Top 5: Cheesy redundant statements of product promotion

You know the ones, you see them printed onto an object, they state the blindingly obvious, they serve no purpose but their attempt to elevate the product to a higher level of design results only in a very elevated cringe factor.

What irks me is that the person who places these statements there somehow seems to thing that we are stupid enough to read them and succumb. But succumb to what? The reading of these statements mostly takes place after we’ve bought them, like every morning when I make coffee in the office and read the phrase on the fridge (see below). I'm really glad we own that fridge now - thanks to the statement. Is the statement supposed to encourage us to buy another one of something we already have? In fact you have to wonder who decided to put them on there. Surely it couldn’t be a designer of some sort; if a designer is coming up with stuff then they are making some career limiting moves.

So here are my top 5 observations:

1. Printed on the fridge in the kitchen at our office: “Ergonomic Spacious Cooling Design”. Duh!
2. Printed on a placemat in the kitchen at the mine site: “Modern Living”. This is accompanied by a picture of a knife and fork. I look at this and I am quietly comforted that by using a knife and fork (and placemat even) that I have elevated my standard of living to be “modern”. Thanks Mr. Designer, job well done.
3. Any cup, mug, etc, that includes the randomly placed words of “tea, coffee, latte, cup-of-chino, hot beverage etc.” as a pattern design. I was actually wondering what to put in this cylindrical shaped ceramic vessel with a handle.
4. The hot-chip and fried food packets that you get from those light-industrial lunch deli’s with the words “Good Food” printed on them. Sorry, but if you have to state it on a pack of deep fried lard, then chances are that it is anything but.
5. A rubbish bin I have seen here with the statement printed onto the bin stating (loosely translated) “Life is better with your rubbish in this bin”. That’s the truth right there folks.