Tropicana, Pepsi Overhaul Packaging
If you're an orange juice drinker, you've already noticed the Tropicana brand redesign. The New York Times had a bit about it last week that explains the motive behind the drastic change:
One noticeable change is the disappearance of the longtime Tropicana symbol, a straw stuck in an orange that stood for the juice’s fresh taste. The device is being replaced by a tall glass filled with Tropicana and an orange-colored twist cap atop large cartons that is shaped like a halved orange.
Here's what design geeks said about it when previews went up in October:
This new packaging feels, at best, like a discount store brand with what looks like, again, at best, rights-managed stock photography if not outright royalty free. And the typography is, once more, at best, a lame derivative of how the British have lately exploited geometric sans serifs like Futura and Avenir to great results—here's just one example of many.
Ouch! [Tropicana's fatal flaw, and Pepsi's facelift, after the jump.]
As a Colorblind-American, I have a hard time distinguishing between the subtle variations in hue and thus run the risk of selecting golden grapefruit juice in lieu of orange juice—pulp-free, thank you very much.
I'm but an amateur when it comes to typography and design, and I have to admit that I sort of liked the clean sans-serif typeface on this packaging. (Design aficionados, start your flogging.) But for me, this packaging fails in one major respect. I'm colorblind, and the glasses of orange juice, apple juice, and juice blends on the package all pretty much look the same to me. I now have to read the package carefully before grabbing it. (And, yeah, you'd think reading the package would be a given anyway, but you'd be surprised at how you become accustomed to "reading" the carton using imagery rather than what it actually says.)
Pepsi got a facelift, too.
Fans of "Twilight," this Pepsi's for you.
Tropicana's not the only beverage unveiling a visual remake in recent weeks. Pepsi, which owns Tropicana, also got a makeover, which I'm sure you've seen if you frequent the soda aisle. Design geeks also give this one a big negatory. That's in contrast to Coca-Cola's most recent redesign, which drew raves.
Pepsi has certainly come a long way from its original 1898 lettering (above right), though, which looks like something teenage vampire fans would dig.
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34 Comments:
I don't think a valid criticism of the new Tropicana redesign is "politically incorrect because of colorblind people."
DanielJ at 1:50PM on 01/13/09
@DanielJ: Where are you quoting from? I never said it was "politically incorrect." In fact, though I really do have a tough time distinguishing among the flavors, I was (mostly) joking about the colorblind stuff. It's a bit tongue-in-cheek, though I think designers do need to take colorblind people into consideration when creating packaging or what not—especially here, where color largely stands in for other visual cues as to content.
Adam Kuban at 1:58PM on 01/13/09
obviously, colourblind people aren't the only ones who use the images on a package to choose what they want, rather than reading. we all do it, to some extent. i don't think the criticism is that it's politically incorrect, so much as less useful.
callmenaomi at 1:59PM on 01/13/09
well since the packaging does look more like a generic brand i'd a appreciate a price cut.
bobbob at 2:05PM on 01/13/09
Pentagram again. I'm afraid that if they keep acquiring more clients, then the streets and stores are going to look similar that scene in They Live when Roddy puts on the glasses for the first time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BA8drfZwnXQ
Asado at 2:06PM on 01/13/09
While the new Tropicana packaging is just sort of bland and inoffensive, albeit down-market-looking, the Pepsi revamp is insane. The cans now look like icons for 'soda' on on a computer desktop. It isn't particularly important to me, since I don't drink the stuff anyway, but it this design iteration comes perilously close to the despised 'brand X' of old adverts.
mongoose at 2:09PM on 01/13/09
I would also say that, now that we're relying almost solely on textual information to identify the contents, the largest bit of text should be the flavor instead of the "100%." I fully realize they want to emphasize that the juice inside is not from concentrate, but the "100%" dwarfs the actual flavor information.
Adam Kuban at 2:09PM on 01/13/09
I was being tounge-in-cheek too. No offense meant, Adam. Just joshin' ya.
