Horror Vacui! Reevaluating Empty Design Space

One method to increase the perceived value of your product is to reduce visual pieces of information, or chunks, on your package.

Horror Vacui logo
Horror vacui is a Latin term that means the fear of empty spaces. It’s a centuries-old concept used primarily in art and design.

At breakfast the other day, I happened to notice two strawberry jelly containers on my table. Both featured a red-checked design, but really, that was where the similarities ended. The kids’ squeezable jelly, in its top-to-bottom red design, had very little empty space on it. What wasn’t filled with text, pictures, or a pattern was solid red: back-lit strawberries against a red-checked tablecloth; words above and below the strawberries and covering the back; and absolutely no view of the product inside. It was a fun, yet frenetic, design. I could see why it caught my kids’ eyes.

Hurley preserves jarThe grown-ups’ jelly, actually strawberry preserves, was in a glass jar with a clear view of the product. The label was plain white with black, hand-written text. No pictures. Very little color.The grown-ups’ jelly, on the other hand, was actually strawberry preserves. The metal cap was adorned with the same red-checked design, but the glass jar offered a clear vision of the product it held. The label was plain white with black, hand-written text. No pictures. Very little color. Plenty of empty space. My kids weren’t interested in it at all (which is great as I prefer not to have chunks of peanut butter in my preserves).

When I compared the two, I couldn’t help but think that the jar of preserves seemed to be confident in what it had to offer, suave, understated. The invitation was there, “You can see what I offer. I will say no more.” The other container seemed to be all about grabbing attention that might wander elsewhere, “Hey! Look at me! I’m what you want! Come on, give me a try! Can’t you see the pile of juicy fruits on my label? You know I’m tasty!”

See these other columns from Dr. R. Andrew Hurley, published in Packaging World magazine:

Progressive Disclosure: The Full-Course Meal of Packaging

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