Dipper

Kitschy Indian art has always been a likely winner at international ad festivals. Here we see a classic formula. Sex + Ethnic art = Silver

Just hoping a few truckers out there are actually using this, because the problem is real and the packs out there, far too few. Tata Motors really should make this a nation-wide campaign (if it isn’t already) so that every highway-blaring driver out there gets these colourful, uber distracting condoms to rip and place atop a creaky cot under the stars.

Via – CC, of The Sole Sisters & here.

p.s –

Dipper refers to lorry headlights, not the organ.

Bira91

Found a tossed Bira cap in the garden, picked it up and pinned it up on someone’s softboard. Only because of the funky monkey on it.

The rest of this new desi craft beer bottle and the colours on it are just as funky monkey. There’s White where the Bira monkey just stares straight ahead, and there’s Blonde where the Bira monkey holds out a peace sign in Freddie Mercury style.

The best part about the packaging is that they have a Growler. That’s a traditional jar used to carry beer from the brewery to your home. Keeps it fresh and bubbly.

I found Bira at Thoms. And you can read more about Bira here.

All Things Chocolate & Péro

Péro, an ethereally lovely handcrafted clothing line and All Things Chocolate, a scrumptiously unique brand of artisan chocolate, come together in these preciously chequered gingham boxes. As collectible as they come, these boxes are. Mostly used to store stash, safety pins and paper clips. Yes, I asked around.

Find All Things here, and Péro here.

Origin One

If you blindly love stationery, place an order for Origin One’s surprise box of goodies that’s hand picked from their own collection of design-drooled ware.

Apart from the packaging that comes tied in shoe-lace inspired string and a box that’s covered with enough to keep you from opening it, what I like is the thought. A surprise box you pay for. Fair. Fun.

Order yours here.

Images: Origin One’s insta feed.

Good Juicery

Pop colour cans for a new sparkly drink. Set off by vintage illustrations with fruit slice wheels and a font that’s neat and clear so you don’t have to spend more than a minute standing in the aisle clutching a can and squinting. Cool in size, comfy in hold. And from what I hear, good in more ways than one – with halo over can and all.

Available at stores across Pune and at Filter in Bombay.

Read more about Good Juicery here and like them here.

Collector: Matt Lee

Matt Lee is an artist and teacher from the UK, currently in Bangalore. He collects matchboxes across India and has 600 of them now. Featured here are some of the quirky and unseen ones. I recognised a few.

Indian matchboxes are tiny and contain just enough matchsticks to last you for a day. The result is that you’ll see these lying around a lot. I also like that so much colour and fun goes into something with a short life.

Though the ones here have been immortalised.

Via: Pii friend and writer, Amulya Shruthi. Click here to know more about Matt Lee.

Petu Ram.

The pack is the size of your forefinger. The detailing includes a Sumo wrestler called Petu Ram who loves to eat but survives because he regularly ingests the digestives enclosed in this bright pack with Poppins-inspired colours.

Image courtesy: Dipti Subramani, Pii-friend in Bombay.

Tara’s Matchbook.

It’s a book of 500 kitschy Indian matchbox covers in a book that’s designed to look like a matchbox, complete with slip case and striking edge, in case you feel like setting the whole book on fire. The printing quality is not too great (pixelated), but the finds are lovely, and it makes a great smoking-table book.

Via, Pii friend, Amulya Shruthi. Meet her here and here.

Buy the book and meet Tara here.

Retro Maal: ‘Jeans’ movie’s cassette cover.

In 1998, the Tamil romantic hit was Jeans. It had ARR’s soul-stirring music and Aishwariya Rai at her peachy, youthful best. It also had a super cool packaging for it’s cassette. Jeans pockets, I say!

Here’s a part of the email from Praveen (co-founder of Wooplr and Pii friend) who submitted it:

“It was the summer of ’98 and I even remember what was playing that night the shot was taken. It was from this dud of a movie called Jeans, but then the songs were melodious and the video was spectacular – especially the one that covers the then ‘7 Wonders of the World’. But what really stood out was the packaging of the audio cassettes & CDs. As this was before the internet age dawned in India, there were quite a few unconventional anti-piracy measures undertaken by the producers for the audio release. One of them was to package them in Denim Pockets – now, how cool was that.”

 

Varnam.

When what you pack inside is colour-blocked Channapatna toys, then what you pack it with should look just as traditional, contemporary and young as what’s within. N’est pas?

Order one here to receive this lovely box with lovelier things inside.

Picture courtesy: The Varnam FB page.

The bottle bag.

Cool way to hop onto bus or bullock cart without dying of thirst 5 minutes later.

Deets: Handmade by rural folkswomen for brand Jugaad. Picture and online retail therapy from spanking new iTokri here.

Reborn CD cases.

If you’re an old, ignored CD case in Vinod Lal Heera Eshwer‘s home, you’re in luck.

He came up with this  really simple way to put up his paintings in old CD cases – “Drill a small hole on one side of a cd case. Insert painting. Hang on nail.”

Pii Tip – You could put in anything! Memorable movie tickets, notes on napkins or photographs.