Design Evaluation

What do you think about when you first look at this advertisement? I feel comfortable to say you most likely feel like the woman is being directly compared to a horse - something no one wants. This is all due to poor design. 

My initial question was, "Is this shampoo for humans or animals?" The name "Mane 'n Tail" and the image of the horses insinuates a shampoo for animals, but upon further research it's not for one or the other, it's for both:

"The original horse to human crossover shampoo that provides fuller, stronger, longer, healthier hair."

Now who wouldn't want to use the same shampoo their horse uses on its coarse, flea-attracted mane and tail? Better yet, if you look closer, the shampoo bottle is also for the body - 3 in 1! I'm sure anyone would agree with me in saying that as badly as I hope to never use the same shampoo my horse uses, I sure as heck don't want to use the same body wash. Horses don't exactly smell like roses. If the shampoo and conditioner isn't already bad enough, the "Mane 'n Tail Hoofmaker" is for humans to use on their hoofs hands as a moisturizer. 

Taking a look at more literal design concepts, the design team did do one thing (arguably) right: they used complimentary colors. The orange against the navy creates some sort of contrast, but it's strongly overruled by the confusion in the product name and logo. Maybe if the design team made the bottles a bit more sleek and not so plain Jane, I might be able to talk myself into believing that this shampoo is indeed for humans, too.

Take a look at the design above. Don't you feel better already? 

It's much easier to take literal design concepts into consideration here. The colors are what initially caught my attention. Even though they aren't necessarily complimentary colors on the color wheel, they still compliment each other in their hue and shade. Each color is bright and each color has a shine to it. One of my favorite parts of the bottles is that the names of the shampoo sets are unique to their own. A few of the clever names are: body envy, color me happy, and hello hydration.

Not only are the colors and names of the products attractive, but also the shape of the bottles. The shampoo and conditioner bottles are shaped so they fit beside each other much like a puzzle piece. It hints that a customer can't purchase just one or the other but must purchase both because they are a pair.

Even the "Herbal Essences" motto is written with design concepts in mind:

"Dive into the world of Herbal Essences, with products that stimulate the senses, clean and care for your hair, and wrap your body in luscious fragrance."

While it may not come right out and specify that this shampoo is for human use, there aren't any pictures of horses or mystifying names that confuse the customer. 

Well, at least now.

The "Herbal Essences" product that was once named, "Bee Happy" is now named, "Honey, I'm strong." It seems as if the "Herbal Essences" design team caught onto was what the design team for "Mane 'n Tail" did not: humans do not want to be treated with any products related to animals (or insects in this circumstance).

For my own curiosity, I researched the "Bee Strong/Honey, I'm Strong" collection to find out why the product had any reference to bees. The following was stated on us.herbalessences.com:

"Did you know honey is nature's golden elixir? Once a luxury reserved for kings and queens, honey has been revered for centuries as a natural healing remedy and beauty secret for the hair."

Perhaps if "Mane 'n Tail" explained the relation of humans to horses a little more like that, then I'd take a second look at buying their product. But, perhaps not.