Many things have to be considered when designing packaging; on the shelf appeal, sustainability, brand consistency, practicalities like the barcode and weight etc, and of course budget. But all these things mean five tenths of feck all if the packaging takes pliers and a coronary to open. So, with a cap doffed to Meldrew, here is my top five list of twuntingly frustrating things to try and open without passing out. Please feel free to add your own.
1) Listerine. Packaging designed by Satan for his personal amusement.
2) Any DVD or CD wrapped in plastic. An oldy, but why haven’t they solved this yet?
3) Any electrical item brought from an airport shop prior to boarding the plane.
4) The new thinner ‘green’ shopping bags. (Not strictly packaging but you know what I mean).
5) Any kitchen knife packaging. (Post last year’s knife crime stats).
3 Comments
I once threw a bottle of Listerine out my bathroom window after several attempts to defeat the packaging. And it isn’t cheap!
i despise the packaging bacon comes in. It teases you with a little corner which you’re invited to peel back, but when you do it somehow only lets you peel off a micron thick sliver of the film it’s packed in, leaving the rest impenetrable unless you stab it with a knife.
It’s back to the old skool paper wrapped stuff for me.
I agree Chris – I have had a few battles with packs of bacon. I mean how hard can this stuff really be to properly design? We can split the atom, but packaging is just too tricky to sort……….