Opinion BY Armin

Any way you Slice It

Did you know that a ceramic called zirconium oxide is the most durable substance on earth after diamonds? Not only that, but that it kicks metal’s ass in terms how sharp, hard and durable it can be. That’s why Slice makes it slicing and dicing products out of ceramic. Offering a small range of products designed by design celebrities like Karim Rashid, Michael Graves and Yves Behar, the Slice brand is all about simplicity, playfulness and sharpness. A new logo and packaging design by San Francisco-based Manual reinforces that.

It’s amazing how much can be achieved with a little angling. Where the old logo felt flat, static and not too excitingly sliced, the new one takes that same and obvious visual concept but executes it much more efficiently and dynamically. The shift away from Helvetica also helps make it feel less like a school exercise and the more contemporary sans, especially the “l” with the booty (yes, that’s the professional term, ain’t it?), turns it into a fresh consumer brand that is better aligned with the friendly, trendy shapes of the products.

Previous packaging.

The new packaging is remarkably better. While the old packaging looked like it belonged in an office supply store next to some Post-Its, the new one could easily sit at the Conran Shop. Granted, I am guessing the old packaging, which was created in the initial offering of the product, was done in a more budget-conscious way to see if the product sold, and this new iteration benefits from a little more confidence.

In the applications so far I enjoy the commitment to the angle. It’s relentless! And pretty amazing in how many ways it can be exploited: as a line that cuts off text, as a diecut on the packaging, as a framing device for the photography, as the shape of the furniture. Eventually the angle might get tiring but, for now, it cuts just the right way.

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Did you know that a ceramic called zirconium oxide is the most durable substance on earth after diamonds? Not only that, but that it kicks metal's ass in terms how sharp, hard and durable it can be. That's why Slice makes it slicing and dicing products out of ceramic. Offering a small range of products designed by design celebrities like Karim Rashid, Michael Graves and Yves Behar, the Slice brand is all about simplicity, playfulness and sharpness. A new logo and packaging design by San Francisco-based Manual reinforces that.