A few weeks ago Chris and I were down in London for a long weekend. We used Hampton Wick as our base and travelled into the City to watch two raved about London Shows: A Choir of Men and The Wizard of Oz – both excellent in their own ways. We also had a walk around Battersea Power Station, caught a river taxi back to Putney, had a Vietnamese meal in Kingston.
Sunday Morning in Borough Market
But it was Borough Market on Sunday morning that caught my eye. A cacophony of colour, bustle, fooderies, people queuing, chatting… my iPhone camera was out and working overtime to capture the sights and moments on that glorious sunny Sunday morning in one of London’s oldest markets. I walked past ‘The Tinned Fish Market’ with the amazing beautiful and eclectic mix of sardine cans stacked neatly on the table (see above). I stopped. Contemplated the vibrancy of colour, the amazing array of different sardine cans, the varying typefaces – all too good to be true! I walked back and took a quick snap.
Here’s their story…
“SUSTAINABLY SOURCED TINNED FISH, TRADITIONALLY PRESERVED” In summer 2018, Patrick Martinez headed to Portugal, on the lookout for canneries – ones with sustainability, quality and style at their hearts. He met with some of the people at the famed conserveries outside Porto and together they chose the tins that best met what he was looking for – bright sardines sourced from morning markets and tinned the same day; pole-and-line caught tuna, marinated in the best olive oils and sauces; fish tinned used traditional, hands-on techniques. After that it was back to the UK to start The Tinned Fish Market. Three years later, and his business is working with canneries across Portugal, Spain and France, stocking around 150 different tins.
And my take…
Now that’s what I love about being a designer and a self-proclaimed – Brandologist. Seeing and appreciating design. However big, small or on/in whatever media form… to capture it, let it seep into the sub conscious and then use that ‘image experience’ to drive energy, enthusiasm and creativity into the projects that we work on with our clients. As we head into the festive season, here’s a question to you…
“How do you pack your sardines?”
Charles Bukowski puts the ‘big reveal experience’ of unboxing into beautiful context:
“Bullfighting can be an art, Boxing can be an art, Loving can be an art, opening a Can of Sardines can be an art.”
So what are you waiting for…fill your boots with beautifully designed sardine tins from ‘The Tinned Fish Market’ or another reputable supplier and put one (tin), in each of your loved ones Christmas stockings… Alternatively, ‘drop me a line’ and let’s talk about how we can produce an amazing reveal for your product.