While I might not be the most fervent beer lover, I’ve developed a genuine appreciation for the artistry behind label designs. One particular label that has captured my attention is the work of cartoonist Marc Bell, who lent his creative talents to craft a label for Ontario’s Wellington Brewery.
Bell’s label design is not only visually engaging but also intriguing on a linguistic level. He incorporated a clever pangram into the label, using the sentence, “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.” This sentence, recognized by English printers, is renowned for containing every single English letter within a single phrase. It’s a delightful touch that adds an extra layer of interest to the label.
It becomes evident that there’s a vast opportunity for artists and cartoonists to contribute to the world of drink and food labels. These artists have a unique capacity to infuse personality, wit, and creativity into packaging, making it not just a vessel for consumables but a canvas for storytelling and expression. The marriage of visual art and consumer products can be a source of delight, and I believe that more collaborations like this could elevate the entire experience of enjoying various beverages and foods.
Due to the ubiquitous popularity of the phrase, numerous passing references to the phrase have occurred in movies, television, books, advertising, websites, and graphic arts. One notable example is the lipogrammatic novel Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn, a story about a fictional island in which the phrase is cast on a memorial held in great respect. As letters fall off, the government bans the use of those letters. The novel’s text becomes increasingly more and more restricted as letters continuously fall off throughout the story.