Honest, not brutal critique
First impression: Nice class project. Good technical skills. The 3-D communication of "conceal," "expose," and "reveal" is intriguing. However, package offers more questions than answers.
Intro said "grooming products" which initially made me think of hair clippers and tweezers (just ordered some online last night). Then I saw the toillete water (which is watered down cologne). Now that I am acclimated to at least one of the products ("a fragrance bottle"), I must guess the others are some other men's cosmetics/facial treatments.
Suggestions: Lose the outer sheath. That is what will be seen on the shelf and is not only one of the the weakest design elements, it masks the clever industrial design. However, when the sheath is gone, the package must be reconstructed to secure the product. Likely, the bottom cap would be concealed. Put the product name on the top of the box. Don't break the pattern on top seams; open package from bottom. I like the angle cut on "reveal" but cannot tell from photos what it looks like straight on. Can other products include it though they have different shapes?
Looking though the jars to see the the texture is nice. For the effort, one expects to actually have something revealed in the texture. Though art should be similar for brand recognition, each product should, reveal or expose something different. Generic texture is a waste. Might products be different colors? It is very difficult to get multiple ingredients to all be transparent. (See trends in
bottle colors.)
"Conceal" and "expose" are opposite effects. Give thought to what the consumer might want to hide and what should be more pronounced. In the cosmetics industry, concealers hide blemishes - usually with a degree of opacity. What could a clear product conceal - acne maybe (with salicylic acid)? This can skew demographics. Cosmetically (or groomingly) speaking, what does a man want to "reveal" on his face/skin?
The logotype is difficult to read. No real company in its right mind would name a product "HGNX". Removing the vowels and changing the remaining consonants in "hygienics" requires too much mental processing. A vast advertising campaign might put "hygienics" on the tip of the tongue but then consumers would need to make the association that it is spelled HGNX and that the letters are backwards. Come up with a better name, keep it simple with "hygiene," or use an existing product name (presenting this as a redesign).
Text used for "conceal," "expose," and "reveal" has too many reversed letters. Perhaps only one on each should be employed to improve legibility. (We get it; you want to conceal the product name. Cute idea but you must reveal it at some point or it will never be exposed to paying customers.) If those adjectives are actually individual product names rather than ethereal descriptions, I would like to see more of a unique logo look than reversing a letter or two.
Full disclosure: I have worked in the product packaging field for many years. Great designs often die in committee meetings with marketing people. Learn how to take in all comments and distill the ones worthwhile.
