What I loved in Design last month | June 2024
Every month I compile the different forms of design I interacted with and what I loved or disliked about them. Being a brand designer, I can’t help but notice stuff in terms of branding. Last month some of my notable design interactions were Cards Vs Sanskaar, Pepsi, Bingo, Farshore, Heneiken and some more. The article is arranged in chronological order of my interaction, not in terms of preference…. Let’s dig in….
Designers should visit bookstores…. 📕
I’m into both reading and writing, so I have some added reasons to visit a bookstore. But I buy books very rarely as I don’t start reading a new book before completing the one I started. But besides the opportunity of shopping for books, bookstores are a treasure trove of inspiration…. 😌
For example, this book cover design of “The Sisters Brothers” is very cool. This minimal design has 4 different images combined into one. If you observe closely, besides two characters holding guns there is also a moon, a skull, and a face on the moon…. 🌒
Don’t just judge the book by its cover…. Also, judge it by its logos…. 📖
As a brand designer, I don’t just read the book or look at its cover design. I also notice the different logos of the publishers, distributors etc on it. And they’re worth it…. 👀
When I visited a bookstore recently in Hyderabad, I found this lovely logo of Farshore. Here’s what makes the logo great. There’s a book in the negative space of the “F”. And the decision to tilt the F allows putting the wordmark along the vertical bar of the letter and making the logo more compact…. Overall, a great logo inspiration…. 🤓
Are you taking advantage of the good practices…? 🤔
What makes the packaging design for Bingo Nachos from ITC Limited work is the very clear and attractive hierarchy…. 🤓
Your eyes move from “Nachos” to “Bingo” to “Free Dip” to the product photography. They’re not doing anything different here, but they are doing it right…. 😌
Are you using humour in your branding…? 🤔
I was introduced to Cards vs Sanskaar recently via the Hyderabad adplist.org meetup. And I loved it. Now, I’m a bit into dark humour. So, I’m a bit biased towards this. But what I loved about their branding and packaging is that humour ain’t just in their product and marketing. It is a core part of their packaging and brand identity as well…. 🎴
Yeah, using humour so on the face might alienate lotta people. But they are also the people who wouldn’t buy your product either. Potentially alienating some groups of people has the benefit of connecting with your core audience at a deeper level. And it’s a risk worth taking…. 😌
The other thing I loved is the extra condensed typeface they’re using. I love extra condensed typefaces. In fact, I love it so much that I have even created a free Xtra Tall typeface with XAXs Corps that I use consistently….
What should you prioritise…? 🤔
The Pepsi rebranding is one of the most successful of big rebrandings recently. Every time I get a chance to compare, I prefer the rebranded version. It’s simply clearer and more attention-grabbing…. 🥤
When you compare it to the previous branding [which I also like], it tells you less about the product but still makes you wanna buy it more. And maybe that matters more…. 🤓
Sometimes you just wonder why…? 🤔
I recently came across a non-alcoholic beer can by HEINEKEN that I hadn’t seen before. So, naturally, I bought it. Unsurprisingly, it tasted good enough. But what was surprising was this design decision…. 🍺
The name of the brand is not completed in this part of the can. No, it’s not followed up after the bar code either. And no, it’s not the only location with the name. The full name and logo are clearly visible as a different arch on the front…. 🍻
If someone has the answer to the why behind this, please enlighten me…. 😶
That's all for this time. I’ll be compiling my design interactions for this month as well. In the meantime, you can check out the article before this one….
This is a self-taught multidisciplinary creative hooman and a veracious empath who loves branding. Besides strategic aesthetics, I take a keen interest in philosophy, psychology and exploring new experiences beyond the superficial….
If you wanna dig deeper, you can book a session with me on ADPList or Topmate….
