Launching new packaging design is almost dangerous in today's market as consumers will eviscerate its look until a brand retreats to the drawing board, bloodied and bruised (ahem, Gap logo). But No Name (or Sans Nom, this is Canada), the private label of the Toronto-based grocery chain Loblaw, has found a way to both stand out on shelves and provide a service to smart shoppers with simple, clean design that hardly anyone could quibble about. Also? It makes great use of Helvetica, the very typeface that was so maligned in that Gap redesign.
The 30-year-old brand launched the redesign a year ago—it actually refreshes the packaging every few years—and now has more than 3,000 products in the sharp yellow boxes. The no-frills identity is certainly well-timed for shoppers looking to get more bang for their buck due to economic woes. But according to brandchannel, a study showed just how powerful the the combination of recognition and simplicity can be: Pampers had an 85 percent market share of diapers at the stores, but after the introduction of No Name, that number plummeted to 18 percent.
These photos, snapped by Michael Frances McCarthy of designKULTUR proves that packaging doesn't need to use its real estate to hype various—and often confusing—nutritional or ingredient claims. A package that's trying too hard on the outside might make consumers feel like it's overcompensating for that quality inside. Perhaps the greatest benefit that design can give to its audience is being straightforward, honest, and unmistakable.
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