HRH George Alexander Louis is already having an affect on the British economy. His birth is expected to bring in millions of dollars/euros/pounds for commemoratives. According to the
Washington Post, it was the Duke and Duchess themselves who put no restrictions on royal baby memorabilia:
“The birth of the Duke and Duchess’s baby should be a joyous occasion, and we recognize there is a long and happy history of people producing souvenirs to mark royal occasions,” the spokesperson said.
Free to produce and no royalties (so to speak). Unfortunately, leaving merchandisers to their own devices has not exactly proved tasteful, and not surprisingly, it was an American company that perhaps went a little too far, too soon.
The Bradford Exchange introduced limited editions of “The Royal Collection Celebrate the Royal Prince,” a “handcrafted figurine collection captures Duchess Catherine and her royal baby in lifelike detail. Hand-painted by master artisans.”
The online retailer also has figurines of the Duchess in her wedding dress and engagement wardrobe, which must have done extremely well to quickly turnaround the figure of Kate with Prince George in just a matter of days. I imagine an artist sketched out the statue in a matter of hours, perhaps several designers tackled the royal colors/hues then an entire production team created the final Duchess of Cambridge holding Prince George within 48 hours or less.
What other Prince George packaging design items can you expect? Below are a few examples that illustrators, graphic designers and entire creative teams developed to celebrate the occasion.
Bloomsbury Publishing’s Shh! Don’t Wake the Royal Baby (image above). Hmmm…the book cover design doesn’t look much like the Duchess. If you plan to visit the page, make sure you download a commemorative royal birth certificate, blank for now, but easily filled in.
Harrod’s offers a baby hamper as part of its Regal Collection. The Royal Mint has already sold 80 percent of its Official Commemorative Coin of the
Royal Birth with St. George and the Dragon. The marketing of the coin is fit for an heir:
The birth of the first child of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge has been celebrated around the world. And it is important that we mark such momentous news for the nation in suitable style. St George and the dragon was created by one of our most famous engravers, Benedetto Pistrucci, almost 200 years ago. For the first time since the coronation of Edward VII, it has been struck in silver – a majestic tribute to the future monarch and an exceptional coin indeed.”
Suddenly the baby hamper doesn’t seem adequate. The Royal Collection Trust has just unveiled the official commemorative china and some official
souvenirs. The pill box will have Prince and George painted on the sides. And, Royal Crown Derby continues its tradition of Royal Cats. This family of cats is modeled after the Duke, Duchess and Prince George wrapped in his christening gown.
The best part of the royal birth is being inspired by what designers have created. More to come, no doubt.
Resources:
Introduction to Package DesignIn this hands-on workshop, you’ll go through the steps used by major marketing companies in project creation to redesign packaging for an existing product. At the end of the four weeks, you’ll have a full case study to include in your portfolio. Four week course: $199 – Register now.
#packagingdesign