Celebrations, assorted

Despite my promises, a normal service will not be operating today either, because it’s all be a bit exciting down here in the sticks.  Yesterday we had both the Olympic torch and Jubilee picnic, which is all a bit much for one day.  By way of commemoration, have a an appropriately festive poster.

It is compulsory, whenever this poster is displayed, to say that it was the first ever advertising poster not to include the name of the product, because the Guinness animals were so well-recognised (although we did once manage to buy one on eBay which had been misdescribed as a circus poster, so that isn’t always true).

But the British Posters book, as well as pointing this out, is also quite interesting on the context in which it was displayed (I am going to gripe a little bit about the book when I finally get round to reviewing it, but one thing it is very good on is the history of poster display, a subject which I’ve never thought about properly before but now possess useful facts about.)

Hugh Casson, who designed the street decorations (his designs for Shaftesbury Avenue above), took the need for advertising hoardings into account as part of this.  So he asked firms to produce relevant and tasteful posters for display along the route, and the Guinness poster was one of those.  Here it is by Trafalgar Square as the procession passes by.

Which makes it seem less of a remarkable marketing coup, and more part of a grand plan of deference.  I wonder what the other posters were like?  I can’t seem to find pictures of any of them.

But the whole shebang is also an excuse for me to post this, which is a label for a Jubilee cider produced just down the road from here.  And it’s of interest to us because it’s been inspired by the designs of Tom Eckersley, specifically his Gillette dogs and Victoria line crowns.  There isn’t enough of that kind of inspiration going on if you ask me.

It’s also very appropriate for yet another celebration.  Mr Crownfolio and I bought a pub yesterday.  Well an ex-pub, but it was one for a few hundred years.  So I suspect there’s quite a bit of cider been spilt on those floors before now.  Cheers.