In 1952 The Rothmans King Size (RKS) pack was being redesigned. The launch of the new size product in a soft pack had resulted in the product being bent as the new king size was indeed longer than conventional non filter tip brands. The team at Rothmans had managed to come up with a new way to package and preserve the product. The brand represented the introduction of several mass produced innovations. The first mass produced filter tipped cigarette, the world's first crush proof cigarette pack amongst others that needed a design that reflected the optimism and pride of nations recovering from the devastation of World War 2. Two men set about to bring such a vision to the world's then most consumed product. In doing so they created a global brand that reflected the time. The RKS pack was modeled on the dashing young consort in his navy uniform of Britain's new monarch. The alignment of the brand, the new product category and new technology culminated in what became for a while the most consumed product on the planet. Those two men were Bill Morkell and Paddy O'Neil-Dunne. Bill's artistic talents were supplemented by several others who worked on the brand and the advertising including Vova Tretchikoff a long time personal friend of the 2 men. While the product has fallen out of favour of just about everyone except the taxman (and rightly so) - it is good to reflect back on the "cool" world post war and the optimism that it engendered. Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip represented the nexus of the times. To this day that pack design endures.
Growing up in that pioneering world was an amazing experience. I am eternally grateful for being inside it.
