“Lizzy’s Been Bizzy” – KesselsKramer dishes up Alternative Jubilee Plates to mark the Queen’s platinum party

As the extra long weekend fast approaches for us here in the UK, not only can we anticipate a big booze-up across the country, but the streets will soon become flooded with bunting, flags and some printed curtains with the Queen’s face on. Let’s just say that Britain has its own unique – or downright bizarre – way of celebrating monarchy milestones, and Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee will be no different.

Balancing celebration and skepticism in equal measure, KesselsKramer has used the event as an opportunity to design its next batch of commemorative plates. “Although we’re all very happy about the extra days off,” says Oriel Irvine-Wells, copywriter at the agency, “we’re also pretty wary of the monarchy as an institution, and so it was the perfect chance to poke a little fun.”

Referring to the crockery as an “honest look” at the jubilee, the new set features 14 plates adorned with playful visuals ranging from digs at the institution to being happy about the days off work. KesselsKramer has “tackled the monarchy through crockery” before, says Oriel. Prior to this, the agency had released two sets of commemorative plates for Kate and Will’s wedding in 2011, as well as Meghan and Harry’s in 2018. “So far the Queen has managed to escape our attention,” adds Oriel, “but as you can see, she’s got a fair few skeletons in her surprisingly well-coordinated closet. So, for her big, shiny Platinum jubilee, we’re giving her the gift of satire. You’re welcome ma’am.”

We can’t deny that the plates are enjoyable to look at, and how often is it that you get to eat off the Queen’s face, or read some funny lines about the monarchy after spooning in some peas? In one, a bold, “slobbering” typeface writes “Long lick the queen” with a stamp placed next to it. In another, there’s a graphic picture of the infamous British dish: the coronation chicken sandwich. Surrounding it in a somewhat traditional and fitting serif typeface, it states, “Celebrating 70 years since your coronation, chicken xo”. The Nerd plate, Oriel says, was one of the first designs that “clicked”. Nodding to the childlike humour of calling someone a nerd, as well as the anarchist art of graffiti, he adds: “It’s just so simple, and it made us all laugh. To really bring it to life, one of our designers actually spray painted the letters onto paper before mocking them onto the plate to make sure it looked super realistic. Don’t say we don’t take our jobs seriously.”

On the other side, there’s a slightly more serious one that shows the Pantone colour spectrum, in which the agency has snuck in some funny little digs at the royal family through the graphics. “There are plenty of easter eggs on royal scandals, conspiracy theories and terrible quotes from Prince Philip himself,” explains Oriel. The “silly” ones, however, are KesselsKramer’s favourites, which includes the Chosen by God plate and a double finger up to the monarchy. “And of course, Lizzy’s been busy. We all fell for that line immediately and eventually found an equally nonsensical image to go with it. Happy days.”