The Friday Wrap-Up is a newish column from Dieline where we talk about some of our favorite stories of the past week from the world of packaging and branding, whether it’s from Dieline or elsewhere. Expect a few shout-outs, fun, weirdness, and maybe even a little music.
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In the past, Dieline has published a weekly column where we wrap up the past week in packaging and branding news, highlighting a few of the biggest stories we ran or calling attention to some of the more lovely and curious things we saw coming out of the design world.
For the most part, the goal here is to keep it light and heavy on the links, showcase a designer or studio’s work that we love, celebrate curious memes and viral weirdness, or maybe share an interesting fact or two.
Anywho, on to the fun.
Powder to the People
In the future, everything will come in powdered form! Shout-out to our own Rudy Sanchez for his interview with Brooklyn (and Hawaii) studio Herefor that digs into the design for AWSM Sauce, a line of powdered condiments (ketchup, BBQ, yadda x 3) that you just add water to, and boom, instantaneous dip action. Not only do you skip out on the plastic bottle, but you avoid shipping water around the globe (ketchup is comprised of about 70% water because of the distilled vinegar used to make it), curbing emissions in the process. Also, keep an eye out for an upcoming studio profile on Herefor—they’re definitely one to watch.
Grace Be Unto You
Here’s an excellent piece from Jeremy Allen over at AIGA Eye On Design discussing the insanely awesome record covers Jean-Paul Goude created for Grace Jones. If you don’t know who Grace Jones is, please educate yourself. Here’s a clip of her being a general badass.
Also, her cover of “Nightclubbing” is well worth the price of admission, and it looks like you can snag a decent-enough copy from Discogs for around ten bucks.
JFC Department
I am not one to pile on what’s already a Hometown Buffet smorgasbord of vitriol, but what in the holy plastic lobbyist influencer fuck is this shit? I’m no Price is Right expert, but I’m pretty sure you can buy a middling tent for less than what it would cost for ten jumbo rolls of plastic wrap.
Say Goodbye to a Real Rockhound
Best Deli Sign
Here’s some pretty sick typography courtesy of Gander. That said, I’m not thrilled by the amount of plastic dedicated to the deli meats section, and, for the most part, it’s unavoidable for the category. Some intrepid designer should take a stab at that.
Worst Deli Meat Hard Seltzer?
There’s no way this is real, even if hot dog hard seltzer water is an actual thing (thanks a lot, Fred Durst).
Grim and Bear It
Hell hath no fury like a McDonald’s merch nerd scorned. A promotion for a Grimace pool float went sideways when folks had to wait “hours” trying to land the pretty, pretty, pretty purple flotation device. Some of them even took to Twitter with the usual results, spurring the great arched one to issue this fantastically massaged PR missive:
“We know your love for Grimace runs deep. Unfortunately, we experienced issues today, and customers were unable to complete their purchase of the Grimace float. We understand this is frustrating, and McDonald’s will work to supply the float to customers who attempted to purchase today on a first-come, first-serve basis. We look forward to more sunny days at Camp McDonald’s.”
Chef’s kiss, PR fixer. Chef’s kiss.
And that’s the wrap-up! I’m off to see the new Thor with the family, as it’s the only Marvel franchise worth watching, and only because it has the Taika stamp. Here’s hoping it gives off some serious Flash Gordon vibes as Ragnarok did.
Got a news tip for us? Questions? How about some high praise or mean-spirited criticism? Or maybe an odd fact or statistic? I want to hear from you! You can reach me at [email protected]
