Friday

5 Superb Minimalism Food Products Packaging For Your Inspiration

Simplified package design catches our eye and appeals to our love of freshness. This exploration of minimalism in food products identifies the main elements and aesthetics that work the best in packaging. So in this post, I showcase some amazing minimalism in food products for your inspiration.

Minimalism in Food Products

Walk into a grocery store and you’re likely to be overwhelmed by a virtual explosion of colors, images, advertisements, and product promises. With so many options available, what makes one product stand out over another?

Sometimes it’s not what the packaging adds but what it removes that counts. Simplified package design catches our eye and appeals to our love of freshness. Removing the excess places an emphasis on the product ingredients and quality, an effective marketing decision when promoting something we eat or drink.

This exploration of minimalism in food products identifies the main elements and aesthetics that work the best in packaging.

Neutrals

Think Thin bars, Bear Naked Granola, and The Fresh Pasta Company’s pasta all market themselves as healthy products. Along with losing the extra calories and unhealthy ingredients, these packages have also lost any unnecessary images and colors. See how they stick to neutrals and eliminate too much lettering:

1. Think Thin Image

2. Bear Naked Granola Image

3. Fresh Pasta Company Image

Monochromatic

For each flavor, Flackers crackers, Pop chips, and Noosa yogurt pick a corresponding bold color for each label and packaging. Paired with statement typography, and a lack of distracting graphics, the look is definitively modern:

4. Flackers Image

5. Pop Chips Image

6. Noosa Image

Izze Sodas actually changes its logo image to match the color of each beverage flavor:

7. Izze image

Nothing But the Product

For Talenti gelato, Pom Wonderful juice, and Echo Water, distinctive package shapes are enough to catch a customer’s eye. Simple logos and lettering, a lack of graphics, and clear packages allow the product itself to shine through.

8. Talenti Image

9. Pom Wonderful Image

10. Echo Water Image

The technique is often seen on water bottle packaging, to connote purity:

11. Smart Water Image

12. Voss Image

A Single Image

Justin’s Peanut Butter, Food Should Taste Good chips, and Dave’s Gourmet Sauce use a single image, indicative of each flavor while sticking to a neutral color palette of whites and blacks. By getting rid of extra colors and graphics, while sticking to classic packaging, they prove that you don’t need more than one image to stand out.

13. Justin’s Peanut Butter Image

14. Food Should Taste Good Image

15. Dave’s Gourmet Sauce Image

This approach is particularly popular for products with fruit and vegetable flavors or ingredients:

16. Brianna’s Salad Dressing Image

17. Olade Image

Vintage / Retro / Futuristic

While we may associate minimalism with modernism, the truth is that it can be used by all types of companies and products to enhance a range of different styles. Here are three examples that showcase a variety of personalities:

Vintage

Bonne Maman jam evokes a classic European look with their checkered caps and handwritten script, yet the simplicity of the packaging, colors, and label are pure minimalism.

18. Bonne Manan Image

Retro

Hi-Ball soda’s midcentury bottle shapes, typography, color, and graphics produce a streamlined look for that pops.

19. Hi-Ball Image

Futuristic

Mix 1’s health drinks combine nutritional technology with a pared down, cutting-edge look that speaks to a new wave of products and design.

20. Mix 1 Image

About The Author

This blog was created by ELO DESIGNER to share his wealth of knowledge and researches with other designers and design lovers, to give them guidance and inspiration. Comments and suggestions are always appreciated. Thank you. Follow my daily design links on Twitter or Add me on your social network.

If you enjoyed this post, please retweet or stumble to say thanks!

Thursday

14 Best Business Card Design: Tips and Trends For Designers

What does a business card say about you and your business? A lot. A business card is like a face: it’s the first thing people see when they “meet” your business for the first time. And as we all know, first impressions count.

No matter what line of business you’re in, business cards are a way to encapsulate – and solidify – your entire identity. They exist to create a tangible connection between you and potential clients, and if that initial connection comes across as a negative one, the relationship may not flourish.
Of course, business card design is as personal as home interior design– a sleek, modern black and-white interior with blood red furniture might be one person’s lifetime dream, and another’s worst nightmare. So let’s start with the basics of making business cards, the ABCs that everyone should know.

Business Card Basics

First off, you may ask why it’s necessary to have a business card in the first place – especially today, when so many people connect on the internet. The answer is simple: business cards exist to provide necessary information about a company or an individual – such as the nature of a business and contact details – and are usually shared when people meet each other for the first time.


