The Language of Fried Chicken

Chicken: High Art, Low Calorie is a fresh (or at least still warm) project by Siâron Hughes, showcasing the graphic vernacular of fried chicken vendors in the UK.

Image cred: Mark Batty Publisher.

Hughes, a talented designer and illustrator, did not stop at cataloguing the star-spangled array of signage.

She also interviewed the people behind brands such as Perfect Fried Chicken and Hen Cottage, most notably Morris ‘Mr Chicken’ Cassanova – who claims to be responsible for “90% of the logos that’s been used out there now”.

Image cred: Mark Batty Publisher.

The interview excerpts on Creative Review are juicy and occasionally mysterious:

1. On Origins

“A lot of people who were franchisees say from Kentucky Fried Chicken or something like that, maybe were feeling the squeeze. They feel as though they were working for Kentucky Fried Chicken and y’know Kentucky is so strict, whatever they says goes.”

Image cred: Mark Batty Publisher.

2. On America

“In the past Kentucky usually have a little logo, a little slogan, “American Recipe”… Because they try to pull the wool over people’s eyes, you get your Dallas, it’s American, you get your California, it’s American, you get your Mississippi it’s American …”

Image cred: Mark Batty Publisher.

3. On Logos

“People see them and try to change them around a little bit, and you will see somewhere along the line somebody will have something looking similar to that. It’s not all about the bits and pieces that goes with it, they will automatically try to copy it.”

KFC is still ahead of McDonald’s as the USA’s largest purchaser of chicken (says this site). McD’s have a diverse menu but chicken was never the main attraction.

The Chicken McNugget hit the market in 1983 and only after the McChicken sandwich bombed before it.

The Wire Season 1 – McNuggets by pushmedia1 on YouTube.

Much as I like D’Angelo’s parable in The Wire, it doesn’t seem quite true of the Golden Arched take on product innovation.

The Fillet-O-Fish and Egg McMuffin were both created by enterprising francisees. Herb Patterson broke corporate rank to start serving the McMuffin in McDonald’s Santa Barbara before it was an official item on the franchise menu.

But getting back to chicken.

Chicken is chicken.

And the Kentucky Fried Chicken brand is chicken. Plus ‘American recipe’.

Image cred: Creative Review.

What strikes me from the interviews and anecdotes is that KFC weren’t hot on UK franchises trying to innovate – as Mr Cassanova said, “y’know Kentucky is so strict, whatever they says goes”.

If you worked for KFC and wanted to invent, you might have to leave and start your own business – and you might feel you needed to copy key elements of the brand to do it successfully.

So what do you call your new place – that fresh-minted copy of a copy, with new items on the menu?

“Perfect Fried Chicken. Because you can’t be Better Than Perfect Fried Chicken”.

Damn.

Maybe each new chicken joint should just take their founder’s name, like one round my way – Al Ikhwan Fried Chicken.

Or maybe someone should speak to a copywriter.

Previous logo design:

– Remixing logos: Luis Vuitton sues charity campaign.

– Designer money: India crowdsources logo for the Rupee.

– How can you find your eggs in the morning? Tropicana vanishes.

Pharrell vs. Sammy Stephens

Fresh murketing from the Golden Arches sticks Pharrell chez McDonald’s at the crack of dawn. Acting like it’s not his first crack he’s tasted that day.

P vs McDonald’s by NeRdArMyViDeOs on YouTube.

Mr. Williams doesn’t need a sponsored viral to be “internet famous”. Although he will “try anything to get McDonald’s to open early”.

Over 1min and 18 seconds he goes through every trick in the book:

– Sing a jingle

– Sing a jingle

– Sing a jingle

– Sing a jingle

And he even dances.

But when it comes to jingles and dances, what’s Pharrell got on Sammy Stephens?

Flea Market Montgomery – Long Version by teedadawg on YouTube.

OK OK OK. So Sammy was “internet famous” in 2007 and times have moved on.

Practioners of the “jingle and dance” are more professional now.

They get up at 6am to perform choreographed routines – and that’s before their authentic carb breakfast of Parisian French fries.

Stephens was a mere amateur:

“I didn’t write it,” he said. “I just felt it.”

But there is hope for the plucky amateur. His name is Howard Brown.

Original Howard of Halifax advert by gazhack on YouTube.

The UK’s golden boy of “jingle and dance” enjoyed a hugely repetitive 6-year “jingle and dance” career after turning pro in 2002.

So when you get that urge to “jingle and dance” because you “just feel it”, make sure there’s a camera in the crowd and give it all your heart.

Dreams really can come true.