Smithsonian Magazine

Collaboration is always in my cart.

I’m a broken record on collaboration, so when my frequent partner Jeff Campagna at Smithsonian Magazine asked me to check out this project, I was quick to pull in amazing talent in the folks at POP Creative to see if they would be interested in teaming up to give a supermarket scanner its due.

Did you know the first supermarket scanner was used at a Marsh’s supermarket in Ohio in 1974? And that the first item scanned was a pack of gum? Now you do. 50 years later, that clunky black box resides out of view in the electronic collection at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.

Our challenge was to photograph it…and make it sing.

The Marsh logo had a classic 1970’s design feel, with its bold curvy typeface and red, orange, yellow striped graphic design, so embracing a 70’s vibe seemed appropriate. Capturing function as well as form, the stripes resemble barcode design, the curves recall the arc of an item passed over the scanner from belt to bag.

Tying together the 1974 scanner with Marsh’s supermarket and the first ever barcode was a nice homage and nod to history. We were hoping to integrate those design elements in our final visual, strengthening the historical significance of the anniversary for the Smithsonian, while offering extra layers of visual interest.

Maybe you’ll think of Marsh’s and that first scanner while you swing through the self-checkout next and scan your own pack of gum.

Special thanks to Brendan Haley, Jordi Canela, Zsuzsanna Vörös-Haynes and Joseph Gilbert.