JKR

Slightly random brand extensions can feel clever or opportunistic. In the yellow corner, the JCB Tough Phone, designed to withstand dust, shock, water, direct nuclear attack etc. It makes sense to have a Tough Phone in a construction environment, and JCB’s signature colours presumably also make it easier to spot when it’s been left on a table cluttered with tools and mugs of tea. JCB is basically the grown up equivalent of those indestructible Tonka Toys, so they feel entirely credible to design such a product.

But in the disco ball mirrored corner we have Lady Gaga endorsed headphones. Perhaps I’m the only one who thinks this performer is more of a marketing concept than a gifted artist, but the ubiquity of her “brand” at the moment feels a bit smothering. In the good old days of celebrity endorsement, the stars at least had the grace to wait until they were treasured by fans before helping to flog stuff. These days the merchandising opportunities seem to begin before the ink is dry on the recording contract, and the results are generally, in design terms, a bit banal – I think JCB’s phone wins on points, even if the products’ respective audiences are unlikely to ever mingle.