Audi R8 superbowl ad

It cost 2.7 million dollars for Audi to show this commercial at halftime of 2008 Superbowl, so you can expect it to be good. Yes, it is a movie parody but it is different from the special effects-laden car ads we are usually bombarded with. The tagline suggests the Audi wants to be seen as 'new luxury' but more than anything this ad reconfirms that R8 is both cool and sophisticated.

Doritos takes over online banners

A very interesting online project for Doritos. They created an application that can replace banner ads on websites with things we actually like, this could be anything from your favorite artwork to pictures of family and friends. Whether this is a good or a bad thing for online advertising I am not sure but it certainly an original approach.

Fabien Perez

I first saw a painting by Fabien Perez a few years ago but I didn't investigate further. However I have just taken the time to look through his full portfolio and I am very impressed. I particularly like his choice of subject matter, especially the 'gangster' style examples above. His use of harsh lighting gives his work a dark and moody feel.

Le Cheval 2.1

If you have ever visited the bar 'Revolution' you may have noticed a strange black and white film playing on the t.v screens. Its the award winning short 'Le Cheval 2.1' and I have no idea why they show it in a bar, I doubt anyone is sober enough to appreciate it at 3am. Anyway I thought it deserved a post, its actually a great little film with a funny punchline.

directed by S. Scott-Hayward & A. Kirkland

drink related artwork

'Liten Ljus' or Little lager is a Swedish beer, the slick design was created by Swedish agency Amore. I have to say, its the best looking beer can I've ever seen!
On the subject of drink related artwork I also found these particularly nice Coca-Cola bottles. Coke invited graphic designers and musicians to depict what the 2008 Beijing Olympic games meant to them. The iconic shape of the Coke bottle allowed the artists to experiment with the colours and typography without risking brand confusion.

Who Wants To Be An Amerikan

This is short film from a student at the Vancouver film school. It tells a quirky tale of a boy living in soviet Russia who longs to live in America. I originally came across it last year but rediscovered it earlier today on YouTube and thought it deserved a post. Not that it needs it really, it already has a 676,000 view count.
It is very well shot and has a good strong narrative- overall an excellent piece of film making.

You can see some more brilliant work from the Vancouver Film school at their youtube homepage here

Money well spent

I heard somewhere that the Nike 'Swoosh' logo was the most inexpensive logo ever produced for a global brand. I checked this out on the logoblog website which said the famous mark was originally called 'the strip' and was designed by Carolyn Davidson in 1971. It also confirmed that Davidson was paid the meager sum of $35 for the logo, that would just about buy you a pair of Nike trainers-if your lucky!
The Rolling Stones 'Lick' mark was also produced in the 1971, a good year for logo design. Coincidentally it was also a bargain, the designer John Pasche was paid just £50 for his excellent work. He was later paid an extra £250 to cover the logos use on merchandise but It probably should have been more like £250,000 since it now features on the t-shirts of students everywhere!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A small update to this post-
The V&A museum has recently purchased the original Rolling Stones logo artwork from Pasche for £92,000- thats a bit more like it!

Nick Dart

I came across this nice poster and typeface set. Its the work of Nick Dart a London based Graphic designer. This struck me as something a little bit 'different'. He has managed to produce a refined and simple design which still catches the eye and most importantly- it looks appealing.
more of Nick's work here

Can't keep a Secret?

Postsecret.com is a brilliantly simple blog concept. Its all in the name- you are invited to anonymously post a secret on a postcard for all of the world to see. The secret can be about absolutely anything;
"regret, hope, funny experience, unseen kindness, fantasy, belief, fear, betrayal, erotic desire, feeling, confession, or childhood humiliation".
The open philosophy of Postsecret has unsuprisingly produced some very interesting results. While browsing the site I found many of the posts were humorous, some were sad, and some were actually quite disturbing, still I was completely fascinated. The project has been so successful that several books crammed full of confessions have been published- I think I will be buying one soon.

A Christmas Classic?

I've heard people say that its not Christmas until the Cocacola 'Holidays are coming, Holidays are coming...' advert hits the T.V screens. Well I'm hoping this Iron Bru skit on 'the Snowman' achieves the same legendary status. Its already been shown for the past 2 Christmases. Its funny, well executed and enjoyable to watch, all the makings of a Christmas classic.

the Snowman style animation was created by Scottish design agency Leith