I remember when I was little once I stuck a straw into an orange and was very disappointed when I didn't get any juice.
DanielJ at 2:16PM on 01/13/09
@DanielJ: Sorry. Just a little defensive today. Heh. Yeah. I'm disappointed you just can't stab an orange with a straw. Would save any amount of fretting about packaging.
@Asado: The Times said the branding was done by The Arnell Group.
Adam Kuban at 2:23PM on 01/13/09
Oops, should have read the article instead just assuming from a quote. Just one of those days....
Asado at 2:32PM on 01/13/09
As a designer I have to say neither of these refreshes appeal to me. I admire the idea behind unifying the brand, but there is a fine line between uniformity and monotony, and tropicana is definitely standing on the wrong side.
And the Pepsi logo looks like Obama's.
annabanannas at 2:40PM on 01/13/09
It does look like a generic brand. I don't like it.
CanadianFoodieGirl at 2:41PM on 01/13/09
I like the new packaging on Tropicana- I am a fan of minimalism, I guess.
spartana07 at 2:42PM on 01/13/09
It does look like a Wal-mart or other generic brand juice. Bring back the original!!!
ESNY1077 at 2:53PM on 01/13/09
Adam- good article.
I agree that the sans-serif looks nice, but I worry if this packaging is too-much of a departure from their previous brand image. I actually had to read the article because I'm so familiar with the image of the orange with the straw--
--which (by me) was the perfect positioning tool for them as saying "look, our orange juice comes straight from an orange".
This design doesn't really say that. I agree that it looks generic; especially because of the clean type choice and the stock image--
hungrychristel at 2:56PM on 01/13/09
I've noticed that the white stripe on the Pepsi can gets larger or smaller, depending on which version you're drinking (max, regular, 0)... Is this supposed to be an indication of how your fat ass will look after a year of drinking soda?
chefimpostor at 3:19PM on 01/13/09
seriously, it makes it harder to note which one is orange juice and which one is tangerine.
the old ones worked, why mess with it?
foodinmouth at 3:20PM on 01/13/09
@chefimpostor - I actually read somewhere that the differences in the white bar are supposed to represent facial expressions!
hungrychristel at 3:29PM on 01/13/09
@hungrychristel - Ha! So drinking Pepsi 0 leaves you less satisfied than a regular Pepsi. That's truth in advertising!
chefimpostor at 3:38PM on 01/13/09
Speaking as a designer, I think the Tropicana design is nice. It's simple and easy to execute, not a lot of personality... but it does *work*. Why they'd abandon their brand identifying imagery is a mystery though - maybe it's an internal argument in their head offices.
The Pepsi redesign is just terrible though. I wonder if they're attempting a modern "web" look just to push the difference between their brand and Coca-Cola's to the extreme, as Coke went retro-classic... ie. Coke is traditional, old... Pepsi is progressive, new...
bearsarefree at 3:51PM on 01/13/09
I am in complete agreement with the design folks. Before these newly designed cartons hit stores, I first saw the Tropicana/Pepsi redesign on So Good's site. I HATED it! It looks very "store brand" and just plain blah. A step down to say the least. I guess the product itself hasn't changed (to my knowledge) but if I weren't an already-established Tropicana consumer, I wouldn't be choosing Tropicana based on packaging.
Hillary
Chew on That
Chew on That at 5:02PM on 01/13/09
Adam, it's totally not just you. I'm not colorblind and even I have trouble distinguishing between the colors. There is very little difference between them. Bad move, Tropicana
yumSoup at 5:18PM on 01/13/09
I'm not colorblind either but I definitely think the different varieties look too similar. I get the calcium kind and I'd gotten really used to just grabbing the carton with the blue top and cap, but I was at the store today and I had to look a lot more closely to pick out the one with the thin blue stripe.
wrain at 6:46PM on 01/13/09
So glad I'm not the only one who saw the Obama logo on the new Pepsi cans! For that reason, I'm fine with it. <grin> And I'm not even a soda drinker...
