Journal Entry 4: Retro Revolution!

Earlier this week, while standing in line at Target, I noticed an endcap that was displaying cereal boxes. The thing that caught my eye about these cereal boxes is that they were the old school, retro designs. It wasn't something I was used to seeing. They seemed so quaint, stacked and lined up, the innocent, softened characters waiting for some lucky kid to pick it up and hand it to mom. This got me to thinking...what is the consumer need for retro design? What makes a "retro relaunch" like this so successful?

There are a lot of things that make it this way, but the most important part of this relaunch has to do with the psychology of seeing and buying these products. The people who will appreciate these products the most are those who have already seen them released. The feeling of nostalgia created by seeing these older packages is enough to buy it. The picture seen here (not my own) were some of the boxes I saw in Target that day. There are a few things that makes them successful, aside from the nostalgia. These boxes have the biggest attention grabber ever! The huge white triangle at the top of some of the boxes with the "new" GM logo is a sure thing (they say that white is the first color to be seen and/or processed by the human eye, no wonder they used it). The words themselves are delicately and sweetly written in perfect cursive, like the handwriting of your mother. While the "G" remains the same, "General Mills" appears new to the uneducated eye.

First, let's talk Lucky Charms. I really like the yellow text against the red, and obviously everyone else does, as it has survived for so many years. The big, bold text definitely brings "old school" to mind. The text has a slight curve to it to promote eye flow. The type-image relationship is definitely something to talk about as well- Lucky seems to be sprinkling some sort of magic leprechaun dust over the cereal (maybe that's why they are so addicting??) as well as the product name. I like the way that these elements work together.

Next, let's talk Cocoa Puffs (since the Honey Nut Cheerios box looks too similar to the newer packaging, we won't talk about it). This box is the only one that doesn't use the large white triangle- it is shown in dark brown, to mirror the lower half of the box. This is great for visual balance, but it is obvious that this box isn't much of an attention getter compared with the others. The product name is in the same bold font as Lucky Charms, but doesn't have the same bend/curve to it. Its tone appears too serious...it doesn't match what the "tone" of the product/cereal should be. It's a product primarily generated and aimed towards children, and the big bold text doesn't quite communicate that. The color scheme is simple and allows the image to be number one. It is the main attention grabber (and gee, what a makeover he got over the coming years!). I like the simplicity of this packaging, but the image is the only thing that really works for me on this one.

Finally, we'll talk Trix (they're for kids!). And does this packaging communicate that. Again, the white paired with the red box is a sure attention grabber. I really like the jumbled, playful text- it communicates the proper kid-friendly tone. This is one instance where a stroke on the text worked very well- it doesn't appear to messy or too Christmasy, it just has a nice clean line to it. I really like the type-image relationship with this one- the picture is something that kids understand. Since it's common knowledge that the Trix Rabbit is always on the go to try to steal the Trix, placing this image on the redesigned box was a good move. However, this one doesn't have the same type-image relationship that the others do. The Trix Rabbit isn't interacting with the text the same way that Lucky is. Still, it's overall a good design.

These packages were redesigned and re-released to promote nostalgia, yes, but I think the biggest thing is the change the appearance of something we are used to looking at. As consumers, if we see the same labels, logos, and designs, we are apt to just pass them by without second thought. By changing the appearance, it will ensure that it will catch the average consumer's eye and entice them to buy it. It sure did with me (although I didn't buy any). Better luck next time, General Mills.