"No to junk design!" is the rallying cry of, surprisingly, not the latest à la mode designer from Amsterdam but of Parisian supermarket chain Monoprix! Beginning earlier this month, the French behemoth has decided to re-think, re-brand, and re-market its private label products. Exclusively typography-led, the new packaging marks a departure from the usual lower-priced lines offered by les grandes surfaces.

Truth is, there is nothing like affecting change from the bottom (prices, that is), but so very few mass outfits dare to take the risk of presumably alienating part of their consumer base in order to offer better design. Well, Target has been doing it successfully for ages now, so something about it works, and that has probably inspired Monoprix to get started on the transition. In fact, many customers will probably prefer this basic, well-designed line of products to their overdone counterparts.

For reminding us that design can be less about "the product" and more about what you do with it, Monoprix is Character Approved.

[Images: Gaduman]