Tropiscandal '09

Being a graphic designer, I'm always aware of good and bad design wherever it may be (sometimes at a fault). Kerning and leading issues are the worst. They drive me nuts! This past week at the grocery store, I noticed that Tropicana has had a major brand overhaul... and not in a good way. They were obviously trying to appeal to us Whole Foods shoppers, but it backfired. To the normal consumer it looks more like a budget brand of orange juice. And who wants to stand in that freezing cold isle trying to figure out which one has added calcium and high pulp? Not me! Where's my orange with a dumb straw in it? Before this disaster, I knew exactly which color of Tropicana juice box I wanted. Now I'm at a loss.


Be not afraid... I'm not the only one in a tissy over this. It has caused an uproar of protest amongst designers and consumers... to the point that the brand execs are pulling the newly designed packaging off the shelves and reverting back to their original well-designed packaging they had in the first place. Thank you!

Not to dis the agency who designed these; I'd be chomping at the bit to redesign the packaging of such a huge label. But I do have my limits. You can only change a brand so much before it's completely unrecognizable. Did they not take beginning design in college? To their credit, the new orange cap is pretty cool. I hope they keep that one element.

Just don't get me started on Pepsi and Jack in the Box What's going on?!