I recently read an article in eye magazine about a man called Pete Hardwicke who is a sign writer in London and has been for many years.
Monday 30 November 2015
Eye magazine article
Eye is a graphic design and visual culture magazine that was first published in London in 1990.
I recently read an article in eye magazine about a man called Pete Hardwicke who is a sign writer in London and has been for many years.
The variety of signs that he is capable of doing is rather extraordinary. Ranging from the classic serif typefaces to more complexed forms of Calligraphy, Pete has made his mark on a significant area of London.
The fact that he remains humble, does not sign his name on work and appears to not care for any recognition or fame is what was surprising about the article. He seems to love what he does and he is great at it.
I recently read an article in eye magazine about a man called Pete Hardwicke who is a sign writer in London and has been for many years.
Sunday 29 November 2015
Sainsbury's and Mog the cat
John Lewis and Sainsbury's are the two major companies to look out for in terms of Christmas advertising. John Lewis have arguably gained the majority of attention this year with their man on the moon advertisement, but Sainsbury's may well be the nations favourite with their loveable Mog the cat Christmas advertisement.
The advertisement is based on the series of children's books by Judith Kerr dating back as early as 1970.
Mog, the forgetful cat gets into multiple difficult scenarios in which she inadvertently continues to ruin things until the house is set on fire. The neighbours then precede to help the family to get the house back together again and Mog is happy again.
The agency responsible for the beautifully animated advertisement is Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO.
Sainsbury's have already sold out of Mog toys and the book which accompanies the advertisement 'Mog's Christmas Calamity' is climbing the children's best seller list.
The advertisement is based on the series of children's books by Judith Kerr dating back as early as 1970.
Mog, the forgetful cat gets into multiple difficult scenarios in which she inadvertently continues to ruin things until the house is set on fire. The neighbours then precede to help the family to get the house back together again and Mog is happy again.
The agency responsible for the beautifully animated advertisement is Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO.
Sainsbury's have already sold out of Mog toys and the book which accompanies the advertisement 'Mog's Christmas Calamity' is climbing the children's best seller list.
Aldi vs John lewis
Aldi have subtly parodied John lewis' iconic Christmas advertisement this year by creating an almost identical scene but with some subtle and amusing changes.
John Lewis' original advertisement is a heartwarming story of a young girl who sends a telescope to a man, who is all alone living on the moon; with the heartwarming message to show someone they are loved this christmas who may otherwise be lonely.
Aldi depicts the man on the moon next to two telescopes, one with the John lewis price tag of £109.95 and the other with the Aldi price tag of £69.99. The old man is then greeted with a companion flying in on a sofa with balloons attached to it, to which he says 'I'm over the moon with this one'.
The agency responsible for Aldi's clever comparison style advertisements are McCann Manchester. The amusing tone of voice used in these adverts has radically changed the publics perception of Aldi and advertisements like this one will continue to do so.
John Lewis' original advertisement is a heartwarming story of a young girl who sends a telescope to a man, who is all alone living on the moon; with the heartwarming message to show someone they are loved this christmas who may otherwise be lonely.
Aldi depicts the man on the moon next to two telescopes, one with the John lewis price tag of £109.95 and the other with the Aldi price tag of £69.99. The old man is then greeted with a companion flying in on a sofa with balloons attached to it, to which he says 'I'm over the moon with this one'.
The agency responsible for Aldi's clever comparison style advertisements are McCann Manchester. The amusing tone of voice used in these adverts has radically changed the publics perception of Aldi and advertisements like this one will continue to do so.
Sunday 8 November 2015
Christmas coming early
The first Christmas advertisements this year came from both Aldi and Lidl on November 1st, just a day after Halloween. Many people tend to complain or claim that these advertisements are coming earlier and earlier each year.
A reason for this is that each brand wants to out perform each other; particularly supermarkets. This means that if for example Asda choose to release their Christmas advertisements on the 11th November one year and Morrisons released their advertisement on the 15th November, they would be a full four days behind Asda and their festive advertisements. With this in mind, the next year they are likely to release their Christmas advertisements earlier in the year, to tackle this problem.
Andy Atkinson, Interim marketing director of Morrisons acknowledges this trend, stating that they were 'one of the last' to release their Christmas advertisements, which he felt was 'inappropriate'.
This seems to be something that will likely continue. If companies continue to release their advertisements earlier each year, other companies will be forced to follow suit.
Andy Atkinson, Interim marketing director of Morrisons acknowledges this trend, stating that they were 'one of the last' to release their Christmas advertisements, which he felt was 'inappropriate'.
This seems to be something that will likely continue. If companies continue to release their advertisements earlier each year, other companies will be forced to follow suit.
Friday 6 November 2015
John Lewis Christmas advertisement has arrived!
John Lewis is a company that since 2007, has produced the best of the best Christmas advertisements. They often feature a classic song, covered in a heartwarming way. The song often gains a boost in sales from these advertisements, proving how effective they really are.
This year the advertisement features an Oasis song 'Half the World Away', covered by Aurora - a 19 year old Norwegian singer.
The narrative follows a young Girl named Lily, who when looking through her telescope finds a Man on the moon all alone. She attempts to befriend him by sending gifts to him but fails to reach until Christmas day. The elderly man receives Lily's gift and sheds a tear of joy; the message reading 'Show someone they're loved this Christmas'.
The beautifully shot 2 minute piece created by ad agency Adam & Eve DDB is sure to be as successful as the previous years. The ad really is a tear-jerker and plays on the sad fact of elderly people not being able to share Christmas with their loved ones.
