Lay’s provides an unusually useful starting point because its newer packaging is described as becoming more visually complex rather than joining the broader minimalist trend the creator dislikes. Instead of stripping the bag down indiscriminately, the redesign preserves the yellow identity, newer logo and food imagery while removing sunburst lines, simplifying the background texture and reducing the number of pictured ingredients. That establishes the central design principle effectively: simplification works best when recognizable brand cues survive rather than when detail disappears merely for its own sake.
The Pringles, Takis and Goldfish concepts explore that idea from increasingly different angles. Pringles becomes an experiment in brand recognition, with the creator arguing that even a small portion of the mascot's head would be enough to identify the product before restoring an older logo for practical labeling. Takis receives the most substantial cleanup, reducing repeated spicy imagery, redundant chips and ingredients while using a single flaming chip as the visual focus. Goldfish takes a more playful route by enlarging one cracker, turning the background into water and reorganizing the descriptive text, demonstrating that minimalism does not necessarily require sterile presentation.
Cheetos and Cheez-It are particularly effective demonstrations of how specific visual assets can carry an entire package. Showing only Chester the Cheetah's gloved hand and tail lets the Cheetos concept retain its mascot without reproducing a complicated full-body illustration, while the puff itself becomes part of the interaction. Cheez-It goes much more austere, building almost everything from a large wordmark, one cracker and basic product text. The creator readily acknowledges when the originals are difficult to improve, which gives the exercise more credibility than simply declaring every redesign superior.
The strongest aspect of the presentation is that the transformations are explained through concrete design decisions rather than revealed only as finished mockups. Font choices, shadows, perspective, gradients, lighting, textures and compositional balance are discussed as they are introduced, allowing viewers to understand why elements move or disappear. The casual humor keeps what could have become a repetitive graphic-design exercise lively, although some extended jokes—particularly the privacy-themed setup before the sponsorship—run considerably longer than the design observations they surround.
That sponsorship is also the largest interruption in the pacing. The extended discussion of exposed addresses, identity theft, medical information and data brokers shifts abruptly away from snack packaging before returning halfway through the Takis redesign. Claims about the sponsor's capabilities, the creator's hundreds of removal requests and the amount of labor supposedly saved are presented promotionally rather than independently demonstrated here. The segment is clearly integrated around internet privacy, but its length makes the otherwise brisk progression through brands feel temporarily derailed.
The Veggie Straws section introduces a more consequential criticism by arguing that the packaging creates a misleading health impression through vegetables, green imagery and the product name. The creator specifically claims the straws are essentially potato-based and use small amounts of tomato paste and spinach powders mainly for color, but those ingredient and marketing assertions are not substantiated within the presentation and should therefore be treated as his characterization rather than established findings. Even so, the redesign discussion remains coherent: three straw colors are intentionally retained, the healthy visual language is concentrated into a cleaner circular composition, and the creator recognizes the uncomfortable irony of making that positioning look even more polished.
Pros
- Each redesign is built around identifiable brand elements rather than minimalism for its own sake.
- Step-by-step explanations of typography, shadows, lighting, perspective and composition make the design process genuinely informative.
- The Takis, Cheetos and Goldfish concepts demonstrate distinctly different approaches instead of repeating one visual formula.
- The creator is willing to admit when an existing package is stronger or when a simplified concept would work better as a special edition than a full replacement.
- Humor and brand-specific observations keep a potentially repetitive format energetic.
Cons
- The lengthy privacy sponsorship significantly interrupts the Takis redesign and overall pacing.
- Several judgments about universal brand recognition are asserted confidently without evidence beyond the creator's intuition.
- Claims about Veggie Straws' ingredients and health-oriented marketing are presented critically but not substantiated within the piece.
- Some jokes and tangents take longer to resolve than the design points they support.
- Because the redesigns are judged primarily by their creator, there is little testing of whether actual shoppers would find them clearer or more recognizable.
A potentially repetitive packaging exercise succeeds by treating simplification as a question of brand identity rather than simply deleting visual elements. Strong process explanations and several clever mascot-based solutions outweigh the promotional interruption and occasional unsupported marketing claims, producing an entertaining design showcase with genuine practical insight.
