“Patently Obvious” is new line of cleaning products by KMI that offers natural ingredients with no compromise on performance. Apparently, the line has been in-the-making since 2005, where the new product development team aimed to create distinctive packaging that was both unique and eye-catching. The end result was a custom designed line of packaging inspired by classic chemistry bottles and made from 100% post consumer recycled plastics. [ original post ]

However, there seems to be one major flaw in this “unique” and “distinctive” packaging. It looks exactly like method—method with a rather heavy logo and crowded labels. Even the Patently Obvious website, while not nearly as well done, is somewhat method-like.

Either way, both brands have similar philosophies and values (eco-friendly, natural ingredients, sustainable packaging, etc). If side-by-side on a store shelf, this is a perfect situation where I feel like the cheaper one would win over the consumer. Turns out Patently Obvious is a European brand, so that issue won’t really come into play, but it’s still interesting to see the obvious similarities between these two packaging designs. Makes you wonder what each team thinks of the other’s design…