I think it’s about reducing visual clutter and I think it’s fab that one of the other posters is doing this for their pre-teen!

I wanted to take this opportunity to address some of the concerns that all of you have so eloquently put forth.

@ obba: I appreciate your concerns as a graphic designer. I am one myself. I’m sure there will be enough work to go around. :) But about the environmental concerns, our intent is for people to use the bottles over and over, not just once. Our labels are waterproof and rated for outdoor use so you won’t need to replace them. We want people to reduce waste not create it.

@ Lindsay: Jen’s reply is very similar to what I would say. There are a number of stores that allow you to refill your own bottles with natural bulk soap. We don’t want waste!

@ Jen: Thanks for your nice experience and the response in behalf of our idea. :)

@ Bells: That place in NZ sounds fantastic! We’re from BC, Canada and there are many alternative stores like Commonsense Organics here. I hope there is something like this in everyone’s locale but if not yes, making stuff at home is always fun!

@ Molly: That’s exactly right. We’re providing nice durable labels to stick on to the bottles you’re already using. Lots of labels come off fairly easily and there’s no reason to not use that container again.

@ Ron Michael: There is a certain amount of irony that I guess we’ll have to live with. Branding occurs when marks are used over and over again in many different situations. However, our labels are not our logos. We only want to provide people with an option to have a simple label describing the contents of a container. We’re attempting to do this without any “branding” taking place, just a simple design. I appreciate your suggestions to make your own labels too. We’re all for DIY crafts. We provide professionally made, durable, well designed labels so that if you don’t want to do something crafty yourself, you have an option.

Thanks again for everyone’s response!

Sincerely,
Ryan
Debranded Home

Except… I really like reading the back label of products when waiting for the conditioner to do it’s thing…

If you want to be brandless – and environmentally refriendly – take some bottles you already have, remove the labels, and fill them up. Make your own label. Draw something right on the bottle. Or use a label maker, or do something nice on the computer and print it on a waterproof label, or even print it on regular paper and affix it with some heavy duty clear packing tape (which I’ll admit is not terribly environmental but acceptable to most people).

On the other hand.. am I the only one who is bothered by the shampoo label? Did it have to be split that way? It just sticks out to me…

(My comment may be too late and I’m just below the ads.)

I’m of two minds – I understand the need to advertise/brand/flash gaudy banner ads on a design website, but of course I don’t want the ads junking up MY environment.