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A tidal wave of patriotism

We all love a good reason to celebrate. And this summer, London is not only gearing up for the Olympics but also for H.R.H. The Queen's Jubilee Celebrations and not forgetting the annual Wimbledon Tennis Championship. So with that combination, it does not come as a surprise that every week we see established brands emerging with limited editions to play a role in national optimism. 

Whilst the Olympic brand (such as the Olympic rings, the torch and the flame) is protected, in order to ensure that sponsors get the exclusivity they have paid for, the national flag and the Queen’s equities are rather more permissive. As a consequence the iconic Union Jack is fast becoming omniprescent throughout the high street. A poignant symbol of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, it tackles both the recognition of our Queen's 60 year reign and a message of support for 'Team Great Britain' as well as an opportunity to align brands to a culture of British pride.  So how are brands doing it?

 

Patriotic Pride

An unadulturated celebration of all things British is the brief here. Aligning the brand with the Union Jack in a way that is both relevant and appropriate. British flavoured / themed limited edition products are fast emerging every where. Here are just a few. 

1950’s Revival

Brands will always seize on the opportunity to remind us of their enduring appeal through landmark milestones. Several brands have dug into their archives to bring back some classic designs from yesteryear to remind us how long they've been gracing our cupboards. The Jubilee and its retrospective celebration of Britain over the years provides the perfect stage.

 

Diamonds, crowns and jewels

This category embraces brands that have earnt their right to celebrate the Jubilee through receipt of the Royal Warrant. Some are more overt whereas others a little more understated and elegant.

It would be a shame not to mention some of the great brands that Bloom has been working with to celebrate these occasions. A couple of months ago we couldn't move in the studio for the cultural british images and the red, white and blue flags filling our screens. Here's a few of the brands we've aligned with this wonderful occasion.

                              

    

 

Finally the Museum of Brands are curating an exhibition ‘Jubilee, Jubilee’ which is showcasing souvenirs and commemorative products made to mark the royal jubilees of the past, as well as the newly released keepsakes launched to commemorate this year’s Diamond Jubilee.

And with all the excitement this summer and the wave of patriotism sweeping the country, we wish The Queen a happy anniversary, Team GB all the best at the Olympics, England every success at Euro 2012 and hope that this might be Andy Murray's year to win Wimbledon!

Here's to all things British.

For futher examples of celebration packs click on our Flickr stream on the right of this post.

First class fashion

Royal Mail are releasing a special issue of first class stamps on May 15th - the ‘Great British Fashion’ stamps collection. 

Britain is world famous for the creative vision of its fashion designers, its refined Savile Row tailoring, its shoemakers and milliners, and its fine wool fabrics and yarn.

Since 1945, fashion has grown to become a major national industry. Today it employs about a million people and contributes some £21 billion to the UK economy.

This colourful collection highlights some of the iconic Britsh styles of recent years from the 1940s elegance of Hardy Amies, through to the genius of the late Alexander McQueen. Other designers and boutiques represented include Vivienne Westwood, Paul Smith and Zandra Rhodes. 

The stamps were designed by Johnson Banks.

Row 1 - Hardy Amies, Norman Hartnell, Granny Takes A Trip, Ossie Clarke by Celia Birtwell, Tommy Nutter.
Row 2 - Jean Muir, Zandra Rhodes, Vivienne Westwood, Paul Smith, Alexander McQueen

Bloom's hiring new talent

We're looking for a Senior Designer and a Mid-weight Designer.

Both will get to work on some of the world's biggest brands. Our client list includes Diageo, Nestlé, General Mills and PepsiCo. We also work with non-FMCG challenger brands and start-ups like Mr & Mrs Smith and Cowshed.

As a top 20 design agency experience, passion and professionalism are givens. What we're really looking for is wow factor. We want to see people and portfolios with creative flair. We want to see proof that you think differently, challenging and pushing briefs into provocative and unexpected areas. And we expect you to intuitively work in 360° terms, sharing our belief that brand design isn't just a pack or a logo, it's everything.

 

Senior Designer

Presenting skills and drinks experience a must. 

Mid-Weight Designer

At least 4 years experience in FMCG packaging

 

For the chance to join our growing team, and work with some of the best in the business, please contact Ally Watson - ally@bloom-design.com.

 

 

 

Olympic Torch gets gold

Fittingly the 2012 Olympic torch,has been awarded Design Museum’s ‘Design of the year’. Our congratulations go out to the London based pair of Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby who were given the challenging brief to design the torch. Simple, functional and elegant each torch is perforated with 8,000 holes representing everyone of the torchbearers who will carry the Olympic flame around the UK.

Design Museum director Deyan Sudjic said the torch was "a triumph of symbolism and beauty". He added that it "demonstrates how design can celebrate traditional qualities in a modern manner".

And so it came to pass … the origins of 3 brand icons

Many of the world's loved and respected brand icons are born through happenstance. This week we’ve picked 3 famous food brands and investigated the unusual stories behind their conception.

Heinz ‘57 Varieties’

You’d be right in thinking that Heinz must have more than 57 varieties today. In fact they sell more than 5,700 different products in 200 countries. So how did the claim come about and why did it stick?

Back in 1896, Henry John Heinz was riding a train in New York City when he noticed an ad for ’21 styles of shoes’. He thought it was a clever way to advertise the plethora of canned and bottled foods his companies sold under one banner. At that time the company already sold more than 60 items. The number 57 was literally born from 5 (his lucky number) and 7 (his wife’s lucky number). He owned the company, it was his prerogative ... and Heinz ketchup still carries this claim today though less prominently.

La Vache qui Rit

The Laughing Cow was born soon after World War 1. French cheesemaker Léon Bel had a lot of comté, gruyere and emmental cheeses left over and decided to melt them down to create a new type of cheese.

In 1921 he noticed a meat truck go passed nicked name ‘Wachyrie’ after ‘Valkyries’ the creatures from Norse mythology that determine victors in battle. Considering it a relevant association Bel created the pun ‘La Vache qui Rit’ (‘The Laughing Cow’.  He then commissioned Benjamin Rabier, a cartoon artist,  to draw up the cow which has evolved into what it is today.

Green Giant

In 1925, Minnesota Valley Canning Company wanted to market its range of can peas. Unusually it came up with a grumpy grey gnome wearing a bearskin, stooping and scowling.

Realising that this was not the most relevant or consumer friendly face of the brand they soon hired an ad agency to revamp the mascot. It was none other than a young Leo Burnett who evolved the mascot into a friendly giant, painted him green, with a leaf strewn tunic, wreath and boots and called him ‘Jolly’ all in an attempted to make him more friendly.

The Jolly Green Giant was such a successful marketing campaign that the company actually changed its trading name to Green Giant.

Image that speaks for itself

Swiss light artist Gerry Hofstetter projected pictures of the Titanic on a giant iceberg off Greenland to mark the 100th anniversary of its maiden voyage.