Give em’ the bootleg
Author
Michael Pharaoh
When a product in the free market gains popularity and starts to grow, a few things happen; Innovation is born, competition starts, creativity is sparked, chapters in culture are marked.
Another more seedy thing happens though, an underbelly full of people and companies trying to undercut their authentic predecessors. This is the world of bootleg products.
The beauty of these products is in that most of them try to walk the thin line between fooling their consumer into thinking they’re the real deal and being different enough that a judge doesn’t rule them as a copycat.
The combination of often broken English and walking this weird thin line results in some of the most unintentionally funny products and artwork I’ve seen.
John Wick ft The guy from Avatar, ft Spiderman, ft Batman
I’m not a lawyer but I don’t think combining as many unrelated action heroes onto a page is smarter than just one. But there’s a theme here where Batman will sit next to the guy from Avatar in some bizarre cross-over episode of teenage mutant ninja turtles. The products usually suck, they cut all technical corners while just stealing any IP or copyrighted material to bait customers.
Imagine being able to reap all the power of a brand identity without any of the work required to create one.
Often the design deductions made both from a product and graphic design perspective are made in order to thwart copyright claims. The results are weird titles and scuffed artwork but yet oddly beautiful design moments.
Some of which, ironically, gain more popularity than their authentic counterpart.
Bootleg products usually suck, they cut all technical corners while just stealing any IP or copyrighted material to bait customers.
