Presentation is Everything

Posted by: Jocelyn Edin

This project has gotten a lot of publicity and for good reason. It completely stops you in your tracks. Would you buy the yarn? I’m not sure, but it definitely would out-compete on the shelves, and this time of year that makes a huge difference.

Of course, I haven’t seen this on the shelves anywhere. This has more of a niche market I would assume (and as mother of small children I have gotten nowhere near my knitting needles in the past 4 years!) Regardless, the design statement is powerful and very entertaining. Packaging design plays a huge roll in communicating, reinforcing, and introducing brands to the market, and it has to do it quickly.

As a designer myself, I am uniquely drawn to products based on the package; the graphics, the materials, the visual appeal. Of course many of these preferences are already informed and supported by my experiences with brands (how much did I love opening my new iPhone box!), but the power of design cannot be underestimated for any product.

It feels like this is just starting to catch on for the masses. Take tissue boxes, for example. A few years ago, you couldn’t get anything but the ordinary plain Jane, old wallpaper-type box designs. Then Kleenex decided to offer a more ‘stylish’ line of prints and even changed up the shape of the box (ooh, a cylinder). Of course, I bought them. And now you see many more options like this. You can even design your own box if you like!

It’s exciting that this tactile form of design will never go away. Cheers to those creating such compelling, fun designs! Makes life (and shopping) that much more interesting.

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