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Things that make you go hmmmm….
Okay, so maybe “borrowing” ideas from fellow coworkers (especially in past jobs) is nothing new, but when you see a print ad that reads exactly like a line you wrote, it kind of makes you wonder. I’m sure we’re all guilty of coming up with an idea or two we think is our own but may have actually been sparked from something someone else said at another time and place. I know, it happens. However, as I was checking out at an advertising agency’s website, that my friend just recently got a job at, I took a look at their portfolio…
Just put it on the server.
Those dreaded words! Granted, most agencies have a practice of keeping everything on the server so important documents won’t be lost. But there’s another use for the server that I want to focus on. It’s the (not so) sneaky way of taking a project away from one creative person and having another take a stab at it.
It probably happens more often on the art side, so I’ll make my examples using the art department. Rather than continuing to work with the art director or designer who started a project, supervisors often give lukewarm approval and say, “Just put it on…
Watch Out, I’m Getting Philosophical
I recently went to Bestbuy.com to price a particular item and one of the flash ads popped up that had me thinking about it hours after I had seen it. They had cell phones, dvd’s, cameras and other trinkets in a row and the words “YOU, HAPPY” popped up. Talk about blatant psychological messages. Do these gadgets in life really make us happy? Maybe for about 17 seconds until our Id tells us we need to strive for satisfaction and we need it now. So then we prance down that consumer path and fill our lives full of stuff that…
MAD MEN – Episode 1
Finally MAD MEN has returned with their new season. Isn’t it funny how in our business if getting work done is held up, we just work overtime and weekends to make up for lost time and we still deliver on time. This is our industry’s idea of a time machine. Works every time. Too bad entertainment industry writers don’t operate on this simple premise. A typical summer of wretched TV choices are even worse this year thanks to last winter’s writer’s strike. All my favorite shows like Entourage are way behind in getting back on track with new episodes. If it wasn’t…
Jason Fox – A Fox of Jason
I have found the best tagline ever penned in the history of penned taglines. Or typed. Or texted, if such a thing has happened yet (I can see it now: Bud Lite Pwns Mllr! Woot!). Beyond “Just Do It.” In a different league than “When E.F. Hutton Talks, People Listen.” Light years ahead of “The Relentless Pursuit of Perfection” for it has, indeed, achieved said perfection.
Are you ready?
Are you really ready?
Honest?
Okay then.
The brand: Snak King.
The tagline: “King of Snacks.”
That’s right, Chachi. Just in case you couldn’t tell from the company name that they consider themselves chip-based royalty, their tagline…
Wonder Woman: The Sexism Litmus Test
Wonder Woman is a major property at Warner Bros.’ DC Comics. She is the first female superhero debuting in All Star Comics in 1941. She would go on to become part of the Trinity at DC Comics, a trio of heroes that are considered the first greats of their kind: Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman herself. To this day, these three characters are three of the most recognizable superheroes ever, and the most influential. But despite having this top billing, the Amazon Princess is lacking a privilege that is thoroughly enjoyed by her counterparts: total market saturation.
If you haven’t noticed, I’m a…
Interviewer Etiquette
Interviewer Etiquette: It seems redundant to a degree, but I have noticed that over the past ten years it is sorely absent from the advertising scene. What was Personnel has now become Human Resources and we’re all nothing more than a commodity to be pulled from the ground like minerals that are covered in dirt and mined out of the ground. If we creatives are perceived to be at a strata that others walk upon, it is not a good start to begin with. What was the human science of evaluating character, professionalism, qualifications and impressions has now disintegrated into buzz…
What If?
When I was a teenager I was never really into the music “scene”. I didn’t hang out at all ages shows or buy obscure underground music that some thought was the avant garde of sound. I did start becoming friends with some people that were like that though. One night I decided to go to a show with them of some band from Syracuse NY. I don’t remember the bands name, but I had previously heard a few songs of theirs and I liked it so I thought seeing them in person was a good idea.
I arrived at the place…
You want it ASAP ! ! !
So what else is new?
ASAP… the most overused demand in our industry. So what do you mean exactly?
You won’t give me a due date but hope to set a fire under my butt with “ASAP”… in neon colors with explanation points and a 
triple underscores.
Does it mean I should work all night or over the weekend?
Should I blow off all my other assignments?
Should I take some less-than-desirable shortcuts… putting timing over quality?
Should I incur extra cost to buy speed?
As Soon As Possible…
Maybe it means when it’s possible to clear up my other rush projects to work on yours.
Maybe it means it…
Celebrity Drugs
Abilify, Valtrex, Viagra…there are a multitude of these types of drugs that have enjoyed a saturated barrage of multimedia advertising–in particular television commercials. I am blessed (or maybe cursed) with a DVR box, provided with my Comcast Cable service. The DVR box allows you to record shows, pause live shows, and fast forward and rewind–as long as there are no live portions. I bring up the DVR as a digression because I typically relieve myself of not having to sit through commercials. So, in a sense, I’ve lost a little awareness of the commercial trends out there.
