Coke Zero?

This feels right in line for the ad campaign for Coke, but wait, this is for Coke Zero and although the ad is out of Ogilvy, Buenos Aires, Argentina, maybe the Coke Guys (in those ads Duh, duh dudu da duh) are right. Coke Zero is stealing from Coke. Or maybe its just a fun idea with some wicked animation.

Beautiful Packaging Concept

Concept packaging for toys by Art Director Mark Landwehr. MDF boxes held together by rubber bands with ranbow colored sponge material inside. Beautiful stuff.

ADCD 2009 Show: Best Conceptions

Our Annual Show was a big hit at the Sherman Events Center Friday night, celebrating the finest work in the Rocky Mountain region. A lot of fun, and a lot of great surprises last night.

Steve Bullock Design's arresting posters for the Pearl Street Poster Project (seen above, left) was an overwhelming favorite by the judges, garnishing Best of Show as well as three Judge's Choices. Karsh&Hagan was awarded the fourth Judge's Choice for their Brasstacks integrated campaign (seen above, right) for Kappa Alpha Order. 

The judges were tough, but impressed with the field of 450 entries. In the end, more than 40 different agencies and winners walked away with victories. 

Only 11 Golds were handed out. Besides Karsh and Bullock, Brand Iron, Cactus, Ebb+Flow, Integer, Section 45, and SPILLT were recipients. Silvers went to Cameron Christopher Thomas, Genesis, Westphal West, Sterling-Rice Group, David Pahl Photography and Serious Retouching, Integer, Launch, Cactus, Karsh & Hagan, Souders Studios, Bryce Boyer Photography, SPILLT, Ripcord, and Idaho Stew. 

Adrienne Barclay, Tammy Gelfond, and Grace Nichols, a creative team from Integer, concocted the event theme. Adrienne alone poured furious hours into the rockin' Award Annual, masterfully printed by Vision Graphics (and wicked cover work by Foils+Dies). Randall Erkelens of Section 45 spinned some mad tunes. Spillt created wicked graphics to introduce categories and Leigh Anne Dunbar put together one terrific slideshow of the work. Sharon DeNiear gave the event a lively kick with colorful building blocks, and table decor. Scott Lary introduced the cool new wood awards. Kate Codner and Casey Harper were a tremendous help in ironing out many details. And Steve Hirsch from Integer did an incredible job as the emcee of the evening.

And again, huge thanks to our sponsors:  Bruton Stroube, ripcord, Integer, Foils+Dies, Unisource, XYZ Graphics, Gautreaux Photography, Souders Studios, SPILLT, Wildcat, Droy Photography and Vision Graphics.

And wow, that Boba Fett Flash Mob Marching Band was a nice wicked surprise. Came out of nowhere to crash our party, and made an exclamation point on one hell of a night.

Thanks for coming out. If you missed it, we hope to see you next year.

Community Recognition (an open letter)

We believe in the Denver community.

We believe in the work of this community.

We also believe in the bar this community raises for itself year after year.

We absolutely believe that the best way to reward and recognize the Denver Creative Community of Art Directors, Copywriters, Web Designers, Photographers, Illustrators, Graphic Designers, Printers, Producers, Freelancers and Creative Directors is through an Award Show that recognizes excellence in any and all creative mediums.

We’re here to recognize everyone—from the large agencies to the small one-man boutiques, the up-and-comers to the pillars of the community, the traditional foundations to the emerging disciplines.

We will continue to recognize the people and shops as well as the best ideas and the best executions every year because we feel that it is our responsibility to our community to do so.

Of course, it is also our privilege.

With that in mind, we are always looking for ways we can improve our means and methods, our celebrations and our effectiveness in executing to our beliefs.

And since we are about community, it’s important to us that the community has a voice in how it would like to be celebrated. We want to hear from you.

We are holding an open forum, Wednesday, October 7th at 7PM. Taxi Building Conference Room (3457 Ringsby Ct., Denver, CO, 80216). We invite you to meet with the rest of the community as we openly, and honestly discuss how, together, we can improve our celebrations, our work, our community.

Whether you already enjoy our Award Show or would rather see changes, we hope you can find the time to step away from your own great work for a few hours and help lead Denver and ADCD into its future.

We will be there willing to listen and share, we invite you to do the same.

James Pelz
Chris Thomas
Jay Roth
Lindsay Piaz
Jonathan Pite

And your 2009-10 ADCD Board of Directors

Slick Titles from Spillt

Great time at the Annual Show on Friday.
In case you missed them, or wanted to see more, here are the titles from the Show done by the talented team @ Spillt. Original sound by Blorp Corp.
Look them up.

Windows 7 looks cool?

They have done it. They have made the system look cool. Even if the features here are not great, the commercials are clean, simple and memorable.

A Little AXE

Innovative work from those often-innovating people for Axe. Interactive ad that only works at certain times of the day, if you know what I mean.

David Carson, Wyoming-Bound

Powerhouse graphic design guru, David Carson will be coming to the University of Wyoming to be an Eminent Artists in Residence for the fall semester, teaching two courses to art students up yonder.

