First off, I have to admit to being slightly biased here, having been raised in a place where 'seaside' is more readily associated with thermals than sunscreen.
It was the mudflats of Norfolk, not the Cap d'Antibes, that formed my ideas of beach life, so I am a sucker for this kind of thing. Like Mr Pavlov's dogs salivating at the sound of a bell, I'll roll over and whimper at the sight of a saucy young hibiscus in full bloom.
Evidently, I am not alone. Costa has turned the surf dial to 11 for their Frescato iced coffee range, and if I had a body like that, I would be posing on the sand too.
Fat slices of fecund fruit hang limpid in the sky. Palm trees strain on skinny stalks under the burden of their coconuts. The summer is simply ripe with promise - better cool down a bit. Or 'chill out', as the Frescato strapline suggests.
It takes a calmer eye than mine to pull this design off without overdoing it. And that's where the skill lies - in the visual team dynamics. The background illustrations work well, but they are set-dressing, or backing singers. There is no doubt about who is Elvis, and who is the band. In design terms, that is pretty slick, because summer is not just a season, it's a state of mind.
Design: Meteorite.
