Wednesday, May 13, 2009

the oddity of missing

i do not smoke and rarely drink but i like the vessels and cultures surrounding those items. but when i go to pick some up i not only feel it an adventure, i am also dissapointed to find that the ones i like, of all that are and remain unchanged, are no longer made or have changed drastically. example. i love the chesterfield cigarette pack but it has changed from the nice script style of yesteryear. you can still find a package similar to the old style in the filterless variety.kools are no longer in the cool package of white with green. now it is mostly green with flash and fade. the cigarettes, at least, still have the iconic kool logo near the filter.michelob lager(bottle) started as a really nice teardrop design during a time(60's) when design was still good (in my opinion). the bottle has changed some over the years but it has fallen to the quick and recognizable forms that the standard beer drinker cares about (which is little - they just want drinky). that is not to say that some do not appreciate aesthetics, association, etc. but for the most part that is not what i observe these days.coors (can) again (1960's) had the cool 3-4 tan and 1/4 silver design. but that has been gone for some time. however, recently the tan can came back but without the silver constrast.since i do not care about the product inside i notice more the design of the packaging and vessel. not to mention that first-off aesthetic and rhythm catch my attention intensley. i love liquor and smoke shops because of the colours and textures and context and arrangement of shape and tone. all the transclucent and opaqueries as well as the reflective glass of case and bottle and see thru lights. the smell and sounds are another element altogether that overwhelms. the same goes for adult-oriented merchandise entertainment businesses and on a similar note - grocery stores.but dang if the smoke and drink industries are clod-knobs at utilizing design. i do have to thank the vice industries for maintaining tangible forms: drink industry still uses glass prevelantly (though plastic is used as well), smoke is elaborate in it's packaging(though they have to be to protect the freshness of the smokes). the adult industry does crank out lots of old tangible and familiar forms of product but they are a fickle sort and because their relative product can transcend physical limitations (like how beer has to be packaged - it cannot exist as electronic downloadable files or games) they are more likely to forego the tangible paper magazine or classic-made metal products (well except for those that require metal in their production). i am being vague because of where i am typing this from but i know your imagination can devise more specific examples.so i don't know. i wanted to find a cool bottle or can. the coors can was ok, but i love bottles. i love metalic gold labels or things gaudy kitschy like that.

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