The Hunt for Red October VHS tape

The Hunt for Red October is a 1990 spy thriller based off the book of the same name written by Tom Clancy, and is the first in the Jack Ryan series of films.

The front of the box features a version of the film's poster with some elements rearranged and removed. The poster's content includes a red and black image of the lead actor's face in the background and a silhouette of the top of the ship in the foreground, with the entire bottom of the composition being solid red. The film's title and two lead actors' names are placed in the top right where no red content is located. The sides of the box follow the red streak at the bottom for coloration, and have the film's title at the top with the Paramount logo at the bottom. The back, by contrast, has a white background with red and black text, featuring a shot from the film in the center with text describing the film's reception and plot below it. The very bottom contains supplementary information and the very top contains the VHS's barcode and a quote from a review. The top of the box goes back to being solid black and has the film's title and extra info on the left with the Paramount logo on the right.

This package acts as an example of the use of striking visuals to draw attention to a product. The stark red and black design stands out from other films, intending to grab and maintain people's attention, where they can then check the more standard back for information on the film. It's a very efficient style of design where striking and beautiful visuals exist to both look good and sell the product.