Opinion BY Armin

Nivea Gets Rid of its Own Wrinkles

First produced in 1882 in Germany by pharmacist Carl Paul Beiersdorf, Nivea is today one of the leading skincare products in the world owned by Beiersdorf AG (which also owns Elastoplast, Eucerin, Labello, and La prairie). Nivea’s most well-known product is its original Nivea Crème which was first packaged in the iconic blue tin in 1925 and now serves as the basis for the “new global design language” introduced by Nivea this week, designed by San Francisco-based fuseproject.

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Opinion BY Armin

Tazo Drops the Gothic Act

Established in 1994 as an independent company and purchased by Starbucks in 1999, Tazo makes tea products and markets them as if tea were a higher calling. (I’m not knocking it, that’s just the way they do it — example of copywriting: “We experience the goodness of the leaves with all our senses, but most of all with our imaginations.”) Back in November new packaging started to appear in grocery stores and Starbucks and with the opening of the first Tazo store at University Village in Seattle a whole new identity has been introduced. No press release issue or design credit given. My guess is that it was internal, since Starbucks has such a strong in-house team. All the images below have been cobbled together from around the internet so it’s a little hodgepodge in terms of presentation, but you’ll get the point.

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A B-Side BY Armin

Glutino

About: (Est. 1983) “Glutino and Gluten-Free Pantry is a manufacturer and distributor specializing in gluten-free products. Since 1983, the mission of the Glutino Food Group has been to provide healthy gluten-free products and a healthy lifestyle to all those with celiac disease, gluten intolerance, wheat allergies and those who follow a gluten-free or wheat-free diet.”

Design by: N/A.

Ed.’s Notes: Silly type for a silly name, more stuff below (or after the jump).

Relevant links: N/A.

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Opinion BY Armin

I See Yoo

Just launched by SKY New Zealand and Television New Zealand, IGLOO is a “digital set top box that plugs into your telly and broadcasts through your UHF aerial” giving users in New Zealand access to free-to-air channels and, its main hook, a pre-paid range of premium channels without long-term contracts, going on a month-to-month basis with only the channels you want and not bloated packages with channels no one watches. The name, brand, and roll-out have been created by Interbrand Australia.

Update: I have changed the title of the post (originally “Not your Eskimos’ Igloo” (as a play on “Not your parents’ this or that)) as I was not aware that Eskimo is considered a pejorative term. Apologies to anyone who thought of it as offensive; it wasn’t my intention.

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A B-Side BY Armin

Lark

About: (Est. 2010) “Lark is a consumer electronic company that makes wearable wellness monitors, most notably the Lark Pro, a personal sleeping trainer that helps consumers analyze sleep patterns while coaching them to improve and assess better sleep behavior. Lark recently released the new LarkLife wristband: a wearable diet, fitness, sleep tracking and coaching system.”

Design by: Ammunition.

Ed.’s Notes: Packaging and actual product (also designed at Ammunition) below (or after the jump).

Relevant links: LarkLife on Gizomodo.

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A B-Side BY Armin

Breathe Right

About: “Breathe Right nasal strips are drug-free and clinically proven to lift nasal passages and open your nose the minute you put them on and work for as long as you have them on, relieving nasal congestion and improving airflow.”

Design by: N/A.

Ed.’s Notes: I’m not usually one to ask “Aren’t the before/after images mistakenly reversed?” but when I got this tip I really thought the new one was the old one. The generic happy script typography of mass packaging isn’t necessarily my thing but this new logo makes me yearn for it. Before/after of the packaging below (or after the jump)

Relevant links: N/A.

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Opinion BY Armin

Follow-up: Windows 8

Back in February we reported on the new Windows 8 logo designed by Pentagram partner Paula Scher — a release that got its thunder stolen by the leaking of the logo (not by us) ahead of time (not our fault). Officially, the Windows 8 logo is this and eight months after it was “unveiled,” the actual software behind the new, non-flag-anymore-logo was launched this past Friday to much hoopla around the world. See launch video later in this post. As part of the OS re-launch, which is a major departure from past Windowses, Microsoft is taking this opportunity to kickstart its new branding — after all, Windows is only the most used operating system in the world, so a lot of people are paying attention. The branding effort which now covers Windows but will spread into other Microsoft products has been lead by Wolff Olins, who describe their role to be “to curate all of the components and contributions into one clear, creative brand experience for consumers.” In the case of Windows these contributions include new packaging with structural construction by IDEO, illustrations conceived in collaboration with and created by Colors and The Kids, and brand imagery and video by Todd Selby.

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A B-Side BY Armin

Mirácoli

About: Mirácoli is a popular line of pasta and sauces in Germany. Previously owned by Kraft Foods and now by Mars (the same company that, yes, makes the chocolates).

Design by: Turner Duckworth.

Ed.’s Notes: Worth noting that when the logo is used on packaging it becomes a plate. Before/After of packaging below (or after the jump).

Relevant links: Design Tagebuch (with a few more images).

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A B-Side BY Armin

Jos. Louis

About: Jos. Louis is a popular and long-standing snack in Canada produced by Vachon. It is officially described as “Delicious sponge cake with vanilla-flavoured creme filling coated in a chocolatey layer.”

Design by: 123Klan.

Ed.’s Notes: Old and new boxes below (or after the jump).

Relevant links: 123Klan project page.

Select Quote: As for the new Jos Louis logo, it’s inspired by the actual cake: it features a creamy fat dark brown outline (chocolate icing), a second outline of a lighter brown (sponge cake), white letters (cream). The crown is a reference to Jos Louis’ status as the best-known/most sold snack cake in Canada.

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A B-Side BY Armin

Silipint

About: (Est. 2010) “Silipint offers simple innovative products within a culture that is dedicated to exceptional service and our partners. Providing semi-rigid silicone drinkware through a process aimed at brand growth and profitability.”

Design by: Brand Navigation.

Ed.’s Notes: Dude, it’s a squishy pint glass! See proof below (or after the jump).

Relevant links: Brand Navigation Case Study.

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