You might already have built up a network of clients – perhaps largely online. But even if most of your business is conducted online, don’t forget that there will still be networking events, talks, conferences and meetings when you can’t whip out your computer.
Business cards contain pertinent information, including the owner’s name, business affiliation and contact information (address, phone number, email address, and website URL).
In the past, business cards were almost always black and white, printed on thick cardstock on one side only. That’s all changed, but no matter what type of design you choose, you still need:
  • Individual’s name (Joseph Brown)
  • Individual’s position (Website Designer)
  • Company (Wonderful Web Designs)
  • Contact Information (321 Elm Road, Price, Utah, 82134. Tel: (801) 277-7667. Email: jobrown@hotmail.com. Web address: www.example.com)
Often, people choose to copy the Ogilvy ad layout formula when designing a business card. It puts the company logo in the upper left or top part of the card, followed by the individual’s name, with all contact information in the bottom right. It may not be the most exciting way to fashion a business card, but it’s direct, to the point and safe.

Current Trends in Business Cards

Once you have the pertinent information that you want to include, the next step is to decide how you want it to appear. Here are some of the latest trends in business card design, which can give your own cards a bit of je ne sais quoi that you may find is lacking.
Die-cut cards. These can create a beautiful card showing your company’s commitment to design and value. Give your cards a bit of added value by turning every one into a design masterpiece.

Photographs. This can be a great idea when trying to show off furniture, home design, or landscape architecture. Or, include a picture of yourself to “put a face to the name”.

Print vertically instead of horizontally.

Textures. Different materials can make a card stand out from the rest, such as cards printed on leather or engraved in stainless steel.

Foil accents. The idea behind this is that the old card is all spiced up, but may look a bit desperate unless done properly.

Folded cards. More like a greeting card, these usually contain the logo on the front with contact information embedded inside. Folded cards provide real estate to include more information.

Gadgetry cards. When is a business card not a card? When it’s a bracelet, a bag, a fridge magnet or even a paper airplane. Many businesses print their logs and contact information on a variety of different objects, then pass them out.

Office gadgetry. These gadgets seem to serve a more useful purpose than just being an attention-catcher. Contact information written on mouse pads, mugs, coasters and message pads can be an effective marketing vehicle, as they provide entertainment or value.
Plastic cards. These are quickly taking over from paper cards, as they last longer.

A Word of Caution: While you may want to get creative with your card, some critics caution that it’s a good idea to stick with the original dimensions of a traditional business, or they may not fit into potential clients’ wallets or other business card holders. And, if they don’t fit, they’ll probably get thrown in the trash.
When it comes to creating the perfect business card, be true to your personality and style, but don’t let design overtake content. Today’s trends are leaning towards clean, simple designs in neutral colors (or black and white), with big logos on one side and contact information on the other. In a nutshell, less is more. And more can be, well, tacky.
Keep in mind that the goal of a business card is for people to be able to contact you easily – but they have to want to contact you in the first place. If your business cards are bulky, littered with misspellings, missing basic information or just plain ugly, clients might not put you first on their list.




About The Author

This blog was created by ELO DESIGNER to share his wealth of knowledge and researches with other designers and design lovers, to give them guidance and inspiration. Comments and suggestions are always appreciated. Thank you. Follow my daily design links on Twitter or Add me on your social network.

If you enjoyed this post, please retweet or stumble to say thanks!

Monday

1 A Tribute To Steve Jobs With Rare Videos

Steve Jobs was himself a revolution.His vision, innovation, and leadership not only changed the world, but he changed our lives as well. His death has made that all too apparent - Steve was our leader. Although I never had the opportunity to meet Steve in person, I have always felt that he was a part of my life. He has been my personal role model for as long as I can remember and I am truly crushed by his passing. I was in the 5th grade when I realized design was my calling. I didn't simply decide to be a designer, I realized that I was born to do this. I was born a designer.



The catalyst to my discovery was only made clear after I used my first Mac.From that point on, I looked at Steve as a beacon to my destination unknown. He followed his vision, and I knew without a doubt that I had to follow mine. I was determined to turn my vision into reality. And I did.There is no doubt in my mind that without Steve Jobs, many of us would have not realized our full potential.His creations have touched humanity and inspired the world over - for that I am eternally grateful. Steve Jobs - A leader, an inspiration, a revolution. May you Rest In Peace.

