Anyone who’s ever had a dog, or just interacted with one, has likely spotted that over and above pretty much anything, food is the centre of their universe. Unfortunately for us, though, it’s not just dog-safe food that they’ll do whatever it takes to get their paws on: human food, it seems, often has the most appeal. But just as...
A marshmallow is sweet, soft, pliable. Yet they are also resilient and surprisingly strong – who among us hasn’t enjoyed watching them perform surprisingly well under a hydraulic press compared to substances that much more obviously scream ‘structural integrity’? Perhaps this soft-yet-strong dynamic is why the name works for an insurance company. Or perhaps, more simply, the name works because...
Theatre is an artform that relies not only on its visual and verbal performance elements, but the text from which all the rest of the more showy aspects are born. An obvious point, but one that often makes me wonder: why do so many theatre companies have such terrible names? Maybe it’s a sort of in-joke, maybe I’m just missing...
It’s about time plant-based brands found their sense of humour. Having been a vegan for 17 years now, I can safely say that veggie/vegan brands have historically been tiresomely dull – and until recently, they’ve been allowed to be. But with the recent years’ boom in all things ‘plant based’, simply existing because there’s no other type of soy milk...
Cling-wrap, cling-film, stretch-wrap, Saran-wrap or food-wrap. Wherever you’re from and whatever you may call the ubiquitous, sticky, transparent stuff, it’s been keeping food fresh since 1949, when the first branded form of cling-wrap made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) appeared on the market. Once held up as a mould-thwarting modern marvel, the material is now widely derided as an environmental menace....
American industrial designers Ray and Charles Eames fundamentally believed that good design should be available to everybody. It’s ironic, therefore, that today – in part due to institutional bodies, galleries, collectors and capitalism – their work has been elevated far beyond the reach of the common person. Design that was supposed to be accessible has become a symbol of taste,...
The Hyundai is one of the three major department stores in South Korea, with its 15 branches across the regions of Seoul, Yeongnam and Hoseo accruing more than $6 billion in annual sales. Petit Planet is the Hyundai’s new specialised children’s division, presenting premium brands in an environment designed to stimulate young imaginations. This post includes Extended Insights for BP&O...
EAT is the second installation of a two-year long series of exhibitions that draw on the gastronomic memories of residents from Jurong, Singapore. Graphic design studio Fable worked to create the visual identity for EAT which included a variety of printed collateral. These appear to take their cues from menus and street food packaging, a contemporary gallery aesthetic and juxtaposes these...
The Moomins are characters from a book, picture book and comic book series created by Swedish-speaking Finnish illustrator and writer Tove Jansson. These were published in Sweden and Finland between 1945 and 1993. Alongside the comic strip, the characters have also featured in their own television series and film, and populate the theme park, Moomin World, on the Finnish island...
Launched by natural chewing gum brand Peppersmith, Tingz is a new, two flavour confectionary range that uses Xylitol, a natural wood sugar, to add plaque reducing properties to the sweets. Developed by London-based B&B Studio the packaging for Tingz builds on the quirky personality of the Peppersmith brand by illustrating two wide-mouthed characters, a contrasting white and bright colour palette and subtle texture to establish a healthy...
Originally established in 1929 as the Newark Nut Company, Nuts.com is a family owned on-line retailer of nuts, dried fruit, snacks, chocolate, tea and coffee. Following a recent url change, international design agency Pentagram, lead by partner Michael Bierut, created a new visual identity and packaging solution ‘that would help establish Nuts.com as a distinctive brand’. Based around a bright and distinctive colour palette,...