The Branding of Polaroid, 1957 - 1977

I had no idea Polaroid's image could get so hopelessly bad

I've recently forced myself to look into what Polaroid had been doing after I was let go, and it's quite a shock to see just how clever management was and the fun they had playing with package design as if it were a hobby  like finger painting. What better place to find examples of their skills than by surfing eBay for photos of the products they introduced. So, with thanks to the good folks at eBay -- here are just a few of the many, many.

These are from Polaroid UK

 

Love that blue and orange, chaps.  Well done.

Somebody saved some big bucks on this box printing.

 

There was even a Barbie Polaroid camera.

 

And a model for professionals in bright yellow just like carpenter's tools, so it wouldn't get lost on the work site.

This is the box it came in. The sales promotion gremlins have literally written all over the it. There isn't an inch of space that hasn't been contaminated. If you placed it in a dumpster full of trash, you would have a difficult time finding it.  The mind can only boggle. 

Once again, my thanks to eBay for the educational use of these photos.

Then I came upon this in the summer of 2011. The line above is priceless.
Click on images to enlarge them -- but do so at your own risk.

23: Yahoo! picks us today!

You can imagine my surprise when I came in from a sweaty hour of cutting the grass (I can't call it a lawn) on a muggy Cape Cod morning and found that Yahoo! had selected this site as a pick of the day. Thank you, folks at Yahoo! for the kind words. With your permission I'll link to your site and copy the text below since the link will obviously pull up something else later in the day or tomorrow. http://picks.yahoo.com/picks/ Yahoo! Picks July 24, 2004 Branding of Polaroid, 1957-1977 Creating a global brand out of thin air is like trying to harness the power of the tides. The marketplace can come crashing down on you, leaving you high and dry. This fascinating look back at how Polaroid forged its brand from 1957 to 1977 demonstrates the power of design, function, and intelligence. Illustrious designer Paul Giambarba, the man who began Polaroid's corporate image development in 1958, uses a weblog format to post his thoughts on different subjects of Polaroid brand history every day. Start at the beginning to see how a change in typeface made a huge difference, and then trace the history of Giambarba's colorful designs for the camera company. Or you can browse through the categories for a linear jaunt through Giambarba's time at Polaroid. Whatever path you choose, you'll be exposed to an utterly fascinating story. (in Marketing & Advertising)

13: A Break in the Action

Seeing Cybill Shepherd gracing the cover of the current issue of the AARP magazine © 2004 (yes, I'm over 55 and entitled to membership) reminded me that while we were fighting the battle at point-of-purchase with Eastman Kodak they outscored us with their large, life-size die cut standing displays of pretty young women holding Kodak cameras. The most popular by far was a young Cybill Shepherd. The original Kodak Girl easel-back cardboard display is copyright Eastman Kodak, reproduced here courtesy of Nancy and Walker Mangum. http://www.nwmangum.com, collectors of Kodak and other memorabilia.