Tuesday, July 21, 2009

white done right and wrong


blah!

huh?

wtf?

beautiful!

yes!
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I was just reading an article on Brand New called the great white discount. with the economy the way it is, it makes sense to see a spike in private label sales. What i don't understand is why there is a need for private label to look and scream cheap. There's a lot of white washing going on, between wal mart's great value packaging, and now this french brand Carrefour with the 'discount' handwritten bit, to further cheapen and talk down to consumers. "Look it's as if you wrote it yourself!"

Just because it's private label, doesn't mean it should look like shit. It doesn't mean you should put in less effort and thought, just because that's what people expect from the "generic" store brand.

Take Turner Duckworth's treatment of the many skus in Waitrose. It has personality and nowhere does it boast being cheaper or greater bang for your buck. This mentality needs to change and we need to look to what the UK is doing in their supermarkets. Even more: Selfridges, Tesco, Marks & Spencer...

How about making people FORGET that it's a store brand? With the less is more approach, there certainly is a proper way to execute. we are trying to fight the good fight of shitty private label in the US with A&P's private label lines GreenWay, Hartford Reserve and Via Roma. We want to redefine, revolutionize and remove the stigma of store brands.

It's time for consumers to get used to a new aesthetic in this country of poofy type, make the logo bigger cream and now bland white washing. Quit raping my eyes with your packaging America!

Monday, July 6, 2009

u* loves it


yes we love typography back...

this was a cool find: props for the via roma cannoli kit! it's always good when the product is delicious. beautiful inside n out!

Friday, June 26, 2009

tribute



june 25 was a gloomy day of shocking and sad news, as we lost two incredible icons, michael jackson and farrah fawcett. they live on forever in our hearts and memories. our deepest sympathies goes out to all their loved ones. we will pay tribute by dancing to thriller with our feathered farrah hair.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

the oscars of the supermarket world


A & P, The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, was selected as Private Labels overall 2009 Store Brand Retailer of the Year! Check it out here. Another successful collab with united*!

Monday, June 15, 2009

twitterstop


our twitter page background was chosen on twitterstop's fave five for #BackgroundFriday! always nice to know our design efforts are appreciated, thanks twitterstop!

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

behind the scenes

the via roma line for a&p was shot on location in a village in tuscany last summer where the united* guys found some really great characters. here are some of the outtakes:


andy is very fond of this particular haystack...

working with photographer william huebuerger

lawrence attempts to get the spaghetti recipe

the final shot, she gave in.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

twitta!


united's officially on twitter. Follow us for updates and treasure hunts. and just in case u need to read up on great twittering douchebaggery, there's a site for that on tweetingtoohard! we'll try to keep ours a minimum.