Flake Introduction: 01.03.05

In Brazil they say, ‘one is not a man till he has had children, planted a tree and written a book’.
Two out of three is not bad, so here goes…

Have you ever wondered why we still buy washing powder, let alone still manufacture what is by its very nature just powdered soap in a rather large box? What a mad question. Most sane people would never think of such things and quite right too. Unfortunately the wires in my brain are connected slightly differently so I question the mundane all the time. Why do we still succumb to the perpetuated stereotypical dreams of cleanliness and what is our preoccupation with dirt anyway? In the 21st century when, we now have the technology to wash our clothes without detergent or powdered soap, why does this dinosaur of products still exist and look the way it does? Clearly there are many reasons for its continued existence. Washing powder is easy to make, has a high profit margin and the simplistic design language still works. You will find that the most wonderful and brightest displays in the supermarket today are surely the washing powder boxes.

My journey of visual investigation started in the early 1970’s. My parents travelled a lot and my father worked in many
far-flung places, from the deserts of the Middle East, to the jungles of Africa. Needless to say my childhood was fascinating.
I experienced many cultures and my senses were constantly bombarded with visual overload. Not having regular access to a TV in my early years was, in hindsight a godsend. I turned my mind to assembling, dissecting and reassembling just about everything I could get my hands on. I must have had hundreds of collections of ephemera and products like Tennant’s beer cans, ammunition, postcards, foreign currencies, Airfix soldiers and just about anything that wasn’t nailed down! I’m sure my father often wondered what happened to the replacement emergency stickers for the helicopters he was overhauling (I still have them). I was never bored and constantly looked forward to my next investigation. My first major publication was my school summer project for History in 1975, for which I produced a quite acceptable bound document on the history of man following Darwinist principles (Yes Mum that’s where your Sunday times Magazines went). I got a gold star from my history teacher and have been obsessed with history ever since.

Do you ever wonder about the integrity of what you read? Is it fact or fiction? What is fact? In relation to washing powder we need to identify the product and brand origins. Where did it all start? To do this one must try to discover insights through information from the time that will help substantiate the origins and originators. Who were the entrepreneurs and designers? What influenced their products and communication?

It has been noted that Donald Desky, an Art Deco Architect and furniture designer, was responsible for the first Modernist washing powder box design, TIDE in 1946. It is clear from my research that similar designs already existed in the Modernist Europe of the 1920’s. The world of the early 20th century was a very different place from today. As global trade expanded, many brands started to be exported to new markets. By what criteria were these brands chosen for export and what type of brand communication was available for promotion? It is clear from studying early 20th century Swiss, German and Austrian print and packaging that the origins of the bold modernist language we see today on washing powder boxes originates from these markets.  Many companies, who used it to express their emerging brand values, embraced the modernist aesthetic. This was incorporated by Henkel’s washing powder brand PERSIL (1906) and may have been partly appropriated for use in the expression of Hitler’s dictatorship. Early PERSIL modernist advertising and packaging was in existence in America prior to the TIDE target design. The omara archive contains actual design composites for early 1920’s PERSIL adverts by Walter Brooke, a great visionary, creating copy lines and advertising applied on, and inside, tram cars in America. The early PERSIL washing powder boxes sold in England (Joseph Crosfield started producing PERSIL in England under licence from Henkel in 1909) and America were blue with a distinctive red dot on the front, not unlike a bull’s eye or target. Procter and Gamble launched the washing powder brand OXYDOL in 1927, its design comprised of an off centred target made with blue and orange circles. Both brands simplistic bold design predates the Tide target.

Strangely PEARS soap used puzzles in the late 19th century to advertise their soap bars. The puzzles echo the Modernist design aesthetic and in a way even though it was not their purpose, they are some of the first soap related graphics that can be shown to resemble the Modernist graphic vernacular that is still prevalent today.

I have always wondered about the origins and influences for the shapes used on Modernist looking boxes. Targets, explosions, starbursts, dots and cubes. They all remind me of World War One plane insignia. Many of the designers and artists who were responsible for the creation of these new brand expressions would have served and experienced World War One and this may have been one of the many contributing factors in their creative processes. It’s not a far stretch of the imagination to suppose the use and purpose of these military symbols is not much more than to create impact and differentiation on soap product boxes. A spinning propeller (for example the BMW car logo) and a washing machine drum could be visualised in a similar way. The first British patent issued for a washer / wringer was in 1691 and the first electric washing machine was mass-produced in 1906.

The emergence of a brave new world and the advance of thinking, politics and technology clearly influenced many of the designs of the time. At the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th, the world was in upheaval, which gave birth to many new design movements such as Russian Constructivism, Dada, Futurism, Bauhaus and De Stijl. At this time there was a backlash against the designs of the craft movements and the language of Art Nouveau as the boldness of the industrial age went into full swing.

