JKR

The idea of creating a time capsule has always appealed to me. Stuffing a collection of the products that most strongly define our times into a box and burying it for some future generation to unearth. Photographer, James Kendall, in effect stumbled across one when he found a collection of old food packaging in his wife’s grandmother’s cupboard.

I don’t know about you, but the expression ‘you’ve come a long way baby’ sprang to mind when I looked at them. But, have we really come that far? There’s no question that the stylistic renaissance of the 1980s, led by the likes of Minale Tattersfield, Lewis Mobley, Michael Peters and others, has meant that today’s packaging is more visually literate and better polished than it once was. For most however, the essence remains remarkably consistent.

It’s a reminder that the best brands stay true to their visual equities and nudge them forward, keeping them relevant to the times. Sadly, there wasn’t a can of Heinz Baked Beans in the cupboard (although there was a jar of Cucumber Spread). If there had been, I’m pretty sure that the surprise would be how much it looks like the ones we have in our own cupboards today. By the way, if you’ve never been, The Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising is a brilliant place to see how the most successful brands have held the line over time, where others have jumped the shark.

You can see the full set of pictures from grandmother’s cupboard on The Guardian’s website. On review, how far do you think we’ve come?

Last week Creative Review ran a piece on the Sainsbury’s design archive. What do you think of the designs?

I found the thread of comments at Creative Review as illuminating as the work. Opinion was largely weighted towards a sentiment of “Wow, amazing modernist design. They should be doing it now, it would look great”.

I think this says something for the frequent chasm between what designers admire and what the public wants. As huge posters some of these pack designs would look pretty retro cool. But in today’s world, put them all on a shelf and they would look cheap and unappetising. As a few folk noted “That was then, this is now”.

Equally interesting was the design strategy behind these designs; to be simple and to stand apart from the noisy brands they were sitting alongside. And the minimal designs would surely have conveyed ‘basic cheap essentials’ in this environment.

I think they add up to a great design programme and look fabulous as a snapshot of the times they lived in. Especially when one considers how bad much branded packaging looked back then. But the world has moved on and such design is now of more relevance to design enthusiasts rather than people filling their shopping baskets.

Retro packs and anniversary editions are becoming relatively ten a penny – for the frequently stated reasons relating to the appeal of nostalgia in the downturn. Coke, predictably, just do this sort of thing so much better. Not just because they have such a rich bank of iconography and classic art to draw upon, but because they do so with a modern sensibility. So we see classic Vargas girl ads turned into funky cans…

And we see them doing something more edgy with illustrator James Jarvis…

And we get high end vintage packaging for sale in Selfridges…

Etc. etc. And what impresses is the blend of yesteryear and tomorrow, which makes all the activity so much richer, more playful and more engaging because it is not just harking back to the past. In fact, this is a feather in the cap for the design agencies, who have done really spirited work. Whereas the TV ad is really a rather middle of the road re-hash of old ads with no real imagination shown.

Alternatively, click here to watch.

So hats off to Coke. Once again. But, just to show it’s not only the super brands that can pull this off, here is the vintage Fairy Liquid pack released to tie in with our recent royal wedding. Which just goes to show that it’s the witty assimilation and celebration of the past which makes the difference between ‘doing it by the numbers’ and offering the extra thought which suggests brands actually enjoy playing with their heritage…

There was a great piece by Stephen Bayley in The Telegraph a couple of days ago about the 50th anniversary of The Morris Minor – Read it here. The observation that struck me was this: “Has any other English machine ever been treated to such respectful affection as the Minor? This soft-looking car makes even hard men wistful. Here is that unusual thing which, for reasons neuro-aestheticians must one day research, inspires universal delight. Is it the shape itself that affects the emotions or the dense cloud of associations swirling around it? Probably a bit of each.”

It is a truly ‘happy’ design, which has inspired huge devotion long after production ceased. What can we learn by studying its lines? I think it shows that modesty can be an engaging alternative to design which aims to be more aggressive, or ‘high-end’. The Minor is cute, chubby, and knows its place. Even the engine sound chugs along like a babbling brook. This design spirit seems quintessentially English – a gentleness and simplicity that has something of church bells, pipe smoking and John Betjeman poems within it. The form has been likened to a jelly mold, and while this might not be quite fair, it does suggest a design that is content to be homely.

Every new brief these days seems to seek to place whatever the particular brand is at the head of its category – more premium, more aspirational, more contemporary and ‘leading’ in its aesthetics. The Minor suggests an alternative that is humble but cheerful – that aims lower, but doesn’t forget to design joy into the form. In our recession stressed times, perhaps more briefs need to connect with a spirit less focussed on projecting thrusting aspiration, and more engaged with delivering a drop of charm?

Classic brand Mr Peanut is one mascot who has never been in talkies. But he is about to, in advertising with the voice of Robert Downey Jnr. The look is going back on the character’s visual heritage, and this has been reported as an interesting twist on the branded nostalgia boom triggered by the recession. Interesting because it is not retro, but “old school” – the strategy is tied to a Mintel report wherein “New Retro” is one of twelve hot new trends. In this case, I guess the modernity comes through in the scripts and the execution.

The new jkr book (“buy it here” says the shameless plug) has a long piece on the same topic. We called it “progressive retro”, but as we are not Mintel I doubt if anyone will notice or care. Nonetheless, we think it’s the smart way to exploit old equities. Nostalgia is a pleasure which quickly fades. You forget about something, are reminded of it, and are, for a moment, pleased to reflect on those happy days past. But all too soon it’s “nice to see you – good to catch up – er, look, I’ll call you, Ok?” In other words, nostalgia quickly outstays its welcome if it hangs around without any contemporary relevance for company. The smart brands take the best of the past, but project it into the future. It’s a richer (and so more engaging) approach that makes simply being retro look like a one trick pony.

Two examples of progressive retro: Quaker Oats “Go Humans Go” campaign had a timeless message, and styles it by making the mascot Quaker look like he was selling a new Apple mac, rather than a bit of comfy humanism.