A lot of product branding is based on the explicit (or implied) promise that purchasing a product will make you happy. So it’s not surprising that a lot of consumer packaging is designed to feature a symbolic smile.
Sometimes this smile is a curved line drawn with the product, as in the Colgate trademark and the Madhava label design (by Steve Bullock) shown above.
Sometimes it’s a structural detail of the package, as in the 1988 Crayola crayon carton with the die cut “smile window” (via: CrayonCollecting.com)
Sometimes it’s a graphic detail, as in Benji Peck’s proposed “Smile Water” in which the curved highlight on a drop of water is meant to also be a smile symbol.
Occasionally a product’s curved shape may resemble a smile. Kraft macaroni & cheese currently exploits this happy coincidence, but it could work equally well for bananas or sausages.
The smiling face on Kool-Aid’s pitcher was always explained in terms of condensation, as if drawn with a finger by some consumer, more than happy to drink the Kool-Aid.
Sunkist has trademarked various smiles, but their idea usually is to draw a parallel between a smile shape and the shape of an orange section. (The smiling orange illustration was found on Ellen’s Blog, and the Sunkist “Nature’s Smile” carton was designed by Fierro Design) See also: Fruit Faces & Faux Crate Box
Lastly, there’s McDonalds, whose recent “Happy Meal” carton featured a smile symbol that echoed their golden arch symbol, only upside-down.
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