Jiro Bevis is the face of a new bespoke baby food company — sort of

Mix and Blend/Jiro Bevis
As each of us ekes out our youth for longer and longer — praying that every pint of mango-infused DIPA we down in a suitably low-key, Scandi-influenced bar in Penge, Putney, or Perivale contains the elixir of life, hoping that stuffing another pair of gaudy trainers in our collective wardrobe will reel in the years — it stands to reason that parents are getting cooler. In many ways, a Converse-clad child is the perfect accessory for the gallery going couple.
Thus stands to reason that we’re increasingly seeing a range of brands aimed at children that are equally cherished by their design-conscious parents; just last week we showed you Ragged Edge’s branding for new toy subscription service Whirli, and today we’re introducing illustrator Jiro Bevis’ typically charming work for just-launched Mix and Blend, a South London company aiming to dole out, “a fresh selection of flavourful homemade baby food recipes,” featuring locally sourced “fruit, vegetables, herbs and spices.” in a brand new book. We’re thinking Cow and Gate for the kind of mum and dad who wear matching ethically sourced workers’ jackets and have a whole shelf in their living room reserved for books published by Nobrow.
Mix and Blend main man Adam tells us, “I’m a dad based in South east London and wanted to do something creative and fun and relevant to my life right now. I have created a number of considered recipes for the book. Also I designed the logo and worked with Jiro’s approval to integrate some of his characters into the branding to use for the stickers for example, I have also worked on a pattern design for some wrapping paper, and some prints Jiro has agreed we can run again to drive interest in the brand and ultimately the book.””
Jiro — an illustrator that we’re always, always interested in here at It’s Nice That and the host of possibly the most Balearic radio show to ever be beamed out of a little hut in East London — has given the assorted clumps of fruit and veg that make up the Mix and Blend munch-bunch a characteristically cheery look. They’ve made this writer feel oddly broody.
I find Jiro’s work funny, cheeky and playful yet sophisticated," Adam says. “His characters have a certain nostalgic charm but timeless style, and he has an artful ability to bring life and joyful personalities to his illustrations. For these reasons I felt Jiro’s work would be perfectly suited to this project and to help create a brand around it.”
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