Brand Spirit
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About
Brand Spirit is a single topic blog featuring a collection of 100 well-known consumer products painted entirely white.
Origin
Brand Spirit[1] was created by New York based branding and design strategist Andrew Miller[2] in March 2012. His goal was "to reduce the object to its purest form" by removing all labels and markings from the item. The first post was made on March 13th, showing a Heinz ketchup packet.
Precursor
In the 1980s, several companies began experimenting with a “no brand” marketing strategy[16] by manufacturing their items in a way that resembled the the simplified packaging of generic brands.[17] In Japan, no-brand brands have been popularized by Muji[18], a retail company known for the minimalist designs and lack of name on their products. Since there is no specific “brand,” the company does not spend a lot on advertising, relying on word of mouth for their success.[19]
Spread
Design and internet culture blog PSFK[3] was the first to report on Brand Spirit on March 21st, 2012. The article encouraged users to go through the images and see if they were still able to identify the items. Throughout May, the blog was featured on Gizmodo[4], The Next Web[5], Trendland[6] and design blog Swiss Miss.[7] The coverage continued from April through June, recieving mentions on the Huffington Post[8], Hypebeast[9], art blog Minimalissimo[10], Digital Trends[11], Business Insider[12], AdWeek[13] and FastCo. Design.[14]
Interview
On June 28th, 2012, Brand Spirit was featured on Tumblr’s editorial blog Storyboard[15] along with an interview with the artist, Andrew Miller. He revealed that he started the project while attending the School of Visual Arts in New York after reading about Sao Paulo, Brazil’s ban on outdoor advertising. He also noted that he created these pieces to inspire viewers into asking themselves why we buy the things we do and what it means to live in a consumer-driven world. Since the project ended on June 19th, 2012, Miller has thought about turning the objects into a photography project, placing them in contextual scenes where the items would be found in everyday life.
Notable Examples
Search Interest
External References
[2] Twitter – @AndrewMillerNYC
[3] PSFK – Would You Recognize A Popular Product Without Its Label?
[4] Gizmodo – Can You Recognize These Products Even Without Their Branding?
[5] The Next Web – Follow one designer as he strips branded objects to their most basic form
[6] Trendland – BRAND SPIRIT BY ANDREW MILLER
[7] Swiss Miss – 100 days of White
[8] Huffington Post – Andrew Miller Strips Objects Down To Basics With "Brand Spirit"
[9] Hypebeast – Brand Spirit: Branded Objects Painted White
[10] Minimalissimo – Brand Spirit
[11] Digital Trends – Can you tell what these items are without their brandings?
[12] Business Insider – QUIZ: Can You Identify Famous Products When They're Stripped Of Their Branding?
[13] AdWeek – Do You Know These Products Even Without Their Visual Branding?
[14] FastCo. Design – When Your Favorite Products Are Painted White, They’re Charming
[15] Tumblr Storyboard – Whiting Out Your Favorite Brands
[16] Wikipedia – "No Brand" Branding
[17] WIkipedia – Generic Brand
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