Unfortunately, as with most history, we find history needs to be updated as time moves forward. History is written by the victor, my history teacher once told me. Well a lot of the history I was taught in school is different today. We now know Marco Polo didn’t take all the journeys he said he did. Admiral Zheng, a Chinese Muslim sailed the same seas and twice as far, 90 years prior to Columbus. The Vikings discovered America or maybe it was the Irish Saint Brendan? Europeans were trading and living in China in 4000 BC and so it goes on. To that end I have always loved history, with its half-truths and subterfuge. As a designer I am fascinated with the history of visual representation and communication. Commercial washing soap and then powder is just one product from many thousands of products that sprung up in force after the industrial revolution. It is clear from investigating this  product that literally thousands of soap products and brands existed in many forms from the late 1700’s through to the early 20th century. Before the industrial revolution most households manufactured their own cleaning products if they could, using several different production methods. The need for the product, enterprise and business spirit was as true then as it is today.

Today we can see that some soap manufacturers were successful, some went bankrupt through bad debt and some became super entrepreneurs swallowing up smaller brands and erasing others completely. There are several companies today that control most of the worlds detergent market. To read their histories one might not realise that there were a multitude of brands that competed in the same market, using similar slogans and imagery. This document is the second step on a journey to discover the origins of the product, the development of the product by industrialists, chemists, entrepreneurs and everyday retailers. Where did the amazing names and designs we see today come from? My first step was in 2001, was the ‘Dirty Washing’ exhibition at the Design Museum in London, UK, which displayed some of my collection and research, along with concepts and stories relating to the products on display. The exhibition was co curated with Dr L Gamman and sponsored by Rodney Fitch Design Consultants and St Martins College of Art London. Following on from my research for the exhibition and completing the research for this book, I have found that the harder you look into the history of soap and washing powder, the less answers you get and the more the questions mount up. This book will ask as many questions, as answers that are given.

I have never seen my archive as treasured objects but as a valuable source of design history, that reflect the times these objects and forms were from. What was wonderful about the ‘Dirty Washing’ exhibition was, seeing interaction of the public with the product and listening to the related stories. Everyone remembers a particular product smell and for many this has strong nostalgic reference. If you look online, you can find discussion chat rooms dedicated to the smell of favourite washing powders. I have always been very interested as to how and why the emotive washing powder brand graphics work, who designed them that way and why they obviously have very strong appeal. Some of the graphics have a high level of kitsch appeal, judging by the amount of appropriation of the design vernacular by other designers in the form of pastiche or otherwise.

Growing up in the 1970’s I got my weekly literary fixes from fun comics such as Topper, Beano and Monster Fun, then progressed onto the more realistic ones such as Victor, Warlord, Battle, Bullet and Action. They influenced me greatly with their fantastic story lines, graphic images and in your face dialogue. The visual and written language of washing powder boxes have always reminded me of comics and maybe this is one reason why they are in ingrained in popular culture and have a mystical aesthetic that is so welcoming. The bizarre names and illustrations would not look out of place in a Batman or Mister X comic. The commercial artists or craftsman of the very early washing powder trade cards, advertising and boxes, are indeed difficult to trace. It is not until the late 19th Century / early 20th Century, that we can get better information, as the commercial artists began to either sign their work or create such strong visual styles, that we can attribute particular designs to specific individuals. Many of the unnamed and named commercial artists were indeed illustrators and painters. Karl Nebel, a famous German artist, created the character ‘Johanna’ for the FEWA washing powder brand in 1938. Subsequently this made legendary, post World War Two, by the commercial artist and designer, Horst Geil. He was born in 1919 and spent a lot of his career designing brands for the VEB fat chemical works in Karl Marx city. He was responsible for many iconic 1950’s East Germany brands such as FIT, WAB and also FAY washing powder. You will see further on in this book, how the illustration used for the advertising of the times reflected the politics and social views on race, stereotyping and society. Looking at period print work is extremely valuable, as it creates a great brand communication map, which mirrored or influenced the development of society.

Soap powder is a fascinating product. When I show researchers boxes in my archive that date from the 1920’s, through to the 1950’s such as GOLD DUST, BORAX, SHINA DISH, DUZ, DU ALL and WON but to name a few, they are astonished to find that washing powder was generally an all-purpose cleaner. Do the dishes, wash the walls and why not wash your clothes as well?

Some early washing powder brands could be considered as examples of guerrilla marketing. WON was manufactured by the Jewel T Home service and endorsed by Mary Dunbar (the Delia Smith of her day) of the specially created Jewel
T homemakers Institute. Jewel T is a renowned manufacturer of crockery and created WON to be used specifically with its core products, it was just an added benefit that you could do your laundry with the same product. WON’s main aim was to advertise Jewel T products and keep reminding the housewife that it was time to buy new crockery.

In the 1890’s, you were more likely to get a quality washing powder give away with collected tokens (such as cutlery, prints and home goods) than today. I’m sure the time will come when you will be able to collect tokens from DAZ boxes and get a Bansky original. One of DAZ’s recent box related offerings was a token for Burger King meals. This would suggest to me that some bright spark looked at the grass roots brand research and decided that all Burger King customers are DAZ customers.
Or maybe DAZ is specially formulated to remove Burger King ketchup stains?