You can also catch a free-of-charge, open-to-the-public, made-to-inspire lecture from David this Saturday, October 3 at 6pm. Wyoming might seem a little bit of a drive, but consider that most of you will pass by Fort Collins, which has the Colorado International Invitational Poster Exhibition kicking off its opening reception this Friday. Make a weekend of it.

HBO. Original Programming, Indeed.

And this month's finest distraction goes to...this

16th Colorado International Invitational Poster Exhibition

Opening reception and poster sale,
Friday, October 2 , 7-9 p.m.

Show runs October 3 – December 22

University Art Museum • University Center for the Arts (UCA)
The 16th Colorado International Invitational Poster Exhibition (CIIPE) highlights excellence in poster design from leading and emerging graphic designers from around the globe. Now in its 30th year the exhibition is featured, for the first time, in one venue at the University Art Museum. Featuring work by 82 artists from 28 countries, the 16th CIIPE exhibits and interprets poster design, brings outstanding examples of visual communication to an American audience, and promotes international understanding and dialogue through the graphic arts.

For more info.

Decidedly Non-CPB

What is the number one most common mistake a brand can make:

A) Putting a group of people together so diverse that they would never actually interact like you are showing?
B) Annoying camera movements fools anyone to think this is actually real?
C) Disabling Comments on YouTube is fooling anyone?
or
D) Mistakingly believing that any large portion of the population loves your brand as much as you do?

Bonus: E) Anyone will actually make it all the way through this video.

Fiction Generator

Wondermark.com had this little gem up yesterday, The fiction generator. Now it is oh-so-easy.

Colander Table

Amazing table with only ten in existence. However, really love watching the making of and I think you will too. A little behind the scenes for your viewing pleasure.

Sub Pixel Type

This is impressive, why, let's count the ways. Its meant to be 3 pt type, legible, and made by hand. Not sure what to use it for, but there is a client out there rejoicing, they can fit the entire brief on the sticker. Not any of the ones I know though, they are all great.

POP ART

Warhol would be so proud.

In 1993 the Future was so Mundane

Where are my rocket packs from 1953?? They have had more time than AT&T!

Typophiles

Typophile Film Festival 5 Opening Titles from Brent Barson on Vimeo.

if you love type, and you do. Don't you. Two bits of knowledge, there is this typophile film festival and type is only improved upon when in stop motion animation. All real (as they say) no CG.

AIGA CO Presents: Jim Ales

Jim Ales, an AIGA (Re)designAwards judge speaks about the designer's role in making a positive impact through the power of design.


Jim Ales is the art director for the nonprofit Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, California and is one of three judges of this year’s inaugural AIGA (Re)designAwards. Jim will be speaking about nonprofit branding and the positive economic and social impact it brings with experiences at the aquarium.

Good stuff. Walk on over here to get tickets.

Art For Ransom

A year in the making, and wow, was it worth it!

In Fall 2008, ADCD kicked off the Briefies: 80 bright-eyed students from six Universities were tasked to come up with a fundraising concept for Arts Street. The real-live brief was concocted by Stella Yu (pictured), the Director of Arts Street, along with Factory Design Labs Creative VP, Steve Whittier. 

Other professionals stepped up to the plate to mentor the next generation of creatives. Lots of great thinking and enthusiasm came from the teams. In the end, the student team of Karen Andrews, Garrett Buckert, C. Sydney Clewe, and Jeffery Stefonich erupted with a wild idea guided by Steve Koloskus, the principal and founder of Extra Strength. Let the public see a city without art!

Four public art pieces were yanked away two weeks prior, triggering buzz from the media and public. 132 pieces of art from 61 artists were ransomed collectively by the event attendees, 49 of which were included in the Premier Gallery. 

$3,000 was raised and split between Arts Street and RedLine, the 501c.3 non-profit exhibition and studio space that hosted the event. A monster shout out Peter Regenold Bergman, Visiting Assistant Prof. of Art/Communications from Metro for orchestrating this brilliance.

Oh, and the next Briefies is coming up. Stay tuned. It'll be a good one.

Cultivator Snags Kettle Chips

Cultivator's recent win of Kettle Chips is worth high praise. Because after masterfully blending and crafting advertising with design (clearly the case for their client New Belgium Brewing), this progressive form of branding makes it no surprise they were able to win this Salem-Oregon based chipmaker.
Good work, Cultivator. Everyone's excited for you and what you're capable of doing for this brand.

Volunteers Rock!!!

Case in point: Saturday. A good mix of creative souls made their way to RMCAD (the Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design) to help us prepare the gallery of awesome work to be shown at this Friday's show. One of the last beautiful blue-sky days we'll see in 09, and here they were, toiling away for four solid hours.

A big kudos to all of you, and hope to see many of you (and others, too) at the show.

Today's the Last day to reserve seats! ADCD 2009 Show

The show's coming up fast, and seats are going even faster.

Come check out the latest in advertising and design from our creative community Sept. 25 at the Sherman Event Center. Appetizers and dinner will be served. There will be a cash bar, too.