One thing I did…
Resistance is Indeed Futile
I’m not talking about Borg–if you know what those are, I’ll mail you two cents. I’m talking about the shape of the world in which the Graphic Designer works. Can you really afford to become complacent? “InDesign? Why do I need to learn that?” she asked. “Flash? That’s for web people,” he said. I have worked with several people, who had been with the newspaper for decades, who felt that Quark 6.5 is as far as they needed to go.
Poppycock.
If you want to stay ahead of the wave, and maintain job security, you have to at least be aware of…
World’s top 12 hotels for a secret tryst…
That was the subject line that greeted me in my inbox from concierge.com when I got back from lunch today. Of course I’m going to click to get the down low – inquiring minds want to know. I have a boyfriend, but that’s besides the point. That’s why this article is so intriguing. Even if you have a significant other and don’t plan on having an affair, doesn’t mean you don’t want to have a scandalous rendezvous of your own. The king bunk beds at the Ivy Hotel in San Diego was my personal fave. What? I’m just say’n…
Christine – the writer,…
You Know, For Kids
[rant]
Well, the marketing folks at “Gossip Girl” are back with another tweenerporntacular campaign. Using excerpts from reviews as headlines. Ooh. Provocative. Yippee.
I don’t care that it’s effective. In fact, I’m more upset about it because it is. It’ll get more kids to watch a show with no redeeming social value whatsoever. Great. I know, I know. “If you don’t like it, turn it off, dude.” Shut up. Seriously, just don’t give me that argument or the one about parents needing to keep tabs on what their kids are watching. Yes, I can turn it off. Yes, I’ll be doing my…
Verizon vs. Humane Society & ASPCA
If you haven’t heard the controversy yet, I guess Verizon is getting a bunch of heat for a commercial they are airing that shows two pit bulls chained with choke collars. I personally haven’t seen the commercial and it’s been taken off youtube. Part of the rant seems to come from the fact that “pit bulls are not guard dogs and they were never meant to be guard dogs.” (Read full Ad Age Article here.) So, what does that mean? If they were German Shepherds or Dobermans, if would have been okay? Well, apparently not according to Kathy Bauch, senior director-corporate…
Political Slogans
In case you’ve been in a deep coma or someplace in the third world where newspapers and the internet are as hard to come by as lunar eclipses, the 2008 Presidential election will be remembered for a lot of obvious reason and one them for me is Barack Obama’s call-to-action “Change We Can Believe In”. Regardless of whether you are going to vote for him or not, his call-to-action has resonated with the American people. Having the right words is even more important than being on-message. Political campaigns are lost equally for having the wrong message as much as having…
Advertising Pie Wedge
In my continuing evolution as a Graphic Designer, I’m discovering the many diverse angles and possibilities in the field of Marketing and Advertising. There is a major misconception in what Marketing and Advertising is–many (including myself at one point) think that Marketing and Advertising are separate entities. I have learned that this is not the case. You may think that I must be naive or ill-informed. Perhaps I am, but I learn best at my own pace; and I learn quickly by hands-on experience.
There is indeed an “us and them” mindset, at least where I came from in print advertising.…
“Mad Men” makes me want a cigarette
I’m sure you’ve all seen this show, it’s been all over the news. It was on the cover of Entertainment Weekly, and why I think it was a subject of a blog post right here a few weeks back. Well, the new season premieres this week and because I’ve never watched the show, I decided I’d On Demand the first season. It is good. The critics are right and it does a fabulous job of glamorizing the “Golden Age of Advertising.”
However, I swear this show’s budget must be paid for by the tobacco industry. Nary a scene without a cigarette. Everyone is…
I Almost Bought Robocop Again
I’m continuing my entertainment angle in advertising with this entry. Anytime I’m in a Walmart (a guilty pleasure), Target, Best Buy, or any store that has a DVD section, I am compelled to see what’s out, and for how much. Over the years, I have bought some version of the Robocop movies on VHS or DVD. I purchased Robocop twice on VHS before buying the trilogy set with the extended cut of the original on DVD. I should be done with my consumption in this regard. However, in the last year, I’ve seen two or three different versions of this…
Superman Lives
This isn’t in regards to the long retired title of Tim Burton’s rendition of revitalizing this franchise. But this entry is indeed about this long-lived franchise. The Superman “S” symbol has got to be one of the most recognized logos ever–it has transcended beyond its originating medium, and is often used as a symbol of hope, justice or just being cool.
This entry came to mind as I diligently searched for news on the fate of the sequel to 2006’s SUPERMAN RETURNS from director Brian Singer (THE USUAL SUSPECTS, X-MEN, AND X-MEN 2). I’m interested in any entertainment property that can…
Your Web Inspiration For The Day
Recently I’ve been working on my own portfolio web site and have been scouring the web for inspiration. I wasn’t really sure where to start looking and I found it difficult to find any good examples.
Then I stumbled on Design Shack. This site showcases good looking web sites and breaks them down by category. And low and behold they have a portfolio category! Woot. It’s organized very well and they have tons of sites to look through.
