Now I know the fine folks at Latah Creek Winery really do care what we all think of their new Monarch Red bottle labels, but do they really need to ask the general public? It would seem so, since they’re asking for your help in selecting from among five different label designs, each featuring the same local artist’s work. And while the label painting is fine, the thought of turning over the final design decision to the public makes me want to not swallow my Pinot Gris.
“If I’d asked my customers what they wanted,” Henry Ford famously observed, “they’d have said a faster horse.” This has been quoted—often—by none other than Apple Computer’s focus-group-averse CEO Steve Jobs, who, by the way, isn’t a fan of letting the public decide anything. And strangely enough, this strategy seems to be working pretty well for him. While none of this is to say that public perceptions should be ignored, it’s a shame when packaging design is reduced to a popularity contest.
But maybe I’m missing the point. Latah Creek will gain PR value from having someone select the actual label design. (I know I prefer to drink from the labels that we’ve designed.) Or it could be they really can’t decide among the five labels which is going to “attract your attention the most on a store shelf.” Worse yet, they might actually believe the general public does have a clue as to what makes for good consumer packaging.
We all like hearing what people think because, well…it makes us feel better. “Honey, does this color look good on me?” Or, “Does this wine label make my bottle look too big?” So go here if you want to say you helped decide the future of Latah’s new premium red wine. I would, but I doubt you’re allowed to vote to take the label design in a slightly different direction.
by Susanna Weise