Juli Gudehus: Mindestens Haltbar bis 31.12.99
(Area book, pg. 131)
Mindestens Haltbar bis 31.12.99 is translated as "Best Before 12/31/99." It is a calendar designed by Juli Gudehus in which she uses nothing but photographs of expiration dates from food products to represent the date for each day. The printing techniques of the expiration dates range from embossed, debossed, stamped, letterpressed, flexi-printed, and ink-jetted. The viewer is able to see a wide variety of colors, textures, and typography that are combined differently within each card. This reminds me of the typeface journals that we made in 200 level typography.
Gudehus photographs seem quickly and randomly taken, however, she takes great consideration in making sure that the expiration date is the main focus while still giving the viewer enough information to guess what the food product is.
The presentation of the calendar adds another level to the design. Each date is printed on its own card, and all the cards are combined into a deck of cards which are then placed onto a green styrofoam food tray and then shrinkwrapped. Not only is this calendar fun to look at, it is fun to hold in your hands and flip through the deck of cards. It is kind of like a guessing game for the viewer. This interaction is what sets this calendar apart from ordinary calendars. It serves as more than a calendar, so after the year is over, you will most likely not throw it away.
posted by ashleep at 7:00 PM
2 Comments:
A ingenious concept, that being a different product goes bad on every calendar sheet on everyday. She leaves just enough of the product cropped to suggest its contents and to put more emphasis on the expiration date. In society full of consumption she finds the inspiration to use the products to tell a narrative through their dates of expiration. It is a method of layering information to reflect on our culture of consumption that she is mediating with the products packaging being exposed to the viewer.
There's another work that I find interesting in that same section by Juli Gudehus's : Genesis the telling of creation with cooperate logos, directional icons, and pictograms. I start to consider that people in our culture can identify with iconography because of the symbolism that is attached to them. Probably globally because of the connotations placed on these logos.
WOW, this is indeed a very interesting design piece, that is something that would not have thought of myself. it is such a creative idea, yet, if you think about it, it comes down to a simple process ultimately. there is also the connotation that each day itself expires like the dates on the packaging that is photographed for that day. and not only is each day treated uniquely, in terms of photograhy, but to have all the days able to be punched out and be put into a tin can, that is something that ensures the longevity of the interaction. it now becomes a salvagable artifact to preserve for years to come!
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