A life saving ad

Came across this very clever organ donation press ad on Twitter. No idea who did it but big thumbs up from me. 

Cheeky WiFi by Audi

Cheeky wifi names is nothing new.

Melbourne Writers Festival actually created poetry using wifi names at venues.

But kudos anyway to Audi for this sneaky selection of wifi names which basically spell out many of the features that make the Audi A4 so special.

Oh and did I mention they did this at the New York Auto Show?

Bonus points for that!

Snapchat outdoors?

These unbranded posters have been popping up in a number of cities and districts in the US.

As you can see they carry no logo.

Now I love a no logo ad as much as the next guy but these posters baffle me.

They're for Snapchat and the stylised city headlines are Snapchat geo-filters unique to the particular area.

So far so good. But seriously what is the point?

Or maybe there isn't a point.

Aeroplane advertising

Advertising on public transport has been around for years.

I once did a poster that was banned by the bus company. So I have a soft spot for transit ads.

But advertising on planes. Seriously?

Shudder to think what 'amazing new medium' the media guys will come up with next.

Doggy alphabet

The doggy alphabet by Andre Clompos is most definitely a joy to behold.

Only room for three letters here. Check out the full alphabet by clicking here.

René Magritte advertising

Before making a name for himself as a surrealist painter the Belgian artist René Magritte made ends meet by creating advertising artwork.

Not just any old artwork mind you.

This is beautiful art deco art.

I imagine original posters of these ads would fetch quite a bit of money these days.

But I wonder if people who bought them would know they were created by one of the great art figures of the 20th century?

Habits of designers

I know a lot of designers. Obviously. And I reckon these three diagrams apply to all of them.

Iggy + Audi = WTF?

Intelligence is the new rock 'n roll.

Really?

What I've always loved about the Audi brand is their understated confidence.

No shouting. No over top top video music style tv spots. Just pure German engineering.

Apparently those days are over. What a pity...

Good hair day pasta

Been a while since I've featured packaging design on DNA.

Sadly this pasta stuff is only conceptual.

Which is a damn shame as I love it.

Clean. Simple. Visually striking.

Can you imagine how beautiful it would look on a supermarket shelf amidst all the endlessly dull pasta packing?

Love your work Nikita!

Playable pre-rolls

Know what I hate?

I hate it when I see someone else produce an idea that I already had.

And I get real jealous when it's done well.

Like this lovely idea for Mountain Dew.

Grrrr!!!! 

Babies rule

My kids are pretty much grown up now but the memories of broken sleep in the early days of a new baby never fade.

One thing I'll always remember is my wife and I wanted to used cloth nappies when our daughter was born.

We soon realised that every time she urinated her wet nappy would wake her up.

So we switched to disposables and life got a lot better.

I suspect the team behind this campaign had a brief that contained information like this.

Kitty Litter

My daughter sent me a link to this ad on the w/e.

It's a couple of years old I think.

Still made me smile though. 

CMYK by James Blake

I find the resurgence of vinyl fascinating.

Yes records are great. And yes the covers make for great artwork.

But as someone who listens to a lot of music I can't be bothered having to get up and turn the record over every 20 or so minutes.

Regardless of my apparent lack of love for vinyl I do have a soft spot for it. And a rather large collection.

I just don't play it very often.

What I really love is the concept of the album as a work of art.

Not just the music. The whole package.

The James Blake ep CMYK is a great example of this.

Sure you can buy the standard 12" version.

Or you can buy it as a triple pack in the three colours that make up the CMYK spectrum.

Pretty clever huh? 

Ad Nauseum

Why are more and more people installing ad blockers?

Because marketers have broken the agreement the ad industry made with consumers many years ago whereby we promised that if we were going to interrupt what they were interested in then we would at least engage and entertain them.

Instead we treat consumers as prey to be hunted, tracked and targeted with ads that have no charm whatsoever.

Now the ad blocker has gone a step further.

Not only does Ad Nauseum block ads, it also clicks on them. Genius!

Drive it or hate it

 Almost impossible to read the headlines on these ads at this size.

Try clicking to see if it makes it easier.

Anyway for those of you with eyesight like mine the headline says:

Drive it or hate it. The Smart Fortwo.

Don't know 'bout you but I love it.

The ad that is. The car not so much.

Watch for Rhinos

I read in the news this morning that our public transport corporation is putting its much loved Rhinos campaign back on air.

Sure some of the production values are a bit iffy. But man I love this ad.

And if you've ever felt the rumble of a Melbourne tram at speed I'm sure you'd appreciate it as much as i do. 

Rolled to perfection

Now here's a store that knows its customers well. Very well. 

A new smile in the mind

In the early days of my career at JWT the book A Smile In The Mind was a staple of every creative's bookshelf.

The internet was still in its infancy back then. So award annuals and graphic design books were a must have.

Today I found out that they're published a new version.

I thought initially it would not be worth bothering with as I still have my copy of the original.

But it turns out it contains almost 50% new material.

Find out more at the dedicated website.

Lost in space

This Linkedin ad premiered in the US last w/e during the Oscars telecast.

Now I love space travel and all things NASA. So I expected to love this spot.

But I don't. I really don't.

Is it just me or is the whole NASA needs an astronaut thing just a bunch of seriously borrowed interest?

Beans means...

Of course it's not real. But it is very good. This fun spoof was created by Canadian animator Alvise Avati.

Wes & Brad in Japan

What I love about big budget advertising in Japan is they make great ads without letting a total lack of an idea get in the way.

Unless of course your idea of an idea is the get Wes Anderson to direct and Brad Pitt to star in you commercial.

Then again maybe that is the idea.

Either way I love this ad. Although what on earth it has to do with mobile phone company Softbank is completely beyond me.