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Design Sponge
May 7th, 2008
debranded home


when it comes to branding and labels, the argument for both sides can be a little heated. some of my friends don’t mind labels and will wear them with a certain level of pride, while others will have to restrain themselves from yelling at people wearing ostentatious or obvious logos. i come down somewhere in the middle of the argument, but tend to feel that logos and labels aren’t my favorite thing in the world. so i was excited to hear about a new brazilian company called debranded home. they’ve designed a series of decorative stickers that can be placed on refillable containers used in your bathroom.


our bathroom and kitchen are probably the most label-heavy area the house so i like the idea of using refillable glass containers labeled with these fun stickers so we know what’s what. using refillable containers would be great in terms of cutting down on the level of small plastic bottles we use in the house, and would ultimately make for a more unified look in terms of products that are out in the open (yep, all the shaving cream, shampoo, lotion and face wash bottles we have out on the counter in contrasting styles and colors drive me nuts). you can check out debranded home’s collection right here and find more information on their mission and thoughts on advertising/branding right here.

27 comments
May 7th, 2008 - 9:25 am

I love this idea, and the labels are so pretty!

jess said:
May 7th, 2008 - 9:29 am

that is a great idea, especially if you have a local grocery store where you can buy your shampoo and lotion in the bulk section.

Leigh said:
May 7th, 2008 - 9:34 am

I was definitely thinking the same thing as Jess - if these containers can serve a higher environmental as well as aesthetic purpose, all the better!

Sarah said:
May 7th, 2008 - 10:02 am

I love these! Labels drive me a bit crazy, especially in the fight to avoid clutter (visual and otherwise) in our little apt.

I’ve use tiny San Pellegrino bottles (labels removed, of course) fitted with bar pourers for many things–olive oil from the big (and not so cute) bottle, dish soap, etc. For dry goods, I use Bell jars– and other left over pickle/olive/etc. jars. This works especially well for beans/grains/nuts purchased in bulk.

Annemarie said:
May 7th, 2008 - 10:07 am

I tend to save the bottles and jars from food and drink products and do this. Simple craft store labels make it super easy.

obba said:
May 7th, 2008 - 10:10 am

sorry but i don’t think this is practical at all…

it might be eliminating the visual pollution in your home but what about environmental pollution?… yes you can recycle but at the end you are just creating more waste.

plus i’m a graphic designer — this makes me a bit more sensitive… this is certainly a heated argument. ;)

bennyrogers said:
May 7th, 2008 - 10:12 am

Looks fantastic but something about glass bottles in the shower does not seem like the wisest choice…

Rose said:
May 7th, 2008 - 10:32 am

I like the idea of the stickers, but not glass containers. It would take forever to get the product out and slippery glass in the shower is just asking for trouble (at least for me!).

ellen said:
May 7th, 2008 - 10:39 am

these are great!

katie said:
May 7th, 2008 - 10:53 am

a very inspiring site/concept - and it’s aesthetically pleasing too!

Jen said:
May 7th, 2008 - 11:29 am

I think it’s a good idea. I would definitely use plastic instead of glass. and then maybe I could buy in bulk.

noelle said:
May 7th, 2008 - 11:30 am

i like the idea of unity in my open areas. The problem now is finding good plastic/glass bottles! recycled would be great!

Diana said:
May 7th, 2008 - 11:44 am

Wow - these are great - now if only I could get the time to refill!!

Paige said:
May 7th, 2008 - 12:49 pm

these are very cool! the big brands worst nightmare!

Lindsay said:
May 7th, 2008 - 1:20 pm

How does this make any environmental sense? You still have to buy bottles of products then empty those into these containers, then recycle the used bottles. These containers are cute for sure but certainly do not cut down on waste.

Tracey said:
May 7th, 2008 - 2:51 pm

Love the debranding, since my pre teen is starting to notice labels, and we are soooo not going there! Quick idea for left over jars and bottles- I like to take Italian water bottles (generally they are cobalt blue), and use them for fresh flowers. A line of those with a posy in each makes any table or windowsill special!

Jen said:
May 7th, 2008 - 3:26 pm

Lindsay…the idea is that you use larger containers of products and then use their contents to refill your containers. For example, I buy a 2-gallon container of olive oil and fill my “countertop bottle” from that larger container. When that large container is empty, I have one container to recycle, rather than the 5 or 6 smaller containers it would have taken to contain the same amount of olive oil.

Not only does it make environmental sense but it makes fiscal sense too!

