A United Kingdom | Part II
Rebranding 'Britishness' and its contemporary identity through ordinary food packaging.
Brief
Rebrand 'Britishness' so it accurately represents contemporary 'British' Identity to promote and represent all people and culture in the United Kingdom.
The British brand has long been outdated, it uses superficial symbols and icons that arguably do not represent what it means to be British in our modern day. Contemporary Britain is not accurately represented – Ask anyone around the world and common themes like tea and the monarchy are the first things that are recognised. If it’s not these stereotypical icons, Britishness is represented in a very nostalgic way. This particular nostalgic strategy of British Branding idolises the past and suffers from selective amnesia.
‘Britishness’ needed an urgent rebrand that holistically represents the peoples that inhabit it.
Solution
The new rebrand was communicated through packaging design of ordinary ‘British’ food and drink. ‘Unitea’ and ‘Friendchips’ are brands of famous British staple foods that have been re-invented. The packaging designs aims to encourage conversations and educate consumers of all the cultures that make up 'Britishness'.
The food packaging includes hand drawn illustrations of multi-cultural shops usually featured on British high streets. Another rendition includes illustrations of multicultural landmarks in the United Kingdom. This paired with the inclusion of pidgin and creole languages (click here for 'A United Kingdom part 1) showcases how rich British culture is. The expressive and diverse range of typefaces in each letterform of both brands further reflects this diversity. ’Unitea’ and ‘Friendchips’ are the beginning of a conversation into transforming the British brand to what it could be.
Rebranding 'British' food and drink.
Food is a great insight into a culture of a community. Instead of thinking of a new flag, new brand colour palettes, and logos - This rebrand used ordinary British staple foods as a medium. A brand, especially of a nation, should not just be a surface-level banner but permeate through ordinary everyday things. This method allows the new brand to become integrated into British life and culture.
During research I discovered that British food and drink packaging circulated stereotypical or superficial 'British' symbols. This project suggests an alternative that highlights Britain’s multicultural past and present.
Painting a new picture
Using the iconic “Yorkshire Tea” packaging as a foundation, this packaging features a ‘rolling high-street” instead of rolling countryside hills. The ‘high-streets’ feature bright illustrations incorporating multicultural shop fronts that represent minority cultures. High-streets communicate a lot about the demographic of a society. A lot of the high-streets in England, especially in London, are extremely diverse, full of businesses owned by different people around the world. A flourishing high-street marks a blooming community that generates a lot of pride and a sense of identity.
A Colonial past that needs to be remembered.
A lot of British history is not remembered. Colonialism has greatly affected the environment today. The origins of pidgins and creoles dates back to the slaves and overseas trading in the 1400s. Natives and the British had to understand one another; thus, Pidgin languages were created to communicate. Highlighting Pidgin languages, in both the 'Unitea' and 'Friendchips' branding introduce a more complex history of Britain that is usually forgotten or purposely left out.
Educating the public to not just know, but understand.
They aim to start a conversation and encourage people to understand cultures other than their own.