Trends don’t just happen overnight, and they aren’t always obvious—at least in the beginning. They can take years to develop. As a person who pays more attention to packaging design than most (it’s part of the job, after all), I’ve seen a subtle shift occurring. It’s there when I walk down the grocery aisles. I’ve seen it creeping in when I read all the new product releases and look at the photos. It’s on frozen food packaging, pet foods and beverages. Especially on packaging of spirits. Heck, I’ve even seen it on baby food.
After years of seeing the color white predominant on all types packaging, I believe the pendulum has swung about as far as it can go. Maybe you’ve seen it, too. Black is back in a big way. Just search “black packaging” on Pinterest. You’ll see scads of interesting designs clad primarily in black.