Rich Tu Illustrator, Art Director

I have always wanted to redesign foreign snack food packaging. Sometimes, the biggest hindrance of any project is any sort of previous knowledge associated with the subject. I’d rather have an immediate reaction and build my knowledge from there. For instance, if I were to redesign Reese’s Pieces I have a lot of baggage to deal with. I already know what they are, what they taste like, and have visions of a shriveled raisin alien being fed by baby Drew Barrymore. Also, more importantly, I will never be able to eat Reese’s Pieces for the first time again.

Foreign packaging (foreign to me at least) is intriguing because it provides the opportunity to have a completely original experience with a brand that potentially millions of people have experience with, and then affect that brand based upon my reaction. What is Japan’s national brand of popcorn? Does Russia have its own version of Honey Grahams? Do sour straws exist in Iceland? If they’re up for grabs I want them.

Rich Tu is an award-winning illustrator in New York City. His clients include The New York Times, The New Yorker, Business Week, Alfa Romeo, Bombay Sapphire, NPR, Skype, and Fuse TV, among others. He is currently an Art Director at AKA NYC.