Corporate identity and product image design by Paul Giambarba, bizimage, Polaroid Corporation, Polaroid film, Eastman Kodak yellow packaging, package design

Paul Giambarba | What was happening in the consumer market circa 1957


Just in case you think the 1950s were a time of great enlightenment in art and design, you're right, they were. In Europe, perhaps, but not here. This is what the National Geographic looked like, a cover that was in the style of conservative publication design in the years preceding World War One.		Eastman Kodak yellow saturated the photographic marketplace. It was stodgy and straightforward, and the little yellow packages dominated point of sale everywhere. Their product design, see movie camera ad, left, was uninspired as well. Note Pan Am plane tail marking as PAA. It was quite a while ago.

Polaroid packages looked like this in 1957: the white crossed filters trademark against a medium gray backround, red patch and black type. Polaroid reversed against the red in a mangled version of Memphis type.The true Memphis lower case a has an upper serif to distinguish it from the o; but close inspection will reveal that the upper serif has been removed from the Polaroid a. Thus, the brand name could well be read Poloroid at a quick glance. In 1957 Polaroid was not at all well known, the name mispronounced by many as Poylarode. This was counterproductive, certainly no way for a newcomer to gain brand and product recognition.

Designer: unknown

Scuttlebutt around the office was that someone had gone to a New York art studio and paid big bucks for this treatment. The colors are definitely those of M.I.T., where Dr. Land and many of the Polaroid techies had matriculated.

Available for interesting marketplace challenges.

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