Alison said:
May 7th, 2008 - 5:08 pm

I agree with those who have raised questions about the environmental benefits (or lack thereof) of this product. On the one hand, debranding seems appealing, particularly as a means to reduce “visual clutter.” On the other hand, one should be wary about turning one’s living space into an empire of uniformity in the name of “good” design.

Colleen said:
May 7th, 2008 - 5:15 pm

I agree with Obba & Lindsay .. its still creating more waste ..

Bells said:
May 7th, 2008 - 7:02 pm

In Wellington (NZ) we have a great store called Commonsense Organics and you are able to take your own bottles in and refill from a bulk supply. Therefore eliminating any waste and being able to make use of these stickers. So I think these stickers would appeal to people concerned about the environment and who are prepared to go a little further - possibly even making your own natural, organic products at home. I think the people who have been complaining need to be a little more creative themselves.

David S. said:
May 7th, 2008 - 9:06 pm

Um, did anyone notice —> ?

(My comment may be too late and I’m just below the ads.)

I’m of two minds - I understand the need to advertise/brand/flash gaudy banner ads on a design website, but of course I don’t want the ads junking up MY environment.

Molly said:
May 8th, 2008 - 12:41 am

It sounds like this company is selling the labels, not a bunch of glass bottles that have been pre-labeled. In that case we could take the offered suggestion of using containers that we have emptied through use. Plenty of products that we use every day come in plastic bottles - what about those ultra concentrated bottles of dish soap? Just scrub the label off and use one of these stickers. I don’t see any extra waste happening here, I see less.

On the other hand.. am I the only one who is bothered by the shampoo label? Did it have to be split that way? It just sticks out to me…

Amy said:
May 8th, 2008 - 1:26 am

I would be worried about the use of glass in the shower… my mom talks about using glass bottles… and about how they would break. @_@

May 8th, 2008 - 9:19 am

Besides the environmental concerns of something like this, does it even accomplish what it set out to do? This is not de-branding. This is just anti-branding that is creating an entirely new brand. You are using their shampoo logo, their lotion logo.

If you want to be brandless - and environmentally refriendly - take some bottles you already have, remove the labels, and fill them up. Make your own label. Draw something right on the bottle. Or use a label maker, or do something nice on the computer and print it on a waterproof label, or even print it on regular paper and affix it with some heavy duty clear packing tape (which I’ll admit is not terribly environmental but acceptable to most people).

Anne A Wong said:
May 8th, 2008 - 12:50 pm

I love it! Too bad they don’t sell the bottles as well since the plastic ones are really nice.

Except… I really like reading the back label of products when waiting for the conditioner to do it’s thing…

May 8th, 2008 - 4:45 pm

Wow! This is an overwhelming response to our idea. I want to thank everyone who has visited our humble site.

I wanted to take this opportunity to address some of the concerns that all of you have so eloquently put forth.

@ obba: I appreciate your concerns as a graphic designer. I am one myself. I’m sure there will be enough work to go around. :) But about the environmental concerns, our intent is for people to use the bottles over and over, not just once. Our labels are waterproof and rated for outdoor use so you won’t need to replace them. We want people to reduce waste not create it.

@ Lindsay: Jen’s reply is very similar to what I would say. There are a number of stores that allow you to refill your own bottles with natural bulk soap. We don’t want waste!

@ Jen: Thanks for your nice experience and the response in behalf of our idea. :)

@ Bells: That place in NZ sounds fantastic! We’re from BC, Canada and there are many alternative stores like Commonsense Organics here. I hope there is something like this in everyone’s locale but if not yes, making stuff at home is always fun!

@ Molly: That’s exactly right. We’re providing nice durable labels to stick on to the bottles you’re already using. Lots of labels come off fairly easily and there’s no reason to not use that container again.

@ Ron Michael: There is a certain amount of irony that I guess we’ll have to live with. Branding occurs when marks are used over and over again in many different situations. However, our labels are not our logos. We only want to provide people with an option to have a simple label describing the contents of a container. We’re attempting to do this without any “branding” taking place, just a simple design. I appreciate your suggestions to make your own labels too. We’re all for DIY crafts. We provide professionally made, durable, well designed labels so that if you don’t want to do something crafty yourself, you have an option.

Thanks again for everyone’s response!

Sincerely,
Ryan
Debranded Home

drew said:
May 10th, 2008 - 2:23 am

I love the idea. I just wish you had more labels! Dish soap?

I think it’s about reducing visual clutter and I think it’s fab that one of the other posters is doing this for their pre-teen!

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