Kiwispace

This is the back of the packaging of the Kiwispace Ruler. It explains everything about the device - who it is for, what it is and how it is used.

The text may be a bit hard to read so it is copied below...

'Just like the one in Dad's shed, this ruler is the ultimate tool to claim back your personal space. It's not any Kiwi's cup of tea to be jam packed like sardines and getting a whiff of the guys armpit next to you, unless you have some weird fetish.

So, now in any occasion you can whip out your Kiwispace Ruler and releive that awkwardly close situation.

Because we're not greedy, we just like our space.'

The reason why I went with this aesthetic is because I wanted to portray that typical historic Kiwiana feel - many would think tacky and cheap but these are the origins of our heritage.

Imagine formica and pawashell ashtrays and pastel weatherboard houses.

It also works with the ruler itself - you don't want to know how long it took me to find an extendable wooden ruler - just like the one found in the back of Dad's shed. These are the rulers your Dad would use to measure that coffee table that is still sitting in your living room because he's so proud that he made it from scratch.

This is the oficial Kiwispace Ruler - it is extendable and one side has been sanded down so that I could manipulate it. The measurements start off with London being the shortest - as when in an awkward situation you can whip out the ruler and tell people to give the amount of personal space allocated to London citizens, which would be the equivalent of 10cm.

Then it jumps to Wellington then folded out it measures the personal space allocated for Aucklanders and the last measurement is Hokitika - Kiwis will know what I'm talking about.

This form of comparative advertising is more of a gimic rather than an actual device but the effect on Kiwi expats living in London will hopefully have an impact.