Deceptive Packaging Photoseries

This Photo Project Casts a Critical Eye on Consumer Packaging

Design agency Johnson Banks' photo project 'How Packaging Works' highlights the often deceptive packaging practices found in many consumer products.

These photos shed to light the often deceiving nature of many packaged products that the public is sold, and how corporate disinformation can also be extremely wasteful as well. Shot on brightly colorful backgrounds, each photo lays out packaging next to its contents to help communicate just how different the actual sizing can be from one to the other.

To finish off the project, the team decided to photograph an example of a perfect piece of natural packaging - - a banana. Design agency founder Michael Johnson sums up the simple brilliance of the banana, stating that "the skin is only fractionally larger than the product itself, and it even incorporates an inbuilt colour mechanism to let you know when it's under-ripe and over-ripe. Genius."

Deceptive Packaging
Opportunity for disruptive innovation by developing packaging that accurately represents product content
Corporate Disinformation
Opportunity for disruptive innovation by promoting transparent and truthful communication in corporate messaging
Sustainable Packaging
Opportunity for disruptive innovation by creating eco-friendly packaging solutions to reduce waste

Where This Applies

Packaging Design
Opportunity for disruptive innovation in the packaging design industry by prioritizing honesty and accuracy
Consumer Goods
Opportunity for disruptive innovation in the consumer goods industry by reevaluating packaging practices for more ethical and sustainable solutions
Food and Beverage
Opportunity for disruptive innovation in the food and beverage industry by promoting truthful packaging and reducing unnecessary waste
SCORE
6.3 out of 10
GENDER
50% Men50% Women
MARKETTop markets: North America, Europe, Asia
GENERATION
  • Gen Z
  • Gen Alpha
  • Millennial (primary audience)
  • Gen X (primary audience)
POPULARITY
Popularity 95%
Activity 85%
Freshness 8%