ADCD Professional Members: $70. ADCD Student Members: $60. Non-members: $85. Student non-members: $65. A limited number of tables of 8 are being sold at the discounted rate of $520. A limited number of tables of 10 will be sold at the discounted rate of $650.

The last day to reserve is Sept. 18. Go to adcd.com, so you don't miss out.

Happy Meal de McDonald's

OMG. LOL. WLTSTHITS (Would like to see these here in the states). Especially over the current TV for McD's. TBWA Paris.

Died Young Stayed Pretty

We here at ADCD have been keeping an eye on this for a while. Now it comes to Denver and you have a chance to meet the director. What is it, only the insiders look at the industry that creates the best looking posters, and then screen prints them. Should be a great night, especially since being a member gets you in for $7 on opening night, thanks to the good folks over at Starz. Head on over support films like this and bringing them to Denver all the while, remembering your roots.

A candid look at the underground poster culture in North America and the creative spirit that drives these indie graphic artists.
Director Ellen Yaghoobian in Person. Thursday at 7 PM, Starz FilmCenter

Amazing Bike Design

Pretty igneous design to pack a bike down to a minimal space. Not sure I would want to put it together, but travel would be awesom. More pics of the design ov Victor M. Aleman on the blog FLYLYF.

Backwards and forwards

Why? Because Copy is cool and so are Palindromes. Thats why, plus there is a bit about the product in there. Just a little.

Camera Head Guy takes Picture

Why does japan always get the really fun tech explanations. Nice stop motion teaching you about Google Map's Street view.

Awwwwww

They could have just listed the reviews, but this is waaay better.

ABC's of One Laptop

Nothing really flashy here. Solid work (maybe a bit too long) that is for one fantastic idea. The idea is what we should celebrate. The animation is a nice benefit.

Face Tracking Software on the PS3

Meet the newest avatar using face tracking software. This could really shape the future.

This is so wrong, but so right...no just wrong.

What's this say about you if you find them...attractive?

Blink-free photos, guaranteed.

In 2006, physicist Dr Piers Barnes won an Ig Nobel Prize for his work in determining how many shots of group of people it would take to ensure that no one in the photo is blinking. Rule of thumb for calculating the number of photos: Groups under 20, divide the number of people by three if there's good light, and two if it's bad. Groups over 50: good luck. Read more here. (Cautionary note: math is involved.)

My Friends, this marks a major change

That ad, and you know the one we are talking about, did have a positive outcome, it got the industry talking. More than just talk though. It has impacted the way award shows will be seen. The One Club has changed the way they will be reviewed, ideally evident by the email sent out today. There isn't a difference between good work and good work for the client, never has been. Its the same idea Mary Warlick reminded us several years ago, when she was here reviewing the best of the best. Each award not only represented a great creative, but also a great account guy who sold the work and a great client who bought the work. There is the truth. That is where the power of a great idea lives, and (hopefully, more than ever) what those shiny pencils represent.

Eboy for Der Spiegel

Outside of the local guys, Eboy is one of my personal favorite illustrators. His work from over the pond has been increasingly popular and more increasingly ripped off. This however is his and is, as always, entirely fun. Look out for the naked pixel dudes as you peruse the editorial illustration about the internet and its need for new rules.

Lego

After the WWF fake/real ads, who know if this is real. It would never be aimed at kids, but it has a truth at its core and love what they did with the legos in the shot. So if it isn't a real ad, at least its clever. Naga DDB/Rapp, Malaysia

Art for Ransom

Brought to you by the amazing Peter Bergman, ADCD, Steve Whittier of Factory, Stella Yu of Arts Street and all the students who participated in The Brief last year.

Who says we can't do good things for each other? In times of trouble, we all need to kick in and help each other out. Let's stand up and get involved!
Check out artforransom.org for details on the upcoming show. More to come...

Where the Wild Things Are

Check out the interview with Maurice Sendak about his original vision and Spike Jonze's adaptation.

Big Big

This is fun. Visuals are highly playful on their own, but add in the action and place them in the real world and congrats, have a big idea. Although the women's bathroom cam I'm not sure was a good idea.

Paper

SCRIBE MUNDO DE PAPEL from ladies on Vimeo.

Can you really be able to not like this. Simple product with an engaging visual play.

Roaches at Night

Nice lateral thinking on a been-done tag line. The board uses reflective paint to illuminate the roaches when cars go by at night.

Monopoly City Streets

The idea is fun, play Monopoly online (kinda lame) using your city street and Google Maps (much better). Read the whole review in Wired's Geed Dad Blog here. Nice update of the game.

WTF

This is obviously meant to provide a reaction, and it wasn't run in the US. The question is: Is the shock really worth the medium? The copy line is weak, no more than a threat on the planets behalf. Now, I'm not saying 9/11 is the only untouchable event, it seems pretty poor taste to use any tragedy to promote a product, even if the product is preventing tragedy. I'm not even saying that you can't remind the viewer horrible things happen. There is just some line here, crossed in poor taste. But the real question is what do you think? How do you react to this? DDB, Brasil