Everyone Loves Minions---Even Amazon and Pantone

Is there anyone that doesn't think these animated characters are adorable? Even the sounds they make bring a smile to our face. We are all aware of merchandising opportunities with these characters. They can be seen on pajamas, shoes, plates, t-shirts, umbrellas and furniture---just to name a few. Even Tic Tacs joined the fun.

I'm sure Universal is making a killing. But who knew Amazon was going to get in on the fun.

We are all happy when we see that brown box with the smile sitting on our doorstep. Imagine how much happier we will be when we see a Minion too. All of Amazon's shipping boxes will be a joyful Minion Yellow adorned with the cute characters. But wait, Amazon isn't the only one jumping on the bandwagon so is PANTONE.

I was reading Graphic Design USA's latest issue (May | June 2015) with an article on the annual color forecast. In a first ever collaboration, PANTONE and Illumination Entertainment and Universal Partnerships and Licensing are introducing a new PANTONE color called Minion Yellow. This is the first time a color has been named after a character by PANTONE. According to Leatrice Esieman, Executive Director, Pantone Color Institute: "PANTONE Minon Yellow is a color that heightens awareness and creates clarity, lighting the way to the intelligence, originality and the resourcefulness of an open mind---this is the color of hope, joy and optimism."

So as these cute characters continue to bring a smile to our face the color will also give us hope, joy and optimism. I can't wait until my next Amazon delivery.

Comments

Packaging: 10 Steps to a Better Process

1. Prioritize. Prioritize. Prioritize. When three people are talking to you, you can’t hear them all. The same is true for design. Visual priority must be established from the very beginning of the design process. If every item is given primary importance, nothing becomes important. The visual priorities are what drive how all creative will be judged. The design firm should include as part of their creative brief, a hierarchy of 5 communication points for the front of the package. This includes 1) brand 2) product name 3) why-to-buy statement 4) feature points 5) product image. 2. Come together. Everyone has an opinion, so clear project objectives are vital to any job. Consensus regarding the creative brief must be obtained from the people expected to judge the package design from within your corporation. Without this consensus, the design process will fall apart. Without clearly stated, agreed-upon objectives, you are not able to provide constructive feedback. As soon as you start t...

New and Not Necessarily Improved

A story in the March 3, 2009 issue of the LA Times regarding the unfavorably received new Pepsi brand redesign reminded me of another recent unsuccessful redesign—the one for Tropicana orange juice. A few months ago, I was in a Target store buying some orange juice. I usually get the Tropicana brand, and was disappointed when I didn't see any in the cases. I just saw a bunch of unfamiliar cartons that I immediately wrote off as "not Tropicana" and kept looking around. It was only during a second pass that I realized that these new cartons were indeed Tropicana. Wow, I thought, that's a pretty radical new look. Gone were any vestiges of familiarity--the funky old-style logo, and especially the orange with the straw stuck in it. The new carton is dominated by a large shot of a tasteful-looking (not necessarily tasty-looking) glass of orange juice, with the word "Tropicana" in an unfamiliar sans serif font and green color turned 90º clockwise along the side. T...

Let Your Packaging Sell Your Product, Not a Funny Name!

So I ran across this product while I was traveling in NY and needed some earplugs. I can't sleep without them. Earplugs are notoriously hard to find on shelf so I had to scan many products. I came across this product and got quite a chuckle. I don't think I need to explain why (To be fair, it was awhile ago, and the package design could have changed since then.): Zim's Crack Creme---we can assume that Zim is the pharmacist who created this all-natural herbal wonder cream (creme) for your crack. Or is that really what this means. Surly it couldn't. We design packaging and I couldn't help but analyze this package as I would for a client. The first thing we help our clients do is to prioritize the elements on the front of the package. What is the most important thing to communicate? The name? The brand? The why-to-buy? The features? Obviously, Zim felt the name of the product was most important. But if the name of the product doesn't really convey what it doe...

What's in Store

Search This Blog