Johannesburg - As the country continues to celebrate Heritage Month, popular cereal brand, Kellogg’s, has partnered with talented artist Lazi Mathebula to bring the country’s breakfast heritage to life through art.
Speaking to The Star, Kellogg’s head of marketing and brand custodian, Tamsin Darroch, said the brand decided to collaborate with one of the country’s leading visual artists in a bid to celebrate and honour the brand’s close association with the people of South Africa, who are represented in the limited edition’s special and bold packaging.
“As part of the special celebration, we have also given away a range of prizes, including a share of a million rand, to consumers and South Africans so that they can nourish their great start. We really want to thank our consumers for supporting us for the past 100 years,” Darroch said.
On collaborating with Mathebula, Darroch said the brand loves how Mathebula is able to tell stories through his artistic talent.
“From our side, it was an amazing relationship. What was great is that he associates well with the brand, and he was able to capture the vibrancy of South Africa through the design. There are hints of Kellogg’s and corn in the design, and every South African is represented in the design,” she said.
Mathebula, who has made a name for himself as an award-winning illustrator and independent designer who believes that real creativity involves transforming the ordinary and, in a sense, turning realism on its head, said working with such a successful brand was an easy choice that helped him channel his creativity to something he holds dear.
He said growing up in the township, Kellogg’s brand was always an aspirational brand, and he remembers when he had to fashion toys or art out of the brand’s box.
“The process of working on the design was quite intimate, and I gave myself a tighter deadline but still managed to deliver a quality product. I took my inspiration from my own environment, which is why you see people running and others in taxis. There are a lot of morning activities that are depicted in the design. These are suspended moments that happen every day, and it all starts with Kellogg’s. There is a good representation of who we are and where we are, and everyone is represented in the design,” he said.
Mathebula’s work is said to reflect a recognisable fixation on fine detailing, the intricacies of purely African stories, and a tasteful use of luminous colour to create long-lasting visual impressions.
It is this kind of storytelling that has made it possible for the brand to collaborate with him on the limited edition of Kellogg’s special packaging in honour of 100 years of the brand colourful breakfast legacy, which began in Springs, Ekurhuleni, in 1923.
The Star