even though customers are forever getting more shrewd and informed, especially since it only takes a moment to look up reviews of a product online, we can&rsquot help but be seduced by beautiful packaging. israelbased designer peddy mergui, in his exhibit wheat is wheat is wheat explores that &lsquodecisive moment,&rsquo right before you realize how humorous it is&mdashand perhaps, revealing&mdashthat we don&rsquot jump at the juxtaposition of international luxury brands with ordinary staple foods.mergui says the project was inspired by a threeyear inquiry into the ethics of marketing. &ldquoin my line of work, i was always asking, &lsquowhat is the ethical boundary for designers&rsquo ability to influence consumption are we using our &lsquotools&rsquo wisely&rdquo he told npr&rsquos column the salt.some of the juxtapositions are downright funny, like ramen noodles by burberry where the phrase &ldquoartificially flavored&rdquo still stands out or the psuedoburlap sack of rice by hsbc, which looks like it&rsquos part of some philanthropy campaign. but the ones that are the most believable might also be the most seductive, like the louis vuitton salami, which features a fittingly pink floral print on the wrapper along with the brand&rsquos signature damier canvas pattern.as npr pointed out, it&rsquos also not difficult to immediately start thinking of each brand&rsquos call to action. &ldquojust do it&rdquo becomes &ldquojust eat it&rdquo when it encloses fresh fruits. perhaps you would savor the tiffany yogurt more delicately. same with the bulgari butter.but the wrappers around the nike fruit beg the question &ndash will noticeable packaging always be the trend already, plastic water bottles have become politically incorrect, and minimalist and edible inventions like the ooho might make them obsolete.and stores like original unverpackt hope to make packagingfree shopping into more of a mainstream activity&mdashbut of course, brands even the unusual ones in this exhibit could easily get involved, as they already have selling reusable canvas bags that serve as grocery bags.&ldquoin my opinion, brands like original unverpackt, who are against packaging, are also brands by every definition,&rdquo said mergui in an email. they represent branding and message as much as all known brands, the difference is their brand values of protecting our world from unnecessary waste. so like in any case, if we identify with their brand values, they will appeal to us and we will purchase them.&rdquo in the meantime, innovation like this will soldier on.