As for the Tropicana re-design, UGH. It made me think of the days when Pathmark (?) made all of their generic products in all-white packaging with giant bar codes on them! On the flip side, the new package (esp the flip-up lid) for the gallon of Tropicana OJ totally ROCKS!
Curlz at 9:57PM on 01/13/09
I have to wonder if, in this new recession period, the generic redesign by two big products is purposeful. It might be a psychological nudge towards the consumer--"look, we're generic and cheap!" Who knows? I'd like to give them the benefit of the doubt...
Pammeh at 10:14PM on 01/13/09
Yes We Can drink Pepsi.
ellis at 1:48AM on 01/14/09
@Curlz -- I was thinking the same thing. It totally looks very "No-Name" brandish...bland and boring. I much prefer the old look. But as long as they have not changed the taste, I say...meh...whatever. I only buy it when it's on sale anyway, these days. TOO EXPENSIVE!
juliebugsmama at 9:42AM on 01/14/09
Tropicana orange juice is a luxury for me nowadays. Who knows, with the ugly packaging, I might not want to buy it after all.
Ambitous at 2:55PM on 01/14/09
The Tropicana packaging is at best boring and plain and at worst only a shadow of their old brand representation. The Pepsi packaging is even worse though. I spent an extra five minutes in the soda aisle last week trying to determine whether the new diet cans were real diet Pepsi or a whole new product altogether. As an infrequent buyer I was totally put off by the fact I could barely recognize their product.
adventuresincr at 11:28AM on 01/15/09
I just heard a rumor that they've had such a negative reaction to the new packaging that they've decided to revert to the old design. Probably a good move on their part. They can go the Coca-cola route and bring it back as Tropicana Classic.
missginsu at 11:51AM on 02/23/09
Just a note on having to read the package for Tropicana: you have to read the package to find out what you're buying on the old design as well, and I feel that the presentation on the new brand is far more intuitive and easy to read. While if you're familiar with the old branding, I suppose it would be easier simply because you're familiar with it. For everyone else...we've got to read the label already.
Beyond that, I like the new design, and I'm sorry to hear they're rolling back the old one. It looks clean, simple and modern...really, the way most brand names have been going for the past several years. I don't know how anyone can argue this looks like generic or store brand packaging. If you buy any of the expensive organic foods or any products that have been redesigned in the past several years, they look far more like the new Tropicana than the old one. The only exception to this might be Target, which has a very simple store brand design. It's worth noting, though, that Target has always been very good about keeping fresh, current designs for their branding.
Out with the old, in with the new, I say.
robotheart at 5:00PM on 02/24/09
Just ran across this thread in early April - When Tropicana first changed its packaging, I wrote to them complaining @ the change. Not even the caps were different colors in the new design, plus the "version ID" was in done really small type. They sent me a coupon ($4.50 on Tropicana - not bad), and thanked me for being a loyal Tropicana customer - which I am, actually, because they have a low-acid variety which works best @ my stomach.. Then, at the end of March, I received ANOTHER coupon, along w/ a letter that said that they had received such grief from their loyal customers, that they were reverting to the old designs and colors. So kudos to them: they apparently DO listen to their customers!
Robbo at 12:24AM on 04/10/09
Come on people. Really, does it matter what the package looks like as long as the product is the same? It's obvious most people don't like change, but it's part of life. Maybe it is less expensive to make the new carton. Yes, they should offer a discount if this is true. Think about this though.... Haven't you made some cuts in your budget because of today's economy? Maybe they are doing the same. Who really cares if it looks generic? I'll be the first to admit that I buy certain generic products. If the taste is there, what difference does it really make? Think about it....
x4ginger at 8:15AM on 07/02/09
If it ain't broke why fix it.
wine5 at 8:43AM on 07/02/09