JKR

Saucy photography legend Ellen Von Unwerth for Coca-Cola, stripy fashion designer Paul Smith for Evian. And so on. I’m not sure if there is a genuine avalanche of such designer editions this year, or if the rise of packaging websites simply means we get to hear about them all. But it feels like a day does not pass when a lifestyle beverage isn’t getting the “famous name for” treatment. But other than getting some cool points by association, few of the results seem to be a genuine marriage of the brand livery and the guest star’s signature style (which would be interesting), with most brands happy to lie back and be a passive canvas for the artist to do their thing on.

This feels like a slightly missed opportunity in the long term for the brand – Warhol’s Coke and Campbell’s paintings, for example, stick in the head decades on because they mash his style with the original graphics. For me the best example of an artist “doing” a brand is the work of Japanese artist Takashi Murakami for Louis Vuitton. While the designs are simply a pattern of the LV logo, they are also distinctly “Murakami” in their colourful bubblegum palate. I guess this collaboration really worked because a) Murakami is an artist who clearly loves brands and b) his style was judiciously selected by Louis Vuitton for its ability to mesh with the brand – the results don’t look “bussed in” and indeed his work created a whole sub-genre of collectables for the brand. These were editions which really were “special”.

Murakami art (above left) and applied art (above right)

On this level, I think the Paul Smith design pays back to the brand better because its lightness feels quite “Evian” – Unwerth’s Coke design feels like it could be for anyone (or is there a subtle suggestion that the lady’s curves match those of the bottle?).

In general I guess it’s probably a good thing to see that culturally we are all apparently becoming design literate enough for such promotions to be seen as commercially worthwhile (it’s a move on from the days when collectables for brands tended to just be pictures of famous sportsmen or royalty). If such promotions result in lots of beautiful little artefacts, then I guess the world is a brighter place. But as with all art patronage, some investments will be smarter than others, and for me the cleverest brands will be those whose visual equities are adopted and mutated by artists who are brought in as collaborators rather than decorators, and the weakest results will be where people are simply used to add a few cool points, regardless of fit.