. For me it is not at all about taste, but about how the bottle will look on the wine rack or sitting on the table. Labels have to be viscerally appealing but also show others what you find beautiful or interesting, so they are reflective. I prefer labels that use black, white and a bold color. Oddly shaped labels also help set some bottles apart from others.

Black, White and Red Color Scheme.
Easy to Read Font.

Thin Label, Very Low on the Bottle is Eye-catching.

Clever.
Black, White and Red.

Black with Two Colors.

Black and White.
No Words on the Main Label.

Black and White.

Arizona Iced Tea comes in a distinct tall can. Jones soda is also very unique. The pop is brightly colored and the labels are usually black and white photographs submitted by consumers.

I also bought premium m&ms because the package was so pretty. The box has subtle curves and was metallic shades of brown.


The cover of a book is another type of important packaging. I was at Borders one day and saw a hardcover book where the cover was split down the middle so that two flaps opened up. I immediately picked it up and smiled when I saw that it worked with the title "The Divide". I bought the book and had many people comment on it while I was reading it. This was in middle school, it is still my favorite book cover. Without this cover, I may have never picked up the book.

2. What other products have iconic packaging? 
Apple has very iconic packaging. Every piece features a white background with black type and a color image of the product. Their packaging is also very representative of the size of the product. Ipods come in small boxes, maybe twice the size of the ipod. At one point they had some black packaging with white type but I believe they have returned to all white.

McDonalds Happy Meal also has iconic packaging. Commercials always feature a red box with the golden arches as the handle. Every time I got a Happy Meal as a kid it came in the normal paper bag but I still associate it with the red box.

It isn't yet well know, but BluRay DVDs have a very distinct design. They are similar to a normal DVD case but shorter, thinner and the plastic is blue. If BluRay makes a breakthrough it will become iconic.

3. What usability issues exist for packaging? Give examples of particularly good or bad packaging from a usability perspective.
Packaging should easily let the consumer know what is inside. It should be easy to remove. It needs to keep the product safe, but there should not be too much of it. The packaging on CDs is horrible. It takes forever to unwrap and CD. I understand that they want to make it difficult for people to steal them, but there has to be a better way to do it. Apple does a good job not putting too much padding in their boxes. When buying a bottled drink, the top should be secure so that the consumer knows it has not been tampered with, but it should not be so tight that the consumer cannot get it off.

None of the images used here belong to me.