Not Just Ordinary and Everyday Here we are, mid-Jan. Life is back to the normal and humdrum, the ordinary and everyday….But, let’s think about that for a moment. Let’s think about the objects and products that we buy and use as part of our day to day routine. Continue reading →
Let’s Get in Good Shape This is the time of year when loads of people join the gym with the sworn intention of getting into shape. New year, new start and all that. It set me thinking about how design agencies could shape up for the challenges 2010 will bring. Continue reading →
Blah, blah, blah ‘Happy New Year’ — a simple, concise and heartfelt message. But, as most of us return to work this week to be faced with hundreds of messages to plough through, do we feel empowered by the written word and its mediums or are we becoming overwhelmed by a constant stream of blah, blah, blah? Continue reading →
Packaging and Pantomime It’s that time of year when we probably all groan and cheer in equal measure at the old traditions – the Christmas Jumper? The Brussel Sprout? The Pantomime? But, it’s also that time of year when shop shelves are groaning under festive packaging mountains and our homes (and the grown ups) groaning at the amount of paper and packaging we somehow need to dispose of. Continue reading →
The Look Of Luxury We all want a bit of luxury in our lives — and probably even more so when finances are tight. But, what do we now view luxury to be? With advertising revenue down and luxury magazine titles closing, luxury brands are having to try and answer this question and find new forms of expression to redefine and reclarify their difference. Continue reading →
Coca Cola Identity: Great Deal of Creativity Turner Duckworth’s work for Coca Cola deserves every accolade it receives. Just recently it picked up a Benchmark Best of Show Award to go with its Yellow Pencils, Cannes Grand Prix for Design and many others. Continue reading →
Who inspired whom? The revered Peter Blake’s work with Green & Black’s to create a mosaic featuring the refreshed — and more colourful — packaging has been widely publicised and acclaimed in the past few weeks since its unveiling (we’re proud to say they are one of our most celebrated and loved clients). Continue reading →
McDonalds’ Green Logo: a Step Too Far A few years ago downmarket British frozen food retailer Iceland went all organic. It converted all its own brand vegetables to organic and promised to do the same for meat. Commentators sniggered. Mums go to Iceland to buy lorry loads of convenience food for next to nothing; they do not pop in to stock up on organic petit pois. Worthy though it was the organic initiative lasted just six months because it was fundamentally wrong for Iceland’s customer base. Continue reading →
Manutailing: Part III – CPG/Retailer Partnerships The following is the last of three installments. In the first installment, an evaluation of the current market landscape was covered. The second installment reviewed the history of the private label. Both posts are available here and here on POPSOP. Continue reading →
Design-a-diet A few more weeks of festive fun and feeding frenzy before the slimming brands are out in force bombarding us with new lose weight quick and ‘diet’ options… But, ‘diet’ actually means «what is eaten and drunk habitually» and is not about counting calories and restricting or choosing different food to lose weight. Continue reading →