Polaroid stopped making instant film in 2004 but now The Impossible Project has announced that it has succeeded in creating a new instant film that will work in millions of existing Polaroid cameras. Read on to find how to get hold of the Impossible Project’s replacement for Polaroid film.
Tagged ‘the impossible project’
Polaroid’s last original film stock is set to go on sale, thanks to The Impossible Project and will feature packaging designed by Paul Giambarba, the legendary designer who created Polaroid’s iconic styling between 1958 and 1977.
The Impossible Project is set to release new instant film for vintage Polaroid cameras in 2010 but is releasing the remaining original stocks of Polaroid film via it’s online store, Polapremium, to “shorten the waiting period until the new film”.
The repackaged Polaroid film will be known as the Paul Giambarba edition and features a brand new package design by him. We spoke to Giambarba about how it feels to return to the brand that he helped to shape:
“To have my name and signature on the packaging is a heady experience, akin to that of a professional athlete’s endorsement of a baseball bat. I’m flattered but it would be dishonest of me not to admit to a substantial amount of humility.”
Giambarba also described the thinking behind designing new packaging for Polaroid film: “Less is more. Any idiot can cover a box with NEW! and grimacing faces of supposedly pleased customers. I believe that honest designs should reflect a personal style in the way we can identify a singing voice, musician, painter, cartoonist or writer.”
Talking about modern design, Giambarba has praised Apple but believes it’s genius hasn’t spread very far: “Apple hasn’t influenced enough decision maker. Managers come from business schools where they learn to count beans. They are terrified to make aesthetic decisions and a few came to Polaroid meetings with comments such as, Well, my wife likes blue.”
Giambarba worked with both Polaroid’s creator, Edwin Land, and it’s legendary business brain, Stanford M. Calderwood who he remembers well: “Two people made Polaroid what it was: Edwin Land and Stanford ‘call me Stan’ Calderwood. He was responsible for Polaroid going from $50m in sales to over $1bn in less than 20 years. It was always said that Land owned a million shares of Polaroid but when the sock plummeted, those millions just evaporated.”
The Paul Giambarba Edition Polaroid film will include 15 different kinds of original Polaroid film and the Polapremium is also making special edition original Polaroid cameras available. Pricing will be announced later today via Polapremium.
Out now | £tba | Polapremium/Paul Giambarba
Polaroid’s last original film stock is set to go on sale, thanks to The Impossible Project and will feature packaging designed by Paul Giambarba, the legendary designer who created Polaroid’s iconic styling between 1958 and 1977.
It’s a huge u-turn and one that’ll satisfy retro tech heads the world over. Polaroid has confirmed that it’s teaming up with The Impossible Project to bring its classic instant film and instant cameras back to life in 2010. The move means the format which was killed off last year is very much back from the dead.