Design Evaluation of Ice Cream Packaging

I will analyze two ice cream companies: Breyers and Dreyer's. Both ice cream products are in the same price range and market demographics. Ice cream folklore claims that Dreyer’s picked their name solely to compete with Breyers. 

I will analyze the two designs using the Gestalt principles of Continuity and Similarity. 

The Law of Continuity states that lines are seen as following the smoothest path.  From a pure design standpoint Dreyer's wins this round. Their circle container is most defiantly the smoothest path.  Comparing quantity of ice cream, the oblong shape of Breyers is just not as easy to hold. I can easily picture myself curling up on the couch and eating right out of the Dreyer’s carton as the Breyers container leaves me wondering where to lead my hands to grab hold.

The Law of Similarity - To better show this law I have inserted several pictures of a variety of ice cream  competing in the same market.

Setting the cartons side by side, which one stands out? While Breyers has one of the most unique containers, standing out in this case is not the best idea because it matches two of the cheapest ice creams on the market. They are attempting to take a more luxurious approach to marketing in their price range, but they just seemed to get buried in the freezer section of the grocery store. Breyers missed the mark when it comes to family consumer pricing; seeming to market to a different consumer Who may not even look at the ice cream because it’s not a premium.  Items that look similar tend to be grouped together; Breyers may be end up becoming an outlier.   

The vertical lines on the Dreyer’s package not only make the container look larger but seem to point to the lid begging to be opened creating a fun filled ice cream eating atmosphere while the Breyers lid gets lost in all the darkness.  The Breyers black background and vanilla ice cream looks sharp when you put it together but the moment you place a chocolate based flavor (see top) on their label it no longer looks crisp but dirty. Dreyer’s hits the mark as the background color corresponds to the flavor in the package. This keeps each flavor looking just as fresh as the next.