Good vs. bad design

I thought that it was interesting that the same product has two totally different packaging styles. The better one being above, one can see that it is more appealing. The packaging is colorful, informative, and has pictures.  The coloring is orange and blue, two contrasting colors that compliment eachother.  Also, it shows a picture of food that was made with the mayonnaise.  There is not a lot of negative space, and the space that is negative are filled with shades of blue that have a swirl going on. The font of the letters even stands out and is more appealing. It even says "sensible solutions" in the bottom right hand corner. Obviously they realized that people are more health conscious and want something with less calories.

In the jar above, the design does not pop as much.  There is a lot of negative space going on. Instead of the negative background space being filled with different hues of blue, it is instead white. Since it is white, it is very close to the color of the mayonnaise itself, which makes it blend into the jar.  There are also not a lot of colors going on. If I were to choose one, both being the same price, I would choose the one on the left.  Also, comparing the jar type to the squeezable bottle type, it is easier to get the product out of the squeeze bottle.  With a a jar you have to dirty a knife to get it out of the jar, then you have to keep going back into the jar to get more mayo.

Contrast, Harmony & Balance

I think this picture shows a great amount of contrast, harmony and balance.  The different skin tones provide a very strong contrast.  The colors are completely opposite of each other, one is white one is black.  I believe that the negative space around the outside of this image really brings the focus point to the hands in the middle.  The blackened edges and the way that the hands come from the corners of the image make it the main focus in the center.  You can see the texture in the hands, the wrinkles, the lines, the fingernails.  The lighting provides very noticeable texture in the the lines and shapes of the wrinkles.  If you look closely, you can even see the hairs on the back of the darker hand. The way that the hands are positioned can mean several things.
Strength: They are holding up each other and providing support and love.  This can be seen the way that the muscles are popping out on the lighter hands' wrist.
Anger: They are holding each other's hands in a very tight grip, so they could be rivals.
Sorrow: The way that the lower hand is positioned can be holding the upper hand in comfort, providing  a "hand to lean on" so to say.
The harmony is really shown in the balance of the whole picture.  The way that the darker colors stand out.  I think this image has a lot of meaning to it, and it's all in the way that you look at it. It can be perceived as good or bad, but its all based on the past experiences that we've all had.