Observations on Design and Illustration Design Pet Peeve #1: Why is it that so many consumer products are over-packaged, often using the most environmentally toxic materials known to exist, in forms that require scissors or a knife to open?  Electronics and computer components are the worst, but even products such as humus and organic lettuce sometimes offend.  I’m not completely naïve.  I understand that “freshness” and theft-prevention are design considerations driving much of this packaging. But that brings up a much larger issue.