Kassie Nappier is a native St. Louisan and an aspiring art director waiting for her big break in the advertising world. With over 3 years…
You know you’re in trouble when….
You know you’re in trouble when your client:
- makes every decision by committee
- the more insignificant the decision, the longer you wait for one
- says nothing
- says too much and still says nothing
- use the word “irregardless”… a lot!
- wants you to use a font with lower case “i”s that have less space between the i and the dot
- asks you to come to an all-day planning meeting and there is no food and when you excuse yourself to go the bathroom, they get impatient and become indignant
- they show up with more research analysis data than the CIA to…
What Advertisers Can Learn from “The Dark Knight”
Like most of the planet, I managed to go see Christopher Nolan’s magnificent epic “The Dark Knight” this weekend. This sequel to 2005’s “Batman Begins” set box office records, raking in $155.34 million dollars domestically, breaking the $151.1 million dollar record set by the massively inferior “Spiderman 3″ in 2007.
Now, with the semi-provocative title of this blog, you might expect a list of possibly humorous lessons people in our industry can learn from the Batman. Well, not today.
I’m giving you one genuine lesson we can learn from this movie, and it’s this: Quality attracts the biggest audience.
I hear the objections…
They’re killing the creative!
We used to say, “Let’s get down on all 
fours and look at it from the client’s point of view.” That would always get a laugh when we had to suffer the pain inflicted by the great unwashed (clients) onto our perfect creative work. We used to think that the only good account person was one who fought to keep the creative as is, without any revisions… the “us against them” mentality.
I won’t say I’ve given up the battle, but I’ve expanded my view. The creative product isn’t finished until the client’s on board. In advertising, the projects we do…
Mobsters
Myspace and Facebook applications are growing all the time. I’m a member of both sites and I get invitations to join a new application each week that one of my friends have added. For a year now I have resisted until one of my closer friends sent me an invitation to one called Mobsters. I gave in and after taking a look at this particular application, I see that this is a nicely designed little advertising tool. It’s also pretty addictive.
The game is based around building your character, and family…i.e. your Myspace or Facebook friends. You complete missions with 1…
It’s not a bird. It’s not a plane. It’s Land Rover.
Check out this sculpture by designer Gerry Judah. What an awesome commemorative concept for Land Rover’s 60th birthday – on display at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. There are more pictures on Gerry Judah’s site and you can see what else he’s done. The Toyota display he did last year for the same event was pretty cool too.
Creativity online is featuring an article as well (click here to read).
And that’s all from me today folks. If I don’t chat with you tomorrow, then let me say now – good morning, good afternoon and good night.
Christine – the writer, not the speller
…
The Revolution Is Being Televised
If anyone has kept up with my blogs here at 12pointtype, you’ll notice my favorite subject is the video gaming industry. I grew up with it, and I assure you I will die with it. Outside of new releases and what is fun to play, I am always looking for what is happening with gaming outside of traditional entertainment. I came across an article from 2005 about video games used for stroke victims which you can read HERE. If you take the time to read it you’ll find researchers still can’t conclude that video therapy provides a better treatment than conventional…
“Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don’t…”
But is that really the case for squirrels and elephants? I’m thinking they always feel like a nut. I know what you’re thinking – what the h-e-double hockey sticks is she talking about! Well, I was having a mid afternoon snack yesterday of, you got it, almonds, and it got me thinking about the old jingle for Almond Joy and Mounds. I can’t recall seeing any commercials for the retro candy in awhile – nor have I heard the jingle. When I googled it, I found an interesting definition on Urban Dictionary for Almond Mounds Joy Syndrome or AMJS as I…
Out-of-the-box ideas. Who buys them?
We used to ask for ideas that “pushed the envelope.” 
However, envelope-pushing idea seem to have bitten the dust around the same time it became popular to “redouble” our efforts. I don’t know about other people, but I think words have meaning. If they don’t, what are they there for? Redoubling one’s efforts means that the efforts have already been doubled once, and now we’re being asked to double them again. I do the math and come up with four times the original effort. Is that realistic? If by willing it so, one could simply multiply their effort by four,…
Movie and TV Animations (Boo, Hiss!)
Movie and TV imagery has gotten much more advanced over the years. Now in the days of Snakes” on a Plane”, and “Transformers” animators are able to create anything they want. Sadly, I think the images we see look pretty bad. Visually their creations look great. The movement they are given is WAY too much.
I’m a kid of the 80’s and I loved Transformers. When I heard about the latest Transformers movie I was interested, but once I saw the actual robots I had no desire to see it. I ended up watching it and I was far from amazed.…
Former Ad Guy Saves World with Karaoke
Almost.
Patrick Kirk (PK) Gillock is not the seventh son of the seventh son of the seventh son of the seventh son of the fabled art director who first put a client’s logo in the lower right-hand corner of the spread (only to be told by the client to move it back to the center of the page and make the wood nymphs larger). But he did follow his father’s footsteps into the industry. He just didn’t stay there.
After ten years as a graphic/web designer in Seattle working for clients like Microsoft (well, not exactly like Microsoft, I hope), PK gave…
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