Separating Fat from Fiction

Sun Chip’s new packaging makes an attempt to speak to consumers about the product’s nutritional facts in a clear, friendly manner. It’s great how they are using handwritten graphics in conjunction with the cold, FDA-mandated nutrition facts (which happen to have a Vignelli-inspired heavy black-lined design employing Helvetica). A nice touch, especially since package backs typically aren’t used for “selling.” There’s some other do-gooder facts to be found on the back, as well. Little handwritten facts about the virtues of whole grains. The green badge is a 3rd-party endorsement which their website describes as “…a quick way to be sure that the products you’re choosing are contributing to a healthier lifestyle.” We like that, right? A sponsorship program to help benefit breast cancer research. Is this any of this award-winning design? No. But it’s a nice example of a company taking steps to help consumers and others, using friendly graphics which are appropriate to their cause. On the flip side, while I understand that we might not ever see an organic version of this Frito-Lay-owned brand any time soon, I would like to see a few less oddball ingredients listed like “DISODIUM PHOSPHATE” and “RED 40 LAKE.”