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.