I attended a French and Italian Carshow this weekend. And as I strolled through the Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Maseratis one funny little French car caught my attention. There were probably a dozen examples of the Citroen 2CV at the show and immediately I was struck by the utilitarianism of this car but also how certain models had been dolled up to make the
m look stately — luxurious even.
First produced in 1949 the 2CV is clearly utilitarian in its design: “a low-priced, rugged ‘umbrella on four wheels’ that would enable two peasants to drive 100 kg of farm goods to market at 60 km/h, in clogs and across muddy unpaved roads if necessary.” – Wikipedia
But over time as the popularity grew so did the ability to buy the 2CV in increasingly fancy makeups. The Charlston model (pic above) offered more chrome and two-tone colors burgundy and black to give the car a very stately look. Sort of a Rolls Royce look on a VW budget.
This funny French Car made me think of my industry where promotional product salespeople run around selling companies all manner of trinkets, thingamabobs and doohickeys. Since they are first/foremost salespeople they have very little knack for design. Their instict is to sell!
At PBJ Merch Co. we hate selling stuff and prefer to design and deliver superior products. And through better design, better products are offered. How we brand a product with a company name, where we logo it, how we logo it, the color scheme chosen all influence the design. Here are some examples of our better designs:
If you’d like to learn more contact Jen or Rich at pattersonbrand
s.com