Design better packaging

MGA Entertainment, the company that manufactures Bratz dolls, has sympathy for the customers who buy them. “We are in the process of a running change in the packaging that is certain to make the ‘ties, twists, and tape’ problem so much easier to handle,” says Reagan Holmes, the company’s public-relations coordinator. She wouldn’t divulge exactly how the company planned to revamp its packaging. (source: www.consumerreports.org)

This statement was published when MGA got the little precious “Oyster Award” in March 2007 for their bad packaging. No doubt they had to do something. A simple googling shows 193.000 hits on “bratz packaging”. A lot of it contains frustrasted user experience with the product and the company.

My 8 year old daughter was thrilled to find some new Bratz stuff under the Christmas tree, and I quickly noticed the flashy tag on the pack: “New and improved packaging”. It seems that the packaging designers only have limited the number of strings, tapes, glues etc. slightly. The packaging is still completely impossible to open – even for specialists!
The designers have not really considered the design project itself: create an attractive packaging that can be opened without getting injured!

So, this article really breaks my idea of keeping a good spirit on this blog. Sorry!
I just get so sad, when I meet awful stuff like this. It must come to an end!

HAPPY NEW YEAR – My best wishes to all of you.
I hope 2008 will show a lot of good design making.
Please feel free to share your findings.