elbowruminations | Graphic Design Trends, Tips and Reviews Graphic Design Trends, Tips and Reviews

You know it’s picnic season in Canada when you notice the salad dressing! Kraft has recently overhauled the look, shape and ingredients of their iconic 50 variety dressing line and the results from a design perspective are truly excellent.

The previous packaging was certainly starting to show its age. The dated font choice, antiquated Photoshop effects around the Kraft logo as well as on background shapes, and even the tired looking salad photography have been replaced with a fresh, modern concept that seems to be attracting even the most dedicated meat-eaters towards entertaining leafy greens.

Another noticeable difference is the increased size of the Kraft logo, making it obvious that Kraft is trying to asset itself as a company looking to be on top in the salad dressing aisle.

The new bottles feature fresh, object oriented graphics, strong modern fonts, and a transparent label that lets the contents do the talking. The labels were printed in six colors via UV flexo on Fasson® clear-on-clear pressure-sensitive film labels. This change in labeling was in response to ACNielsen research which found that consumers prefer to see more of the actual product they are buying before bringing it home.

The new design approach that is working so well ascetically, is also influencing the bottom line. This reason for changing the look and feel for Kraft dressings was created by an unhealthy drop in market share of 4.7 percent and a continuation of sluggish sales figures. The new package design and reformulated salad dressings have resulted in sales of some Kraft salad dressing increasing 15.8 percent in the first year of sales. Adding to the positive numbers was a slimmer, lighter bottle design increasing shipping efficiencies by 18 percent.

Overall, Kraft is seeing a bigger piece of the pie at a table crowded with hungry competitors and graphic designers are seeing a better product design. It’s looks like we’re having a win-win for dinner.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Privacy. The meaning of word is changing almost as quickly as the internet is changing the way we live and work. To my parent’s generation, it meant garden fences on a quiet street. The version of privacy in the online arena is a foreign concept to them. The amount of information their children make available on the internet induces extreme queasiness.

A younger generation, growing up in the age of the internet, exhibits behaviour from an unfamiliar end of the privacy spectrum – many times without understanding the risks. As the social web blooms, the transmission of not only personal details, such as minute by minute thought updates, geo-location information and even credit card purchases become easier and faster than ever to share. As this kind of personal information moves to the web, so do the risks to this information’s safety. An older generation, feeling comfortable with the traditional concept of privacy, cringes at each new attempt Facebook makes to grow the reach of their personal information. The younger generation monitors these stories with the same interest as the local weather report knowing the risks are a part of being connected.

Despite the risks though, there is a benefit to trading-in our privacy. It comes in the form of aggregate data. By knowing how and where to share information we can influence change, save time, money and improve relationships. For example, sharing physical location in traffic can contribute to a smoother commute. Or by having the options of finding out where someone enjoyed dinner or did not enjoy a movie will improve your next outing. These examples may seem trivial but the concept applies globally. Sharing data, anonymously or otherwise, provides us with a powerful platform for change.

Facebook moderates our conversations, Foresquare and Gowalla track our activities, Twitter broadcasts our smallest thoughts, this information is sorted, shared, and turned into a complex web of data that is used by others to make informed decisions. The privacy we choose to disclose is traded-in for access to better experiences and useful knowledge. The level of knowledge available to each other is arguably directly proportional to the level of privacy we choose to keep.

I am quick to agree that giving up a certain level of privacy is a frightening proposition. Although privacy, the way it used to be known and loved, no longer seems to be an option as our relationships and jobs demand our online participation. Managing risk has become the new privacy.

Is privacy worth the risk that comes with trading it in? Perhaps our only choice is to find out.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Shopping for a good WordPress theme for your blog can be a huge challenge. How do you find one that has all of the elements you need, but still feels original? It seems like anything on the main WordPress Theme Viewer is either forgettable or inadequate, and many of us lack the technical skills to develop a fully-customized theme. Here are six quick tips to help you conquer the boring blog blues, and come out with something that original and dynamic.

Start with the WordPress Themes Directory. As you begin to identity things that work and things that don’t, you can borrow some of the searching tips below and migrate over to Google for some queries YOU think of that span the wider web.

1. Search by most recent: sometimes the newest WordPress themes are the most advanced and original, so limit your searching by including the current year, or just the past 3 months, etc.
2. Find one theme you ALMOST like, and visit the homepage of the designer of THAT theme. It’s likely that he/she has created other themes that will be up your alley. Some of my favourite WP theme designers include Allan Cole and Darren Hoyt
3. Look for themes that are compatible with the latest version of WP (at the time of writing, the current version 2.7, with 2.8 is currently in beta). Again, like tip 1, it ensures your theme will be new and pretty original — for the time being.
4. Check out people’s personal stashes of WordPress-related bookmarks on del.icio.us. (Here’s mine.)
5. Find out what specific style of WordPress theme you want, and narrow your search down to those types. For design professionals and illustrators, I’d recommend using queries like “portfolio style wordpress theme” or “photo blog.” Other possibilities might be things like “magazine style” or “2-column.”
6. Use search.twitter.com to look for themes that are making people talk. On Twitter, following entities I Heart WordPress will give you some pretty good re-tweeted tips.

Of course, any theme you choose will depend on you to take it to the next level with your customizations: modify it enough to make it truly your own.

Popularity: 28% [?]