Hello.

Can you spot the baste among the sprays?

As I looked at the new packaging for Southern Bar-B-Que basting sprays. I nearly fell off my overpriced Aeron chair.

At first, I thought it was an homage to the famous Saturday Night Live “it’s a floor wax and a desert topping” skit. But no, this was a food product in the same bottle that we all have seen lining the shelves filled with industrial cleaners and household cleaning chemicals.

Now I love it when new packaging can be presented using familiar objects. We can see this in such products as Coppola’s champagne in a can or even Southern’s own barbecue sauce in traditional canning jars. That makes sense. However, in the case of the spray bottle, isn’t the creative team forgetting some basic cues that designers have used not only to educate but also to guide consumers so they don’t confuse gravy with motor oil?

Package designers are required to address many complicated criteria, such as fabrication costs, structural integrity, shelf standout, and eye appeal. Essentially, it is about creating distinction, which often leads to purchase.

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