The Power of Package Design

Adage.com has an article on how the Tropicana box redesign caused a 20% sales plunge. I can’t say I’m surprised; I remember seeing those new boxes at the supermarket and not recognizing them as Tropicana (or orange juice) in the first place. When I did, my reaction was “Why?” It seemed unnecessary when the old design was so powerful. A straw sticking in an orange communicates “100% orange juice from fresh produce! It’s like drinking straight from the orange!” The new design looked like a weird buttermilk carton instead. It even took me a while to figure out that the graphic represents a glass of juice! When seen from a few feet awsy, it looks like some sleek gradient design.

Obviously the Tropicana story serves as a strong lesson in the importance of branding. What seems unnecessary is the specific mention of designer Peter Arnell in the article. The man might be an asshole, but the designer didn’t make the final decision on this new design. He probably didn’t even set the direction. A whole army of brand managers at Tropicana did, and deserve the blame.

Anyway, none of this really affects Victoria and I. We’re Minute Maid people