Selfridges hit the headlines last month with its ‘No Noise’ packs, which removed wording and logos from familiar and iconic products (see page 3). But can such a strategy be transferred to any pack
Bic Bicknell
Co-founder, Echo
Stripping iconic brands of their non-essential elements while retaining the core assets is an interesting design exercise. Apply this to non-iconic brands and it only makes them less memorable; an un-branded product in the truest sense. But brands’ unique attributes that trigger consumer recognition are rarely limited to the graphic identity. Take TCP: strip away the bottle and graphics and the brand would have recall on smell alone. Rice Krispies could do the same with sound. It’s a combination of sensorial experiences that create brands, not one visual element.
Robert Herridge
Joint managing director, Packology
To consider the possibility of debranding an icon, we must firstly consider what an icon is. It is something that has become instantly recognisable for what it is and represents itself. If we also consider that branding exists to add conscious recognition of the product, through words, function, shape, colour or form, then clearly the two are intrinsically linked. So a non-iconic brand is only recognisable through the branding; without it, it is an anonymous product – one that, consequently, cannot survive without its branding.
Sharon Tomlinson
Technical manager, Cartonage
It will take more than removing the words to de-brand some of the classics.The shape, colour and picture will say more than the words ever could. How many people can draw the logo, even if they can’t spell the words? The shapes will be relevant to all nationalities and people with any level of spelling ability, regardless of nationality or education. As Telly Savalas and others have said, a picture paints a thousand words.
Stuart Chapman Research manager, The Big Picture
The Selfridges ‘No Noise’ products are anything but ‘debranded’. Branding is more than a logo, and on all of the ‘No Noise’ products other equities like colours, graphic devices and pack structures are intact. Indeed, that’s why it’s possible to recognise them. It’s an interesting acid test for brands, though. Would consumers still recognise your brand without its logo? Non-iconic brands might struggle. To pass, they must follow Heinz – build multiple layers of brand equity over time, then protect and polish them to stay fresh.
