Taking a break

Been a big year for me. Really big. So for the next two weeks I'm taking a break from work and the blog. See you on the other side.

What causes creativity?

Seth on a piece of paper

The blank sheet of paper.

I stare at it pretty much every day.

It taunts. It cajoles me. It inspires me.

Today I read a great piece about the blank sheet of paper by Seth Godin.

Here it is:

The thing about a clean sheet of paper is that it still has edges. 

It's tempting to believe that creativity comes from starting fresh. 

But even when we start fresh, we approach projects and problems with self-created boundaries. 

You can't do real work without edges, without something to leverage, but those edges don't have to be the same edges as everyone else uses. 

Creative people often excel because they change the shape of the clean sheet.

Turning trees into cards

The only downside to having an Xmas tree is wondering what to do with the tree when the new year arrives.

A young creative team at W&K London saw this as an opportunity.

So they gathered all the trees put out on the roadside, chipped and pulped them, then had them made into Xmas cards.

Genius idea. Cute recycled logo tree graphic too! 

Silly season job titles

Now this is just plain silly.

Then again so are many of the job titles I see on Linkedin.

Which is where Connor Skye Riley works.

She's the creator of the Badass Advertising Job Title Generator.

I suggest you go check it out.

Half decent Xmas ad

Came across the Mercedes Xmas ad on Linkedin over the weekend.

No idea who did or which country it originates from.

But seriously what's not to love?

Friday wisdom

Great advice from Sean McCabe. Definitely going to print this out and pin it on my office wall. 

Google this press ad

I spotted this Google ad above the masthead of The Age newspaper the other day.

My first thought was what a cheeky idea. An ad in a space that has never carried them.

But then I started flicking through the paper over brekky and spotted an article on Google.

Turns out what I thought was a clever ad placement was nothing more than a promo piece for content in the paper.

Still clever. Just not as clever as I'd first thought.

Pantone colour of the year

Pantone has just announced their colour of the year for 2015.

It is I think an odd choice.

Great name though!

Transparent advertising

I must've had this idea a dozen times. Possible more.

But it never ever left the creative department.

Either the CD thought is was a bit shitty or I did.

No such problem with this ad by Stockholm agency Fortune. It is genuinely funny.

Zumbo and the haters

Social media trolls. You hear a lot about them these days.

I often wonder how much better the likes of Twitter and Facebook would be if people didn't use them as a vehicle for whingeing and complaining.

Dealing with trolls and negative opinion is never easy. So I want to take my hat off to chef Adriano Zumbo.

Zumbo is opening a new store in Melbourne in a couple of weeks. The store is currently covered by hoarding as it is not yet finished.

And on that hoarding Zumbo has had printed some of the negative comments people have said about him and his brand online.

I'm sure you'd agree this is a bloody ballsy thing to do.

Truth in advertising

The creative process

What's your ideation methodology?

No thats not me asking you a question.

It's a question that I've had asked of me on a couple of occasions by people who think there is such a thing in advertising.

The poster above by Christoph Niemann sums up the creative process far better than I can.

Click here to get a copy for your cubicle or office wall.

Go on. You know you want one!

Absolutely fabulous Sopranos

I have no idea how Joanna Lumley came to be playing the cast of the Sopranos in an ad for Aussie cable TV network Foxtel.

No idea at all.

But I have to say I kinda like it. Nice one Foxtel! 

The Spanish Batman

One of the brands I work on has a name that is difficult to trademark as it is in common usage.

I suspect there are many brands in a similar situation.

Batman however is probably not one of them.

The trademark of Batman belongs to DC Comics who have just launched a copyright infringement lawsuit against the Spanish football club Valencia.

A quick peak at the Valencia logo and it's easy to see why.

Only problem is the football club was in existence long before Batman was created.

Very interested to see how this pans out.

Rain defender by Carhartt

Cracking little spot for US workwear brand Carhartt.

It was created by their in-house abency which makes me like it even more.

I particularly like the line; We believe jackets and sweatshirts shouldn't need umbrellas. 

Love your work Carhartt!