"For the last 20 years, and probably longer, we can rarely get through a design discussion without someone referencing Steve Jobs and some item of brilliance coming from Apple. He will be truly missed."   - Dan Formosa, Smart Design      "When I heard the news this morning I had the same feeling of loss that I had for John Lennon - the loss of what a longer life of creativity could have brought the world from such a brilliant individual. Steve Jobs created a definitive Challenger brand that has become the worlds greatest Icon. Through Apple and his other interests, Steve Jobs's memory and legacy will stay alive and prosper, continuing to better our culture and enrich our lives.   I think Steve's words are better than mine and so here's a two of his most meaningful quotes to me:  "Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes... the ones who see things differently -- they're not fond of rules... You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change things... they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do"  "Death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it, and that is how it should be, because death is very likely the single best invention of life. It's life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new."  And lastly, everyone -  designer or not -  should read his Commencement address to Stanford University on June 12, 2005:  http://news.stanford.edu/news/2005/june15/jobs-061505.html  Thank you Steve.  - Jonathan Ford - Pearlfisher    "Years ago, when describing the design of an early MacIntosh, Steve stated that it looked like it came from another planet--a planet with better designers. Steve Jobs imbued designers with the confidence and clarity to truly help create products that changed the world, and because they were so beautiful and well designed, we felt more beautiful using them. Steve Jobs never felt compelled to undertake market research to find out what people wanted; his ambitions were greater: he wanted to give us that which we didn't know we even needed, that which you needed a visionary genius to understand could even be created in the first place. The world has not only lost a great inventor, technologist and designer, the world has lost a great artist and a true poet."  iSob  - Debbie Millman - Sterling Brands     "Steve Jobs has made my life so much easier, by proving to the world that intelligent simplicity and refined aesthetics are not elitist, but they're actually what almost everybody really wants".  - David Turner, Turner Duckworth      "My thoughts and prayers are with Steve's wife and children during this time. I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to experience Steve's brilliance first hand in Apple's Industrial Design studio. His ability to challenge, inspire and motivate simultaneously was always remarkable. He gave everyone around him the confidence and desire to create without boundaries."  - Vince Voron, Coca-Cola       "Steve Jobs has done more than change the design profession, or the job of every CEO.  He has given a large portion of the population a way to engage in our daily digital culture.  Thanks to his tools, we are all a part of an ever-growing creative class.  An Apple computer loaded with a suite of illustration and photo software used to be the rarified tools of creative professionals. Today, almost everyone is a creator.  We take/edit/send/post images, we blog, we tweet, we create family slide shows, we creatively and actively participate in online communities.     In other words, we contribute to conversations and create our digital culture.     It is Steve Jobs’ products that allow us to create and share every day.  It is Steve Jobs’ unwavering commitment to ease of use that has made technology approachable, and usable by most.   And for this, we can all say that Steve Jobs changed our lives."   - Yves Behar, Fuseproject      "People think it's this veneer -- that the designers are handed this box and told, 'Make it look good!' That's not what we think design is. It's not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works." - Steve Jobs
The First Mac( Lost video of 1984)



Steve Jobs introduces the fist apple store

About The Author

This blog was created by ELO DESIGNER to share his wealth of knowledge and researches with other designers and design lovers, to give them guidance and inspiration. Comments and suggestions are always appreciated. Thank you. Follow my daily design links on Twitter or Add me on your social network.

If you enjoyed this post, please retweet or stumble to say thanks!

Saturday

0 25 Fresh Ads Featuring Excellent Use Of Typography

Typography is everywhere, from the web to the print industry. In fact, there’s a lot of talk about beautiful typography in web design, but let’s not forget about the print industry – this is where it all comes from.

What most of these ads have in common is that they use typography in a very interesting manner in order to get their message across. Of course typography alone is great, but here we’re featuring some ads that combine type and images to convey a strong and influencing message. Enjoy!

Chicago Tribune

Jimmy Needham

Amnesty International

Richard Overy War

You Don't Have To Stay Inside The Lines

Everlast Persevere

RBC

Andy Smith Poster

Breast Cancer

Visit-U-S

Easy-Cheese

mercedesbenz

levi strauss

pivot boutique karma

Harleys Equal

Mean Sandwich

paknstor bedrooms

The Franklin Institute Print Campaign

uipa naughty pets

procopio ferreira theatre sock

Harley-Davidson

child soldiers

samenwerkende apothekers

Camel-Direct-Mail

Bert Buds Vintage Coffins: Mellow

About The Author

This blog was created by ELO DESIGNER to share his wealth of knowledge and researches with other designers and design lovers, to give them guidance and inspiration. Comments and suggestions are always appreciated. Thank you. Follow my daily design links on Twitter or Add me on your social network.

If you enjoyed this post, please retweet or stumble to say thanks!