It is clear why John Lewis have gained this reputation for beautiful and emotional Christmas advertisements.
This year the advertisement features an Oasis song 'Half the World Away', covered by Aurora - a 19 year old Norwegian singer.
The narrative follows a young Girl named Lily, who when looking through her telescope finds a Man on the moon all alone. She attempts to befriend him by sending gifts to him but fails to reach until Christmas day. The elderly man receives Lily's gift and sheds a tear of joy; the message reading 'Show someone they're loved this Christmas'.
The beautifully shot 2 minute piece created by ad agency Adam & Eve DDB is sure to be as successful as the previous years. The ad really is a tear-jerker and plays on the sad fact of elderly people not being able to share Christmas with their loved ones.
It is clear why John Lewis have gained this reputation for beautiful and emotional Christmas advertisements.
Monday 2 November 2015
Smart packaging by Walkers
Something which has always caught my eye in the snacks aisle at supermarkets is the brilliantly clever packaging by Walkers 'Tiger nuts'.
The way that the Tiger markings compose the words is nothing short of genius in my opinion.
Personally, I don't eat nuts but i think that this packaging would make me purchase them above all other brands because of the creative packaging. The packaging has clearly not gone unnoticed too, winning a couple of 'Pentawards' for the design.
The design is a fairly simple concept, but executing the idea could not have been easy, yet it is done expertly.
Personally, I don't eat nuts but i think that this packaging would make me purchase them above all other brands because of the creative packaging. The packaging has clearly not gone unnoticed too, winning a couple of 'Pentawards' for the design.
The design is a fairly simple concept, but executing the idea could not have been easy, yet it is done expertly.
Sunday 1 November 2015
Lidl Christmas Advertisement
Lidl has become one of the first companies to jump on the Christmas bandwagon, considerably early too, around Halloween time.
The advertisement features a 'school of christmas' which teaches students how to deal with problems usually encountered around the Christmas period, such as untangling fairy lights and assembling a snowman.
Usually Christmas advertisements feature a heartwarming story. However, this Lidl festive themed advertisement uses a humorous tone of voice to get the audience in the festive spirit.
Although it has surfaced surprisingly early, I believe Lidl have done a great job in getting people excited for Christmas by highlighting some of the problems we have all faced at this time of year.
The advertisement features a 'school of christmas' which teaches students how to deal with problems usually encountered around the Christmas period, such as untangling fairy lights and assembling a snowman.
Usually Christmas advertisements feature a heartwarming story. However, this Lidl festive themed advertisement uses a humorous tone of voice to get the audience in the festive spirit.
Although it has surfaced surprisingly early, I believe Lidl have done a great job in getting people excited for Christmas by highlighting some of the problems we have all faced at this time of year.
Seasonal Starbucks
Starbucks are just now releasing the Christmas range of beverages such as the Gingerbread latte, Eggnog latte and the new Gingerbread whipped cream with waffle sprinkles.
Starbucks is a wildly successful company and it is no secret that their seasonal themes help them to keep their level of success. These christmas drinks come shortly after the autumn themed beverages like the insanely popular Pumpkin spice latte.
Around this Christmas period Starbucks staff wear red aprons and all beverages are served in red cups, which have become popular among customers.
Personally I am a huge fan of Starbucks and how they market themselves and stay relevant with their unique 'themed' events and recipes.
Funny Amazon advertisement ft. Jeremy Clarkson
An amazon advertisement featuring Jeremy Clarkson has gained a lot of attention recently for poking fun at the BBC.
Jeremy Clarkson was fired by the BBC earlier this year following various altercations; one of which he allegedly punched a producer of his show 'Top Gear'.
Since then, there has been an incredibly high demand for the TV show to return; Amazon being the company who chose to gamble on the show.
The advert features Jeremy Clarkson scrolling through and listing the features of the Amazon Fire TV stick, and upon reaching 'BBC iPlayer' he simply refers to it as 'that'.
The advertisement certainly has a comedic tone of voice and I don't think it was an attack on the BBC from Amazon, as iPlayer is a key feature on the product. I believe it was a tongue in cheek comment towards the events that transpired between Jeremy and the BBC and it was quite amusing.
Jeremy Clarkson was fired by the BBC earlier this year following various altercations; one of which he allegedly punched a producer of his show 'Top Gear'.
Since then, there has been an incredibly high demand for the TV show to return; Amazon being the company who chose to gamble on the show.
The advertisement certainly has a comedic tone of voice and I don't think it was an attack on the BBC from Amazon, as iPlayer is a key feature on the product. I believe it was a tongue in cheek comment towards the events that transpired between Jeremy and the BBC and it was quite amusing.
Snapchat owns your pictures (ethics)
Snapchat has recently altered its terms and conditions to the point where they are allowed to do what they like with the publics pictures and videos.
The USP of snapchat is the fact that after sending your pictures or videos to your friends, they normally disappear forever. However, this privacy policy means that Snapchat can do as they please with all shared media through snapchat.
This policy could be damaging for snapchat as it completely opposes everything that makes the app great. It definitely makes you think twice about what you will send to your friends knowing that the media isn't gone forever.
The USP of snapchat is the fact that after sending your pictures or videos to your friends, they normally disappear forever. However, this privacy policy means that Snapchat can do as they please with all shared media through snapchat.
This policy could be damaging for snapchat as it completely opposes everything that makes the app great. It definitely makes you think twice about what you will send to your friends knowing that the media isn't gone forever.
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