Battle Of The Broadsheets

I was sitting on the Tube just over a week ago, when I got distracted by a series of ads without any branding. On my carriage, six different images appeared on a black background in place of the usual train advertising. These included Barack Obama standing in front of 10 Downing Street, a boy in swimming trunks, a golden football and the image above of a portrait of Winston Churchill looking over David Cameron. Unbranded ads are something you never see, so being a curious cat, I tried to get a closer look to get any hints as to what these mystery images were. But nothing gave them away.


Only last Friday, it was revealed that it was the new campaign for The Times. All the same images were re-posted sitting behind "The Times". The campaign has been a big viral hit, with lots of other confused bloggers, like me, questionning what it was for. The Times said,

"The purpose of the campaign has been to encourage readers to question and challenge, to think again about our times and to think again about The Times. The same rationale was behind the decision to drop the end line, Join The Debate. The paper wants its readers to make up their own minds about what the paper means to them."


The campaign has been a big success and getting people talking is what all brand want. However, the same day the campaign was revealed, The Times got out-trumped by it's competitor, The Independent. Using the same format The Times had used, with three images on black backgrounds, a copy line reads "Ahead Of The Times", using the same typeface as The Times. The idea was to represent "The Independent's reputation for tackling news stories ahead of the pack". Ha!



The Independent ran the billboards for 24 hours, in order to counteract The Times' campaign. The editor in chief of The Independent said, "The Independent has always had a reputation for innovation and quick thinking and these adverts are another example of that."
There's nothing better than a media cat fight to get us all talking. Miaow!

Advertising Is Dead. Long Live Advertising!

This is an amazing book for anyone into ambient media. It's full of cool alternative advertising campaigns that have made people stop and take notice of brands. We're so overwhelmed with above the line communication messages that it's got to the point where people stop taking them in. Brands need something fresh, clever and witty to stand out from the crowd. Ambient media campaigns often allow brands to get closer to consumers and target them more specifically. And by catching them off guard, they're less likely to block out the messages as people do with traditional advertising. I could go on about the perks of ambient media but it'll take a while. If you want to learn more about it and see some amazing ideas, take a look at the book. It's a great source of inspiration.

Frida

When I saw the Frida Kahlo exhibition at the San Francisco Museum of Moder Art, I was fascinated by her work and personal life. Her art is so intriguingly honest, autobiographical and at times painful, that I wanted to learn more about her. This film tells the story of her life and the struggles and achievements she goes through.

At 18, she was involved in a serious bus accident that caused serious injuries. She was temporarily unable to walk and although she eventually recovered, she suffered relapses of pain for the rest of her life that would leave her bedridden for months. She would pass the time painting and it was this ordeal that created the birth of her career. The film documents the tempestuous relationship between her and her husband, the artist Diego Rivera. Being hurt by his many affairs, she too was promiscuous with both women and men (including Leon Trotsky). As her life goes on, you learn about her political involvement in communism and how her health eventually deteriorates while her career escalates. The film is beautifully shot, integrating colourful scenes and animated sequences that bring her thoughts and art to life.

Visionaire

Visionaire is a magazine with a difference. In fact, I don't know if you can even call it a magazine. It's described as a 'multi format album of fashion and art produced in exclusive numbered limited editions'. Whatever it is, if you buy it, you're officially too cool for school. It's published three times a year and each issue features a different format and theme. Famous artists from the fashion, design and art world collaborate with each issue, making each one completely unique. With a volume costing around £135- it doesn't come cheap. But they always sell out fast.
Issue 26 (above) had the theme 'Fantasy'. A round box held pieces of round, unbound artwork. Featuring work from Tim Burton and Victor & Rolf, it also included a mask designed by Hermes.
To celebrate the 50th issue, 'Artists Toys' came as a collection of ten toys by ten different artists that sat in a white tray with a silk screened clear cover. Each toy took the form of a Russian doll, housing another two, within it.
Issue number 54 'Sport', is now available and you can you actually wear it. Using special printing technology, photographically printed Lacoste polo shirts feature work by artists including Nick Knight, Phil Poynter and Karl Lagerfeld to name a few. This issue is available in four different sets, each housing three collectable shirts.

Click here to visit the website, where you can see more of its amazing issues.

Brand Spanking New Banking

A trip to the bank is usually a pretty dull affair. But if my local branch of the Abbey looked like this, I'd defintely be making excuses to open every type of account they had. This is one of the new CheBanca! banks in Milan. CheBanca! means 'What a bank!' and the design reflects their whole concept of simplicity, transparency and innovation. I'm surprised more places haven't done something like this. Good design doesn't just look nice, but is essential in giving a good impression of a brand's values. By putting this much time and thought into the decor of their branches, you'd assume that they'd treat their customers with even more care and efficiency. With the rise of online banking, banks need to be pulling out all the stops to get customers into their branches. I say they get off their bottoms and take a leaf out of this banks book.

Little People

In one of my earlier posts entitled 'Mini Polaroid People' I found some cool photographs of tiny figurines, but I didn't know who the artist was. I'm chuffed as I think I've discovered who it is. The mystery artist is called Slinkachu.

He's a street artist who positions these little people around London. He creates amusing situations, photographs them then leaves them to survive in the big wide world. Slinkachu says, "It should be a universal kind of feeling that you get living in any big city when you're just one tiny person living among millions of people. It is that kind of feeling that most people feel at one time or another, where they feel a bit lost." He says, "I don't often check back on them once I've placed them on the street. If I do, I usually find that they have long gone." I'm not surprised- they're so tiny, I wouldn't mind betting that half of them get stuck to the bottom of people's shoes. It's a real shame as they'll either be destroyed or most people will walk by without noticing them. But I guess that's the charm of it. For the few people who do discover the real life situations, it's a rare wonder.

