Very nice and simple, good work Draft FGC.
Monday, 3 September 2007
Too old to be in an anti-aging ad...
It seems that the USA has banned Dove's new Campaign For Real Beauty TV ads. Why? Because they feature "too much skin". Someone rightfully pointed out; "How can it be that Ms. Spears is allowed to gyrate in a bikini top on MTV with a snake whilst singing "I'm a slave for you" to 12 year olds, but 50-something women are not allowed to be shown sans clothes in what I would argue is a completely tasteful, if not downright elegant manner?".
Opponents of the adverts claim the use of female nudity to sell products under any banner is exploitative of women's sexuality, which is frankly rubbish because that is exactly what certain other parties in the media do everyday, without challenge. Let's take "r'n'b" music for example; a genre practically based upon the use of nudity to shift records. The songs themselves have practically no artistic merit.
This whole debate boils down to what people find acceptable and what people simply turn a blind eye to. It isn't about a reasoned objection to the nudity of the adverts, it's simply a knee-jerk balk in shock. Interestingly, the campaign has been allowed to continue in women's magazines - underscoring the importance context takes in the reception of an advertisement.
It's not surprising the uproar that this has created in America; a country sometimes so ridiculously keen to start an argument about something that they go around invading countries illegally. It's a shame this has happened really; Dove has an advertising campaign that focuses on showing women for what they really are, and not simply trowelling them in make-up and turning the lighting up to eleven. This campaign has been successful so far, creating a USP and positive image about Dove products that other companies have not been able to emulate.
Detractors continue their opposition with "Their message basically says: 'Use our product and even if your body isn't perfect, our lotion will make you beautiful.'"; yes people, exactly the point. Instead of simply creating an image of perfection like so many other adverts do, these promote being happy with yourself instead of wanting what other people have.
Unfortunately, the television adverts seem to have disappeared completely, and no-one's had the foresight to YouTube them. If Dove's intention was a ban, they've not done very well.
Sunday, 2 September 2007
Channel 4 Idents
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CVdllN67OQ
Love 'em. No other channel has such diverse, intriguing and stylish idents, or channel presence for that matter. BBC2 used to be the best, with their variations on the '2' (robotic 2, flying 2 etc. etc.), but 4Creative's launch of these idents a couple of years back was a great idea. They took the traditional segmented 4 logo, and dragged it into the 21st Century, without losing its sensible look.
Love 'em. No other channel has such diverse, intriguing and stylish idents, or channel presence for that matter. BBC2 used to be the best, with their variations on the '2' (robotic 2, flying 2 etc. etc.), but 4Creative's launch of these idents a couple of years back was a great idea. They took the traditional segmented 4 logo, and dragged it into the 21st Century, without losing its sensible look.
Don't Lose Your Sense Of Wonder
I found this photo on Paul Neave's Flickr page. I think it sums up creativity pretty well. Isn't our sense of wonder what provides the fuel for our ideas? Isn't it what makes us question the world around us, and the possibilities therein? Definitely.
It's our sense of wonder which makes us curious. We question "what would happen if I put that over there" or "what would happen if I used that colour, instead of the boring blue that I already chose." Our sense of wonder is what inspires us everytime we see something new. It's why we appreciate the spectacular and the diverse. And it's key to creativity.
Thinking about it, it's probably children who have the biggest sense of wonder out of all of us. They're the ones who have no inhibitions, they just throw a load of paint on the floor and don't really care. But this gets hammered out of us as we get older and inevitably more jaded with what we see around us. It's this seeing things without inhibitions which is key to creativity. The best creative experts will tell you never to bound your ideas with what is possible and what isn't possible. Phone network Orange, for example, don't even include technicians on the design staff, therefore avoiding 'idea-killers'. And isn't it the strangest and simultaneously most creative people who always create the most incredible pieces of work, be they art or science?
Taking the ideas of others and being inspired by them doesn't mean simply ripping them off. It means you take the underlying message, or emotion, or merely the buzz of seeing it, and apply it to your own work. This is key to remaining capable of producing work that is both fresh and unique.
Neave.com
Following on from the Optical Illusions video, I backtracked to find the source of this malarkey. Neave.com is the website of Paul Neave, self-described "serial Flash fettler and interactive designer". One look at the site is enough to send a Flash fan into spasms of envy at Neave's creative skills. This guy knows his Flash.
On display are a selection of retro games lovingly recreated, Neave TV (where I found the beforementioned video), a random flower generator, your imagination, a planetarium, Flash Earth, a really trippy strobe, and my personal favourite - a graphic representation of whatever music you're playing.
The site is immaculately designed. I really like the way that the edges of the main menu morph depending on what you mouseover. His Flickr photos are worth checking out too.
On display are a selection of retro games lovingly recreated, Neave TV (where I found the beforementioned video), a random flower generator, your imagination, a planetarium, Flash Earth, a really trippy strobe, and my personal favourite - a graphic representation of whatever music you're playing.
The site is immaculately designed. I really like the way that the edges of the main menu morph depending on what you mouseover. His Flickr photos are worth checking out too.
Optical Illusions
A pretty cool video detailing some common (and not so common) optical illusions, with the added twist being that the instructions are in time with the guitar notes. Rather cool.
http://www.neave.tv/#wba_cage
http://www.neave.tv/#wba_cage
Eduardo Recife
Misprinted Type.com is the personal website of designer Eduardo Recife. It's a site that I've used quite a lot over the past few years, mainly because of the excellent collection of free fonts. Recife's fonts tend to be quite distorted, but place the emphasis on the beauty of the characters themselves and emphasising the message they are intended to communicate. Virgin Megastores are among the companies that use his typefaces; Downcome features on some in-store advertising. His fonts are great if you want to create a dirty look that still retains elegance.
Recife's corporate website shows an impressive variety of work for clients such as HBO, Rip Curl and the band Panic! At The Disco. Very graphic in style, it makes use of photos and textures along with type to create images that verge on the abstract.
I particularly like this t-shirt design; especially the typography as its so well visually balanced. The blue is just the right shade too, and the subtle gradient helps it to stand out.
The above image is great because of how it manages to balance retro aesthetic with more modern design principles and ideas. The background is nicely textured too; subtle but a good touch.
Recife's corporate website shows an impressive variety of work for clients such as HBO, Rip Curl and the band Panic! At The Disco. Very graphic in style, it makes use of photos and textures along with type to create images that verge on the abstract.
I particularly like this t-shirt design; especially the typography as its so well visually balanced. The blue is just the right shade too, and the subtle gradient helps it to stand out.
The above image is great because of how it manages to balance retro aesthetic with more modern design principles and ideas. The background is nicely textured too; subtle but a good touch.
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