packaging as content

September 24, 2010

Package as Pixel: 8-bit Soda Displays

Following the thread of yesterday’s post about packaging as part of a larger display, led me to some widely circulated photos of a supermarket display in which the video game character known as Mario, was made by stacking cases containing different brands of soda.

Chris Jordan’s 2007 “Can Seurat” eloquently demonstrated that packages can be used to create pointillistic images. Still, the idea that such large packages can be reduced to such a small supporting role—that of a single pixel of color—is sort of surprising.

The video game reference is apropos, perhaps, since it’s our familiarity with low-resolution, 8-bit graphics that have prepared us to easily interpret these crude mosaics.

Is there also some subliminal association between pixels and tiny carbonated bubbles—8-bit carbonation? (The connection between soda pop and 8-bit video games has been more fully explored by Justin Kirkwood at Not a Real Thing.)

Unlike the packages we looked at yesterday, these displays were not anticipated by the package designers. These seem to be more of a grassroots merchandising effort on the part of local grocery stores and their employees—(although the Marios in the video and in the photo above appear to be two different versions, but following the same basic pixel map…) The subjects covered by these types of displays, however, go beyond video games, running the gamut of sporting events and holidays.

(Many more photos, after the fold…)