Design Critique: What Quaker Oatmeal Squares Could Improve (and How!)

Ever find yourself critiquing design in everyday life? As a graphic designer, I can’t help it — even while eating breakfast. In today’s video, I break down the back of the Quaker Oatmeal Squares cereal box and show the subtle but important alignment and typography tweaks that take a layout from “95% professional” to pixel-perfect. Follow along - download resources from the blog: https://designertofullstack.com/cereal-box-design-critique-quaker-oatmeal-squares/ *Design Eye Training: Fixing a “Nearly Perfect” Cereal Box Layout* A nearly perfect cereal box can be a designer’s best classroom. In this critique, I break down subtle alignment issues on the back of a Quaker Oatmeal Squares box and show how tiny adjustments—hanging punctuation, optical tweaks, centering, and type alignment—can take a layout from 95% to polished and intentional. You’ll learn: --How to evaluate alignment using guides and rectangles in Photoshop --What “Roman Hanging Punctuation” is and when to use it --Why registered marks and punctuation shouldn’t break your alignment -- How to optically align (example is Taco Bell’s typography) -- When to adjust leading and character baselines -- How to identify composition issues designers often miss Whether you design packaging, web layouts, or brand graphics, these techniques will help you develop a sharper eye and create more intentional, polished compositions. ➡️ SUBSCRIBE for more graphic design critiques, Photoshop tips, and real-world design breakdowns from a working designer. *TIME STAMPS* 00:00 Intro – Why I critique design everywhere 00:07 Looking at the Quaker Oatmeal Squares box 00:19 Taking a design from 95% to 100% 00:33 Using guides and rectangles for alignment 01:07 Checking margins and padding 01:31 Fixing misalignment on the left and top 01:57 Right-aligned text: punctuation & registered marks 02:24 Why Roman Hanging Punctuation is grayed out 02:53 Using a true text box in Photoshop 03:37 How hanging punctuation affects alignment 04:25 Adjusting tracking for right alignment 04:50 Metrics vs. Optical kerning differences 05:15 Logotype example: Taco Bell alignment 05:55 Reducing leading for tighter headlines 06:40 Adjusting the registered mark size & baseline 07:20 Why designers tweak endlessly 08:04 Fixing alignment issues in the original layout 08:47 Adjusting “Enlarged image” placement 09:31 Fixing left-side alignment on “fresh fruit” line 09:57 Centering nutritional callouts properly 10:14 When copywriting affects alignment _____________________________________________________________ *JOIN MY EMAIL LIST* Love quick, helpful tutorials? You’ll love the emails too. 💌 https://designertofullstack.com/join-the-list/ *ABOUT ME* Hello, world. I’m *Kelly Barkhurst* —an experienced Mac-based full-stack designer, educator, and entrepreneur passionately blending artistic vision and creativity with deep technical expertise. With a BFA and MFA in Graphic Design and a certificate in Full-Stack Web Development, I’m uniquely positioned to work at this intersection of design and tech. My driving force is creating meaningful solutions and helping clients and students do the same. *What’s Kelly’s superpower?* It’s using design thinking to strategically plan the BIG picture, then diving deep into the technical “weeds” to bring that vision to life—through beautiful visual design, compelling writing, or well-crafted, functional code. *What brought you JOY today? * 👇 Share in the comments below *SOCIALS* https://twitter.com/@designer2fstack https://www.facebook.com/designertofullstack https://www.youtube.com/@UCWk0aZ-yFzCQX5bMLaISrog