Packaging design: What's the hook?

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In popular music, one of the most vital concepts is the idea of the “hook” — that clever, unforgettable little idea that locks the creation into your mind and keeps it there until you can’t stand it anymore.

It’s the calliope intro to Smokey Robinson’s “Tears of a Clown,” the guitar riff to Led Zeppelin’s “The Ocean,” or the zillion little things that permeate Gwen Stefani’s “The Sweet Escape.”

Any really popular song has at least one good hook. The great ones have many.

And so it is with package designs too. The other day I was in the grocery store to get a can of shoe polish. As I picked up the familiar little can, I realized this venerable container is packed with hooks like a Motown song.

Yeah, there’s the obvious kiwi bird logo. But the can itself is a hook — what other things come in a tiny little tin like that? Not much these days.

And then there’s the best hook of all - almost literally. That little twist device on the side that allows the user to open the can without hurting one’s fingernails.

Genius!

Who forgets the satisfaction of flipping that little device to pry open the top? And like a good pop song, the longevity of its appeal is almost infinite.

What hooks does your favorite packaging have?
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