| Theme
The study aims to investigate and interrogate how and why packaging
incorporates portraits of people/celebrities ( illustrative and photographic)
in the identity and promotion of the product and how the face and name
of an individual can become an established and enduring symbol of a
product or company and an icon within consumerism and popular culture.
Whilst it is established that much theoretical consideration has been
given to the role of the celebrity in advertising and film ( Klein,
Dyer, Williamson..) research into, and the interrogation of, the role
of the celebrity and the non celebrity in packaging remains a relatively
untouched sphere of contemporary visual culture study although the symbiotic
relationship of the disciplines is acknowledged. Indeed our culture
enjoys a plethora of familiar, popular real and unreal people on packaging
yet little is documented or discussed in relation to their existence
in terms of their histories, rationale for incorporation and the extent
of their cultural and commercial viability.
The study aims to draw upon studies and activities in relation to the
latter whilst embracing and exploring key theoretical texts relating
to semiotics, cultural studies, media studies and design history ( e.g.
Ewen, Katz, Wernick) and the investigation of the creative practice
of designers.
The study aims to question how and why such images are used, how they
can become historically entrenched as an enduring face of a product
or indeed a fleeting face that reflects popular trends and limited fame
timescales – thus linking the ephemeral nature of packaging to
the ephemeral nature of celebrities .
The role of packaging in the marketing mix is to be explored .
Consideration of the extent to which such examples are culture and time
specific or are able to transcend and cross cultural boundaries of language
and identity recognition/understanding is to be pursued.
Kirsten Hardie [email protected]
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