Washing powder tablets were first experimented with in the 1920’s. In the 1950’s washing powder tablets called VALVO, amongst others were launched to an unreceptive market. Many of the brand names we see today have existed for almost a century and many of the companies that own these brands for even longer.

Brands are resurrected on a regular basis if the companies that own them determine the time is right. For example, RADION was an early 20th Century brand that was re-launched by Unilever in 1989, but subsequently disappeared again. It still exists in Eastern Europe today. It makes you wonder about the origins of the brand names and what countries they originally came from. Were some of the employees who were involved in these branding processes emigrants, or were they just parallels in the creative process? It is also historical fact that many of the large manufactures bought up small, local and national brands to create a monopoly. Many of these brands are periodically brought back to life.

When I travel I always make a beeline for the local shops to look at what products and brands the respective locals are using. It is fascinating to see how different detergent and soap brands operate in different markets. Brands often cater to their consumers needs. Whilst working in Manila, in the Philippines I found local brands such as SUPERBUSA washing bars and PRIDE produced by the ACS corporation of Manila (PRIDE was also a Swift and Co 1920’s washing powder brand and later a Palmolive Colgate washing powder brand, in 1950’s America), which make washing powder for the middle classes living in the cities where the use of washing machines is common place. They also manufacture washing soap bars, to be used on scrub boards for the working classes outside the cities, where electricity is at a premium and washing machines an unaffordable luxury. Social and economic factors have always been linked with the rise and production of soap.

It is interesting to see in some texts that, “men don’t do washing”. Whilst it is accepted that the women of the times I have investigated were more likely to do household or servant chores, economic and world circumstances such as the new frontiers, building of the American railroads and world wars, forced men to learn to do the same tasks. Many images capturing this male role exist but for some reason they are not really promoted, as it would break a stereotype. One might be sceptical and say these images are posed and not a true reflection of the times. Well that is of course possible but the historical evidence needs to be investigated. You will also find that neither sex of the so-called high classes did washing. It was considered beneath their social standing. There is no doubt that citizens not considered to be of the right sex, class or race were more likely to end up in this role as the illustrative and photographic testament shows.

More than one company can own a brand name, which can operate in different countries. Licence agreements and world wars were partly responsible for the fragmentation of brands and a prime example of this is, PERSIL. Henkel’s PERSIL washing powder, was already being manufactured under licence in England pre-World War Two and strangely, it was the only washing powder to be used by the allied and axis powers as its manufacture was continued by both side for the duration. Germany became divided into, two separate states at the beginning of the cold war. The PERSIL brand continued to exist on both sides of the divide, manufactured by VEB Genthin a state owned company in the East, and by Henkel the West. The East German washing powder box designs however, remained extremely dated with their quasi-communist aesthetic, until the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989.

Sometimes there are translation issues when specific brand names are used in foreign markets. For this reason, many brands have the same visual aesthetic, but a different name in different markets. A recent example of this is, the change of a cleaning product called JIF to CIF, as it was unpronounceable in many markets. Sometimes brand names do not translate well, or might have, adverse local meanings. One example is BARF washing powder, which means ‘snow’ in Kurdistan, but quite funny to the American troops using it in Iraq “Honey I’m washing my clothes in BARF”. The BARF washing powder box now displays an English translation of the brand name on their new boxes. Miscommunication can also happen in regards to brands. ARIEL washing powder is not a brand of choice in Palestinian areas of the West Bank, as the name is seen to be linked (incorrectly) to Ariel Sharon and the ARIEL logo representing the Jewish star. This is a classic example of signifiers having dual meanings. There are many such misrepresentations of brands in the Arab world. Another is the soft drink PEPSI, again incorrectly is said to mean ‘Pay Every Penny to the State of Israel’.

It’s been a long journey compiling the information found here, which I hope will be informative and enjoyable. The opinions I have expressed in this book are based on two decades of research and the visual reference material held on file in my archive. I have, to the best of my ability, tried to substantiate my theories on social circumstances and brand origins, but if more information becomes available these may be altered. One thing, which is now very clear to me, is that any preconceptions I had in regards to the simplicity of the origins of soap and it’s branding, have been altered forever. The more I have investigated the subject matter, the more complex it gets, with many questions still unanswered. However I have faith that as the many attics around the world are emptied onto Ebay, the lost pieces of the puzzles will appear and fill in the blanks that are in so many of the worlds archives, which fortunately (or unfortunately) were gathered by subjective collectors. Having said that, if they had not collected the information that exists today, it is likely that it would no longer exist and we would know even less and in any case, is there really such thing as an objective collector?

It’s been a fascinating journey thus far and I would like to say thank you to the multitudes of friends who have supported my efforts and helped me to continue my research. The final part of this journey will be to establish an archive for all the collections so that the information and artefacts can be made publicly available for further study.

Seán O’Mara

This book is dedicated to Paddy, Else + Eugene O’Mara

With many thanks to my editors:
Charlotte Adsett and Nicky Hawtin