Guinness Commercial "Good things come to those who wait."

I think this advert is really clever. It manages to create the right feeling of anticipation and makes you wonder what it is advertising. I would love to know how much of this is generated by computer and how much was actually filmed though. The way that it has built up in scale and ambition as the advert progresses sets the mood that Guinness is a drink that needs to be admired and celebrated.

Drugs and Human Behaviour

This is a book cover from 1970 done by Diagram. I really like the way that it has tried to express an idea and hasn't resorted to the traditional pills image. I have read a few comments on this and they can't see the link from teapot to scorpian and have taken it on a very literal sence, but I like the fact that it simply implies a change of mood and perception that can occur and therefore suggests some themes that will continue into the book. I had never really thought of looking into non fiction covers before, but the last two posts have really made me consider a different direction angle for my independent project.

A General Theory of Love Cover - Great Design

Since I first saw this book cover by John Gall, it has been one of my favorites. Its one of those designs that when you see it done you realize what an obvious yet striking an idea it is. The book explores the psychology of love, this clever photograph manages to tell you all of that instantly. The thing that I like the most is that the title itself could be visualized in many different ways, however the design shows you that bit more about the book (for example it hints that this is a non fiction study and not a novel). It is these sort of designs that really inspire me as they show that the person creating them has really understood the point of the book and is trying to communicate this to the audience. I would like to research this area and other designs like this in preparation for my independent project after Christmas.

Another Sony Bravia - Great design

I was really surprised when I saw this mentioned in one of those free papers you get given on the train. The play-doh ad has not long been out and in the past all of sony's ads have been well spaced so just as the buzz from one has died down the next is released.



This article from ads of the world ( http://adsoftheworld.com/media/tv/sony_bravia_pyramid ) suggests that It has been made specially for the egyptian market. It is perhaps not as ambitious as some of the other adverts in the series but the concept is there and it works well as its still a large scale take over of colour. It is these type of adverts that have really inspired me to look at it as an area to explore in my independent project. There is so much that you can do with a concept when it is applied to motion, I would like to explore this further in my work. Whilst this advert itself is probably not my favorite of all the ones that this company has produced, I have included it as an example of great design for the concept application and campaign as a whole.

Sky Movies Advert,

I remember reading earlier this summer on someone's blog (I forget who) that the city of Sao Paulo in Brazil was going advertising free. I was really curious about the effect that this would have on the cityscape at the time, but shortly forgot about it and didn't look into it again until I came across this advert by Sky Movies.



I think its a great example of a company making the most of the surrounding area for their own purposes. I wonder how long it was before the advertising guys at sky realized that by filming a series of short clips in the already advertising free city they could use it to create a commercial that fitted in with what they wanted. On the other hand, one thing I did wonder was how the governors of Sao Paulo reacted when their efforts to remove all advertising, was used to create the exact thing they were trying to wipe out.

Philips Dominos Advert

I don't ever remember seeing this before so don't know if it is only an internet ad or one that used to be on TV, either way I think its a really clever way of promoting a light bulb. Its the kind of thing that would make you smile and therefore makes you more likely to remember the brand when you are out shopping.

Sony Bravia Play-Doh

This is the latest of the adverts for the Sony Bravia campaign 'Colour like no other'. The first was so unusual and popular with the Jose Gonzalez soundtrack and the thousands of bouncy balls released down the street, it was almost inevitable that the second would not quite live up to people's expectations. This final advert features hundreds of bunnies varying in size from 6" to 30 feet tall. This quote from the Sony website gives some impression of what a large scale project this was;

"The third TV commercial for BRAVIA is the most ambitious piece of stop-motion animation ever undertaken. Devised by Fallon and shot over three weeks in New York, the commercial employed 40 animators from Passion and used 2.5 tonnes of plasticine."

The thing that I love more than anything about this campaign is that they take these crazy huge scale ideas that are all physically created with colour. Instead of going with the safe and cheep option of filming it in a studio, they film them out into the streets ensuring it goes from being a big idea to being a big campaign. In many ways I think this is my favorite of the adverts so far in what they have constructed and done. I like everyone else really liked the first but this one just seams to be more ambitious and consequently impressive. I don't like the soundtrack as much but it undeniably fits in with the style and contents of the advert. The thinking behind the idea was that they just wanted to show playfulness and a sense of fun, in my opinion they have done this really well, creating another fantastic advert in their Colour like no other series.

Gingerbread Haka

I love this advert, it was launched in New Zealand about the same time as the Rugby World Cup was starting. Its a really simple way to get attention for the bakery of the year competition and create a buzz about something that may not otherwise receive as much publicity. The whole history of the Haka really supports the mood that they are trying to create as it lays down a challenge to the opposition. It is definitely a bit of fun but the whole idea and thinking behind it is fantastic.

notgoinganywhere.co.uk

This is a really clever campaign that has been launched in the last few weeks by Ikea. I saw the TV advert first, and immediately liked the thinking that had gone behind it. The line that they are using is that home is “more than a roof over your head”, this is something that people can sympathise with, and strikes a chord with everyone.

The website is based on a very simple, yet fantastic idea; instead of putting signs up to say your house is for sale, you create one that shows that your not going anywhere. This is one that at the moment is one that has mainly taken off in London, where estate agents frequently contact homeowners on the most saleable streets. Whilst on the surface it doesn’t advertise Ikea’s products, it does sell the idea that ikea can help you transform a building into a home.

I can’t seam to find a copy of the advert online, but one thing I remember is it’s clever use of motion type. It also used words such as “Is your house perfect? Or is it real, and still perfect?” This is a campaign that appears on the surface to have a lot of potential and I look forward to see how this works out.

Penguin, "We print the words you do the covers" some of the results

I have been checking back onto this website since I first posted about this initiative. Here are a few of my favorite covers from the 'online gallery'. I think most if not all rival what is currently on the shelves at the moment. They are all very different in style and some of those that have been done for the same title could not be more dissimilar. This shows how people can react differently to the same novel, I love this idea and the results that it has created.