What I loved in design last month | May 2024
Various forms of design I interacted with in May and what and why I liked or didn’t like about them as a brand designer….
This article is arranged in a chronological order of my experience, not based on how much I liked or hated a design….
Always have a spoof read done before you go live…. 🔍
If you are as big and reputed as Nifd, using templates directly on your website is a bad idea. Besides lowering the standards of your design language, it can also lead to mistakes like making it live without even changing the text…. 😶
The bigger you are, the more it’ll hurt your brand’s reputation…. 😌
Jockey doing some good branding work at their retail stores….
I buy from Jockey once a year. And I did that yearly shopping recently. When I stepped into the retail store, I found this lovely installation of the history and heritage of the brand with key milestones pointed out…. 👀
Flexing your history is better marketing than pushing your products…. 😌
As someone who’s been buying from Jockey for quite a few years, I had fun going through their history in such an aesthetic way. If I were a new customer, this would give me confidence in the brand I’m considering buying from…. 🤓
Do you have relevant secondary brand elements…? 🤔
This is a secondary brand element that Jockey. has started using recently and it’s great. Today Jockey sells many different products but they are primarily known for their great underwear. This brand element makes use of that by incorporating a silhouette of underwear. The typography is also perfectly arranged around it using two font sizes and their logo with a little hint at their legacy…. 🤓
Inspirations from a Bhubaneswar-based brewery…. 🍺
I’m not an alcoholic. I drink very rarely. But being someone obsessed with branding, I like artisanal stuff which includes breweries. So, when Kegs and Barrels opened in Bhubaneswar, it was a happy moment for me…. 🍺
Does your menu design maintain your vibe…? 🤔
I finally visited it recently with a friend of mine. Besides their offerings and the lovely ambience what caught my eye was the well-designed menu. Instead of going with something generic, they’ve designed something that feels like a handcrafted by a farm. And that is the perfect vibe for a brewery because that’s the history of brewing beer…. 🍻
Your logo doesn’t have to be obvious…. 😌
Kegs and Barrels is a brewery in Bhubaneswar and I love their logo. In their logo, you won’t see any beer glass or grains. It just has beautiful types arranged in an interesting way. But there are two subtle hints at brewing…. 🍺
The two small flairs around “and” are shaped like three barrels stacked together. And the shape around the wordmark is the shape of a barrel traditionally used for brewing beer…. 🍻
What do you put on your packaging…? 🤔
When you combine two great Indian delicacies like pani puri and khakhra, it can rarely go wrong. So, Agvit Food had a great start on this. But they made it even more appealing by making the product photography the hero. So, you know exactly what you’re getting into…. 🤓
Compliment that with good typography and it might be enough. It clearly is enough for Agvit Foods in this case…. 😋
Are you missing out on unused space…? 🤔
As someone who takes sustainability seriously, I’m not a fan of plastic water bottles. But I can appreciate a good design when I see one. This Bisleri bottle was gifted by IndiGo when the flight was delayed due to weather conditions…. ✈️
The background of the Himalayas behind the logo is created by printing the mountains behind the label. The fake holographic effect is created by the water and the shape of the bottle acting as a lens…. Smart…. 🤓
Probably the most appropriate icon for a toilet…. 🚽
Found this at the Hyderabad Airport…. 🤣
Besides the sarcasm that I can appreciate, it is also well-designed. Besides the joke, it also describes the commode. So, you know exactly what it is even if you don’t get the joke. And the geometric shapes also make it very smooth…. 🤓
Gotta appreciate the baby steps…. ☕️
Starbucks ain’t my favourite coffee brand by any means. And they still use single-use plastic on many of their packaging. But Starbucks moving to completely compostable packaging for their hot coffee takeaways should be appreciated…. 💼
Because for brands that big, tiny moves also carry major footprints. Moreover, this also motivates smaller brands to follow suit creating a positive ripple effect…. 🤓
Design system lessons from Ikea…. 🪑
I wanted to visit Ikea when I was in Bengaluru, but I couldn’t make it. I finally visited Ikea recently, taking advantage of being in Hyderabad this month. And it’s a paradise for designers and those who love to keep their stuff organized. I enjoyed every bit of roaming in the warehouse… 😁
What’s a worthy goal for a design system…? 🤔
Besides being inspired by the overall design language, I noticed something very interesting. Ikea also has multiple packaged food offerings that I wasn’t aware of. But none of the packaging has Ikea mentioned explicitly. In fact, there’s no Ikea logo in the entire packaging. But you know it’s Ikea at a single glance…. 🔍
If you can uplift the design language of your brand to the point, where you don’t even have to put your logo to tell it is from your brand, you’re doing it right. Branding is about making a mark. It is about being recognizable and fostering recall…. 🤓
Does your packaging even need a logo…? 🤔
IKEA doesn’t put their logo on their food packaging. And it still works. Let’s see why:
It is not their primary product. They are a furniture company. They are selling these to the people who’ve come to buy furniture, not the other way around…. 🪑
They have a very recognizable design language. Hence, even without any logo on the packaging, you can tell it is from Ikea at a single glance…. 🔥
No wonder they are so reputed…. 🤓
That’s all for now. See you again next month. In the meantime, you can check out the design inspirations list from the previous month….
This is Aditya, 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 connect with me on LinkedIn. You can also book a mentorship or consultation session with me on ADPList or Topmate….
