If it feels like April Fools Day is coming early this year, you’re not alone. This past week saw the release of weed-infused ketchup and breakfast ramen, two hand-to-god genuinely real products you can purchase if you so desire (and we don’t even need to remind you of Sunny D Hard Seltzer and Hidden Valley Ranch Ice Cream).
Maybe it’s because AFD officially falls on a Saturday, and brands know they won’t get as many eyeballs popping since no one rolls on Shabbos. But it is kind of a drag, especially in years past when we’ve thrown up plenty of fake stories for shits and giggles—meat-based vegetables or non-alcoholic hard seltzers, anyone?
Regardless, we’ve seen what some folks have cooked up for Saturday, and we’ll have a nice wrap-up waiting for you on Monday morning.
Until then, here are some gosh darn links.
You Got The Right Logo, Baby
A little soda brand got themselves a nifty little redesign. Maybe you heard? It’s garnering the usual Twitter design hate, especially from the type nerds bemoaning the Ps, but for the most part, it sits squarely among some of the more successful high-profile redesigns we’ve seen in recent years. It borrows just enough from logos past, so it has a slight retro sheen but feels just modern enough.
I don’t know what we should call that. Retro-ish? Archive raiding? Someone better at tags should get at me.
Fieri Vision
Kudos to Rudy for his new Dielie Road Trip series, where he goes on a REAL Sufjan Stevens-esque state-by-state exploration of beloved regional brands. He starts with a banger in Ohio and sings the praises of folks like Skyline Chili and Mr. Mustard. Anyway, get yourself loaded on some buckeyes and click it up.
Del Monte Deep Cover
Another excellent campaign from Rethink and Heinz about “ketchup fraud,” i.e., restaurants refilling Heinz ketchup bottles with cheaper less-than brands. The print and poster campaign is all over the interwebs and leans heavily on some great photos from Ale Burset.
Ripp Off
I won’t pretend that I understand what Ryder Ripps is ever doing, but he has certainly made himself into the Zelig of the art world. This profile from the New York Times dives into his Kanye era and the trademark lawsuit he’s facing with BAYC.
Font Killer
Dear, Ice T.
We see you. We hear you.
I don’t want to chuck every type designer under the bus here, but he’s not wrong.
Opening Day Hangover
Baseball is deeply weird and wonderful and will break your heart and make you romantic and a lot of other things. The new campaign from Wieden + Kennedy genuinely gets it.
Also, I had no idea they were MLB’s agency of record, so good for them. Of course, while I like the spots they created, they have nothing on this Garret Stubbs-narrated hype reel from the Phillies.
Did I also mention that the Phillies will win the 2023 World Series? I’m putting it on the board, and they’ll be the first MLB team to win 163 games.
