Three Cheers for Cheer?

Whilst on a mission for dish soap during grocery shopping this weekend, I thought I would take a short cut down the laundry detergent aisle. I had no intention of buying detergent but couldn't help glancing at all the colorful bottles. Suddenly, a kaleidoscope of rainbow triangles jumped out at me from a dark bottle of Cheer. I'm a Tide girl so I've never paid much attention to Cheer, which is surprising since this design stopped me in my tracks. I thought it was such a "designer-y" approach to laundry detergent—the lowercase, sans serif type placed on white space balances well underneath a strong, colorful graphic. Very clean, very minimal, not at all commercial. This might be a custom typeface: the curved slip off the descenders is unique. If it's not custom, Avant Garde Gothic Demi might be a good place to start. So, while this design is pleasing to my eye as a graphic artist, I have to wonder if this is the right approach for a common household product.

I did some research and discovered that there was in fact some controversy when Cheer changed up its look back in 2011. Here's what some had to say about the change-up:

• "Too slick and abstract for the average housewife... Looks like an Epson Ink or Printer sign."
• "Finally a laundry detergent made for designers. ;)"
• "It might be a bottle of motor oil. It's certainly 'badass' but that makes the name 'Cheer' seem almost sarcastic."
• "I absolutely love the new system. It's simple, clean, and easily recognizable."
• "This is like the Darth Vader of Cheer."

And comparing the new design to the old one, I can see why these comments were made.

With a quick glance at the old bottle, I immediately know that it's laundry detergent. When I look at the new bottle, I don't really know anything. The font choices for the logo especially make a difference—the old font looks fun and whimsical with the little "e" hanging down and colors flurrying out of the top, while the new font just looks... cold. The opposite of how cheer and clean laundry should feel. 

Another consumer said "When it comes to laundry detergent packaging, I want a bottle that's going to reflect how my clothes will look after washing, which is why I like a brightly colored bottle. Like the old Cheer bottle. The new Cheer bottle makes me feel like my clothes will come out looking like mud."

Gotta say, I completely agree. Just goes to show how important font choice and color can make or break the success of a product. Something I need to be aware of all the time as a designer, but it's good to come across specific examples to remind myself of what to do, what not to do. Especially when choosing fonts. I like to use a lot of san serif typefaces, so I need to remember that the wrong sans serif can affect the mood of a product. Instead of feeling happy and Cheer-ful, you could feel Down-y.