We might take it for granted, but we in the Western world are luck to have such great access to drinking water. You can get it from your public park from a tap, filter it at home, buy it in plastic bottles and casks and we go through litres of the stuff everyday. Did you know, however, that some water is better than others?

At least that what designers are paid to make you believe.

European-style water bottles — sparkling, fresh from the source and pumped straight into a clean green bottle — have not changed for years. They use a series of techniques to mould our perception about the product and the consumers themselves, and they do it bloody well.

The shape

With a few notable exception, the most popular water brands, San Pellegrino, Evian and Perrier, carry a very traditional shape and haven’t been changed since it all began. Like a good logo, they don’t really have to. From a marketer’s perspective, a traditional shape means a quality product. This can apply to all kinds of products. Newspapers often have an ‘First Printed In xxxx’ or ‘Established In xxxx’ on their front page. Hell, even I do it. It shows there’s a history of success behind a product. People assume bad businesses go out of business.

This works so well with water because so many people consider bottled water a gimmick. If a bottle has not been changed in eighty years, people will subconciously notice that the business has been going strong for so long and they might think bottled water might not be just a modern folly.

The colour

Clear, blue-green or blue. Why? Because they want you think of what you’re drinking.

The San Benedetto is clear for a reason

Pure, cool, crisp, clean and refreshing are the buzzwords water marketers love to hear. For such words, they get ‘em straight from the source: mountain streams or polar seas. When you think of bottles by San Benedetto, my personal favourite, you think of waves (but some brands that sell juice even use sea imagery for the hell of it!). San Benedetto also positions the label quite high, allowing the buying public to get a good look at nothing: clear glass and clear water. And that’s just what the buying public want to see.

The label

Again, this is where it pays not to be modern. Though some waters, particularly the exclusive ones such as Ferrarelle, pride themselves on unique and usual minimalist designs, most brands opt to cram as much info they can in on one side in their oldest serif typeface.

The use of repeating background images is common, so too are drawn motifs, like statues and characters. You won’t get a lot of that these days, but for bottled water, it works. Green and blue glass bottles tend to provide a lot of soft colour already, so the less the better. The consumers are thinking of clean, pure water, so why bother dirty it with colour?

Oh — I nearly forgot — put as much French or Italian on the bottle, no matter who you’re exporting to. It makes it exotic.

The price

This is probably the best marketing weapon a premium water company can have. The more exclusive, the better. When shopping for the best, price means very little and it suits the image the companies are trying to get out there. If the consumer is aware they’re paying for design as well as the product, neither the company or the consumer would have a problem with it. That’s just the nature of premium goods.

Evian limited editions, years 2005, 2008 and 2009

Evian have done something really typical of the industry by annually releasing limited edition bottles, each created by a prominent designer. In 2008 and 2009, the traditional shape of the Evian bottle was changed slightly and new graphics added. Simple as that, they had a winner and another level of bottle to flog.

Yes, Evian backwards is Naive. Say what you want, and I tend to agree with you, but you’ve got to admire quality design. I’m a fan of the not-so-humble European water bottle because its a craft that has worked on its niche for decades and changed very little.

Posted on August 4th, 2009 in Object Design | No Comments

In a lecture for one of my design studios, I saw Maya Lin’s design for the Washington War Memorial. To say the least I was blown away.

Built in late 1982, the Washington Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a stunning example of how concept alone can carry design. At only 20, Lin entered the competition to design the memorial. The great thing about it was that the guidlines for entry allowed for a ‘long-leash’ of creativity. Designers only faced the following criteria:

• Design must be be reflective and contemplative in character
• Design must be in harmony with its surroundings
• Design must make no political statement about the war
• Design must begin to start the healing process

Lin took two of these four literally and you’ll never guess how she did. To say the least, it blew my mind and I’ll explain in detail in a moment.

It was said one of the great things about the then-university student’s submission was its simplicity. It communicated the idea potently and straightfowardly. The idea was naked and there for all to see.

Lin's submission was simple. She also used Trajan

The result of her winning entry is a memorial that is literally a carving into a Washington park. It is made up of two masonry walls, 250 feet (75 m) long and 10 feet (3 m) high, both sunk into the ground that forms a permanent scar. It’s a wound on an America recovering from the disaster that was the Vietnam War and inside the wound is where the healing will take place.

She wanted people to be able to express their greif and cry within the memorial. Again, Lin’s idea was that visitors’ tears, like salt water, would clean and purify the wound. How bloody good is that?

But wait, there’s more. The walls are polished stone, so you see your own reflection in the context of so much death. It literally makes you take a good, hard look at yourself.

Lin's concept took 'reflection' literally and it worked

But again, there’s more. Lin had all names placed in chronological and not alphabetical order. This forced those looking for a name to scan the names of the dead for hours and in doing so understanding the magnitude of the war.

Lin herself explained it best. She described the concept as “A sharp pain that lessens with time, but can never quite heal over. A scar.”

This is how a concept, without much design or architectural experience, can carry an entire project. Quality and the beginning of the design process is worth more than final sugar.

Posted on July 30th, 2009 in Object Design | No Comments