Luckily for us, Slinkachu posts the photos on his blog, allowing us to appreciate them, thereby making them immortal. Check out his blog at http://little-people.blogspot.com

Pantone Colouring Pencils

I discovered these Pantone colouring pencils in Korea. Their clean, simple design is beautiful and displayed together they look amazing.

Gregoire Alexandre

I've recently discovered the work of Gregoire Alexandre and I'm already a huge fan. He's a French photographer who's work features in various fashion, design and music magazines. These include, Wallpaper, Esquire, Liberation, and GQ, to name a few. His work is playful and composition is always his main focus. Experimenting with scale, natural and man made objects, clutter and clean, his work often resembles large scale art installations.
To see more of his work, click here.

Quirky Korea part 5: Fabulous Findings

Here's some final little gems to round up my weird and wonderful discoveries in Korea:

You've seen padded bras, but padded pants are the way forward. They're the best way to get you an ass as hot as Jennifer Lopez.

Spam gift sets. The perfect gift for your loved ones.

Dolled up dogs. This little pooch is actually a boy- can't you tell from the blue outfit? I think it must be a little confused.

Amazing night life. The cities come alive after dark. With most shops staying open till midnight and 24 hour restaurants and clubs, there's no time for sleep. The neon signs, decorated shop fronts and big screen adverts are a feast for the eyes.


And after a hard night on the town, what better to make you feel better than a steaming bowl of hangover suop.

Quirky Korea part 4: New Media

"Turn and Widen" is an international exhibition at the Seoul Museum of Art. It explores how new forms of media are turning into art and the influence this has had on the art world. The exhibition focuses on three different areas: light, communication and time.

The light part of the exhibition was my favorite as it was so visually striking. This exhibit is called Reincarnation by Li, Hui. In a dark room you find this bed covered in glowing red lights. It's quite eerie, but somehow the atmosphere creates a sense of calm.



This is a video of an installation called Augmented Sculpture Series by Pablo Valbuena. Different light patterns are beamed onto the white sculpture, showing how the light changes its appearance.

This hanging neon sculpture is from the time section. It's a piece called Sin Lugar (Nowhere) by Carlos Coronas. I'm not quite sure what it has to do with time but it was really impressive.




This is a collage from communication. It's made up of hundreds of video clips of newsreaders all over the world. It's intriguing watching these tiny heads chattering away, each voice blending into a blur of noise. The changing images create moving patterns of light that dance across the screen.

Overall, the exhibition was a mixed bag. Some of the exhibits were really magnificent and a lot of the interactive ones were good fun. However quite a few were rather wanky and a bit too 'experimental' for my liking.

Quirky Korea part 3: Metro Advertising

Seoul is a commercial paradise- it's an advertisers dream! You can't escape from advertising wherever you go. In the metro stations alone, you're bombarded with different types of media.

There's TV screens on the tracks playing ads...


...while at the same time, there's different ads being shown on the platform screens. And they're not silent either, so you'll be listening to one while the other's playing a different jingle. Someone obviously didn't think that one through very well.

On the trains themselves, there's your typical posters, plus TV ads on loop...

...and walking through the stations there's adverts winking at you everywhere you look.

And when you think you can't face any more messages, you discover a tranquil framed painting to lift your spirits. How pleasant! Then you look up close and realise it's an advert for a holiday company. Ha!
Although I'm someone who's fascinated by advertising, overkill can defeat the point as all the communication becomes one big blur. It's not until you come across a fresh idea like the one above that your attention is really captured.

Quirky Korea part 2: Vending Machines

In Korea, vending machines are everywhere! They pop up more often than a Starbucks (and that's saying something). They're reasonably priced and beautifully designed. They display their products in a way that makes them look like works of art. Here's a few that I found...

This is your typical vending machine selling soft drinks. It sells a wide variety of products from chilled green teas, iced coffee, juices and fizzy drinks. The clean, white design with decorative touches is a lot more appealing than the brash Coca Cola branding we tend to get in the UK.




I found this one selling books at Busan station. The covers of the book open and close so you can have a peek inside.


This type of vending machine was often found at the entrance to a public loo. It sells all sorts of handy things from chewing gum, mouth wash, painkillers, wet wipes and feminine hygiene products. Everything you want in life at the touch of a button!

Quirky Korea part 1: Brilliant Bogs

I've just got back from a trip to Korea in which I discovered all sorts of innovative and crazy things. Koreans are very much into their high-tech design and I was constantly impressed by their forward thinking. Being half Korean, I though I'd dedicate my next few posts to my second home.

Everywhere I went, I was pleasantly surprised by something, often in a place I least expected. This leads me onto my first post, dedicated to the wonderful toilets I came across. Never has going to the loo been so exciting!

I discovered this little gem at a department store in Seoul. A special little loo has been built so that mother and child can pee at the same time. Now that's what I call bonding...


I came across this clever device when I made a trip to the ladies at Seoul City Hall. It's called an 'Etiquette Bell' and you use it when you want some err, discretion. At the press of a button it creates the sound of flushing so you can poop to your hearts content.


This digital pad is a toilets best friend and I found them everywhere. Even my Grandma has one. You can control the temperature of the seat so your cheeks are nice and toasty. If you press the wash button, a little nozzle pops out the basin and sprays water so you're sparkly clean down under. Naturally, you'd blow dry afterwards.




This is the hygiene king of toilets. The seat is covered in plastic wrapping and when you press a button , it revolves so it's all fresh and new. You won't catch anything from this bog. As you can see, I had fun playing with this one. I think I need to get out more...

After all this modern design, I breathed a sigh of relief when I discovered this classical style loo at the Deoksugung Palace. It even came with male and female signs dressed in traditional attire. Brilliant!