Aaarrggghhhh! Plus Some Graphic Design

I've been trying unsuccessfully to find an interesting blog template I can download so I'll have more options than these boring blogger ones. Stayed up late trying to download one of the free ones online but got frustrated -- couldn't figure out the html. I made this header in Illustrator but it doesn't fit very well. More tinkering later.

I do have some samples of graphic designs. I was shopping at Rebecca's - cute little store in downtown Champaign that's unfortunately closing. Here are some products from a company called Pacifica. Their website is nicely done if you want to click on the link. AND their soap smells good! I apologize for the fuzzy images - cell phone.

The images are of packaging for soaps and lotions. My sense is that their function is to lure you into taking a smell and to interest you in what's inside the box. Looking at the boxes, it's almost like the designers were trying to make visual what the product smells like. That's one of the things that attracted me to this packaging is that all the packages were different -- just like all the scents are different. They each have their own personality. The way the designers were able to create very different packages that all had a similar aesthetic is pretty interesting.

I'd say the commonality in the styles is that they're modern, geometric, with highly saturated colors. They also seem to reference some of the art from the art deco period. I don't recognize the type but it works with the product name because it's light and simple - like a day lying in a hammock on the beach smelling good because you just took a shower with this soap. I would describe the design as bold, fresh, playful, and trendy. Worked for me - I bought two bars!