Bill McCool

4 days ago | thedieline.com | Bill McCool

American cheese is the undisputed GOAT for cheeseburgers. Not only is it just salty enough, but it also melts perfectly, making it the ideal component to any smash burger or bodega-style egg sammy. Hell, it’s even great on ramen. The only problem? All those individually packaged slices of cheese generate plenty of plastic waste. Of course, the cheese industry also faces an entirely different waste problem in the form of whey, the natural byproduct of cheesemaking.

5 days ago | thedieline.com | Bill McCool

If your design strategy revolves around getting folks to “taste the Middle East” via your packaging, you have a friend in us. And that’s specifically what BOMBAYDC gets right with their redesign of the 2-decade-old Mezete and its line of Middle Eastern foods, as revamped food photography and a completely overhauled visual identity presented us with a veritable feast for the ol’ eyeballs.

5 days ago | thedieline.com | Bill McCool

The self-inflicted blows keep coming for Minneapolis-based retailer Target. After deciding to remove Pride merchandise in 2023 and a limited rollout in 2024, Target has brought the collection back, but with a fumbling execution that has become a crippling hallmark of the brand. This year’s Target Pride merchandise features a lot of beige and some rainbows, though, in some instances, its vague rainbow-like patterns against neutral colors whisper Pride more than speak it.

1 week ago | thedieline.com | Bill McCool

For the second year in a row, Oskar Blues Brewery, the purveyor of suds behind Dale’s Pale Ale and incomparable TenFidy, has put “Baby’s Got Her Blue Jeans On” on repeat and is releasing its limited edition line of Denim Dale’s. Last year, however, the denim was strictly reserved for 15-pack boxes; now, Dale’s will sport the official Canadian tuxedo, as the cans will also feature a denim pattern.

2 weeks ago | thedieline.com | Bill McCool

Legend has it that, after a long day on the links, golf legend Arnold Palmer’s favorite drink was a 50/50 mix of iced tea and lemonade. The combination was so exquisite, supposedly, a woman overheard him order the drink in Palm Springs in the late 60s, and ordered one for herself, and the rest was history. Personally, I always preferred my grandmother’s spin on the Arnold Palmer, as she favored OJ and iced tea (I don’t know if this has a name, but I’m calling it the Granny Clancy).