Although national flags are a bit of a challenge as the basis for innovative designs, the Union Jack lends itself more than most to being creatively ‘hacked’. Marks & Spencer’s Olympic biscuit tin and Chevler’s ‘Britannia collection’ of cup-cake cases both use clever remixes of red, white and blue to capture some properly British design wit.
Sadly the same cannot be said for the ‘Official Product’ line and its packaging. With the notable exception of the highly engaging mascots Wenlock and Mandeville, the rest of the kit of parts being dutifully trotted out from some ‘guideline’ manage to do unexciting and un-coordinated at the same time. Turquoise, pink and white makes a great job of creating a faded Union Jack, and the design system of using big trapezoids of flat colour drowns product visibility and fails to keep up the energy of the branding.