Sue Murphy (Ogilvy & Mather)

Thinking Outside The Lunch Box

28th February 2013
by Scott Burnett

Cover image: Sue Murphy (Ogilvy & Mather)

Todays slice of life, art and bread comes all the way from Susan Murphy who is in the home of great sandwiches, NYC.

I’ve had a relationship with sandwiches for a while. I went through an (awful for my parents) period of being a picky-eater. I had roughly the same sandwich for ten years straight; white bread, no butter, egg salad, lettuce, cucumber. Flavour, please excuse yourself from my plate. Secretly though, I was afraid. I knew if I didn’t have my safety sandwich in mind I’d be one of those people humming and hawing in the lunch line, then regretting their rush decision afterwards. You know the ones.

When I moved to Amsterdam I broadened my sandwich horizons, honestly, it was really out of necessity. I was so busy and poor I needed something quick. I took a risk on packaged types that I could eat on the go between work and studying Dutch at nights.

I’ve recently moved to New York, if you’ve seen an episode of Friends or heard anything ever about America, this is the city to get a sandwich. The city of selections and sandwich shops (And bad alliteration from my mouth, it seems). Now when I order a sandwich I can get one where I know it’ll be made well. I can choose what I feel like eating and is appropriate to my hunger.

Which is all a lot like logos. Sometimes people will tell you a logo will do something that it won’t. Sometimes there are logos that tick all the boxes, that are an easy way out of thinking but don’t taste like anything when they’re delivered. There are logos that come prepared, are cheap, the popular choices and do the basic job. And there are logos that are made by experts, that are given time and attention and use the best ingredients.

And sandwiches sure do make for an amazing lunch. But if I just eat a sandwich, if I don’t eat my breakfast or I don’t eat my dinner, I’m going to be hungry. And grumpy. And not too stable on my feet. Which is why a sandwich, like a logo, is part of a bigger plan, like an identity. You can get by on just a logo, but for not very long. A balanced diet leads to a healthy identity, kids. So pack your sandwiches, and eat up.

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