No Name / Sans Nom products
Loblaw’s “generic” No Name® brand, was launched in 1978, but not officially registered as a Canadian trademark until 1985. One of the most well-known generic brands, its distinctive yellow and black packaging was originally designed by Don Watts.
In keeping with the generic nature of the product line, the original No Name packaging showed no branding — only text with a basic product description and name, such as “freshly ground coffee” or “fabric softener,” on a solid background. Years later, a “No Name” registered trademark appeared. While other generic lines presented their packaging as black on white, Toronto designer Don Watt chose black, boldface text in a Helvetica font, all lower case, on a bright yellow background, as a means of attracting the attention of shoppers.
More in Joe Clark’s “generic” set and photos from a 2010 Don Watt exhibit.
See also Sainsbury’s.
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Old and new packaging from the No Name® product line.
2 Comments on “No Name / Sans Nom products”
Wow! Did know that they simply used Helvetica. You can count on no name to keep it simple.
That yellow though …