ADC Awards Live! Corbis Salutes the Charitable.
Posted on 2008-May-2 at 05:35
Corbis presented 3 awards (two professional, one student) to the ADC Winners they though exemplified their mission of doing good work around the world. Not just nice looking ads. But nice looking ads that do good things for people in need. Here's Renee and Stephen from Corbis to tell you who won.

Can you guess what agencies/work won?

Hint for agency #1: Freezing Homeless People.

Hint for agency #2: We can do it, too!

Sorry, no student hint.


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For more info, see below:

Corbis and the ADC Unveil Winners of 2nd Annual Corbis Creativity for Social Justice Award & Scholarship
 
Creatives Can Help Increase Corbis’ Donation to the Benefiting Causes Just by Searching for Images at www.corbis.com/searchforjustice
 
NEW YORK (May 2, 2008) – Corbis (www.corbis.com), a leading visual media provider for the creative community, and the Art Directors Club (ADC), today announced the professional and student winners of the 2nd annual Corbis Creativity for Social Justice Award & Scholarship, part of the 87th Annual ADC Awards program recognizing the best in advertising and design from around the world. The winners were revealed at the annual ADC Awards Gala held last night at the ADC Gallery in New York City.
 
The Corbis Creativity for Social Justice Award & Scholarship honors the best work created by professionals and students on behalf of non-profits on a pro bono basis. Agency creatives receive the prestigious ADC Cubes, and Corbis donates $20,000 to the non-profit cause and awards the student winner with a $5,000 scholarship. This year, Corbis is inviting the creative community to join the “Search for Justice” and increase Corbis’ donation to the social justice causes just by searching for images at www.corbis.com/searchforjustice.
 
2008 Corbis Creativity for Social Justice Award Winners Strike Gold!
The professional award this year was a tie, with both winners receiving the ADC’s highest honor, the prestigious ADC Gold Cube. The benefiting charitable causes will split the $20,000 prize as well as additional money resulting from Corbis’ “Search for Justice” initiative.
 
“We are so thrilled that these winners received the ADC’s highest honor – the ADC Gold Cube,” said Renee Martin, Vice President, Sales & Service, North America, who presented the awards to the winners at the ADC Gala. “Corbis is dedicated to supporting the creative community and the non-profit causes that creatives have spent their hard-to-find free time to support. We love recognizing this incredible talent.”
 
TAXI Canada was awarded a Gold Cube for a community initiative it conceived and launched called The 15 Below Project (http://15belowproject.org) to mark the agency’s 15-year anniversary.  TAXI executive creative director, Steve Mykolyn, developed the idea for the high-concept, low-cost jackets to help the homeless who can’t get off the streets to survive extreme winter conditions. Stuffed with newspaper it’s a winter coat. Stuffing removed, it becomes a raincoat. When not being worn, it converts into a backpack that can be used as a pillow. On behalf of its clients and staff, TAXI Canada donated 3,000 15 Below jackets to the homeless throughout Canada and the U.S.
 
Vitruvio Leo Burnett Spain was awarded a Gold Cube for its pro bono work supporting the Prodis Foundation (www.fundacionprodis.org), which helps those with Down syndrome achieve a more independent lifestyle.  Vitruvio Leo Burnett responded to a brief from Prodis to create a public awareness campaign communicating that children with Down syndrome can be active participants in society. The agency conceived a campaign called “Let Us Do It,” whereby children with Down’s created and shot an ad and movie trailer themselves to address misconceptions about those with Down syndrome and illustrate their capabilities and skills.
 
James Yang, a student of New York-based School of Visual Arts (SVA), was selected as the Corbis Creativity for Social Justice Scholarship winner for his project based on the Darfur Genocide Campaign (www.savedarfur.org), an organization dedicated to raising public awareness about the atrocities in Darfur. James' poster campaign expressed the loss of life in Darfur through graphic symbolism and a slogan ‘400,000 killed and still growing.’ The artwork consisted of a long succession of posters featuring red check marks, which visually expressed the number of lives lost. The red check marks also became the campaign’s logo. While the project was done on behalf of a real non-profit organization, it did not require the participation or consent of the organization.
 
"It’s clear that this award category is driven by passion—from the non-profits to the creatives and full circle back to Corbis," said Ami Brophy, Executive Director of the ADC. "We hope that these awards encourage others to use their creative skills to benefit the non-profit sector and ultimately their communities at large."
 
The Creative Community Can Join the “Search for Justice”
The creative community can learn more about the benefiting causes and help raise money for them by participating in the Corbis “Search for Justice” initiative.  Corbis will donate a dollar every day for each person’s first image search conducted at www.corbis.com/searchforjustice starting today through July 31st, 2008. 
 
Corbis is also proud to sponsor the ADC Awards Exhibition running at the ADC Gallery in New York from June 5-27th, including the VIP Opening Event on June 5th.  For information or to RSVP for the VIP Opening, visit www.adcglobal.org/adc/events/calendar. 
The prestigious ADC Annual Awards and Art Directors Annual remain unrivaled as an educational and industry resource. Other programs also include ADC Young Guns, the ADC Hall of Fame, scholarships, workshops, exhibitions and symposia.
 
About Corbis
Corbis is a leading visual media provider for the creative community, licensing the widest array of award-winning contemporary, historical and entertainment photography as well as extensive collections of acclaimed illustration and footage. Its imagery is seen everyday around the world in advertising, media, publishing and corporate communications. Corbis is headquartered in Seattle with 15 offices throughout North America, Europe, Asia and Australia that serve more than 50 countries worldwide. For more information, visit www.corbis.com.
 
About the ADC
Founded in New York in 1920 as the first creative collective of its kind, the Art Directors Club, Inc. (www.adcglobal.org) is a 501[c]3 not-for-profit organization with an international membership in advertising, design and related visual communications disciplines. ADC's core program - the international Annual Awards competition, exhibition and Art Directors Annual - is now in its 87th year and remains unrivaled as an educational and industry resource. ADC's signature initiatives also include: ADC Young Guns biennial showcase of promising professionals age 30 and under; the ADC Hall of Fame; Saturday Career Workshops for talented city high school juniors; Designism, connecting designers to social causes; scholarships, exhibitions, speaker events, and original books and publications.

ADC Awards Live! Guess Who.
Posted on 2008-May-2 at 05:33
Here's a little diddy from the post awards presentation reception. Latin food was served. It was all breaded and/or fried. Doesn't sound ideal, but considering all the alcohol consumption - it was.

Can you guess who the mohawked creative is at the end? Do you recognize anyone else?

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ADC Awards Live! Chapin Clark Interviewed
Posted on 2008-May-2 at 05:31
Chapin Clark, SVP Copy R/GA, had some opinions about what won and how the show went. Are you a writer? You want a job at R/GA? Listen up, take notes, and then give Chapin and ring.

If you're not a writer and/or you don't want a job at R/GA, listen anyway. He's a smart cookie.

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ADC Awards Live! Paul Lavoie's Opening Words
Posted on 2008-May-2 at 05:30
ADC President Ami Brophy introduces President of the ADC Board, Paul Lavoie. He says a little diddy. Some of it's funny. Get's good around the middle.

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ADC Awards Live! Nancy Vonk Interviewed (ish)
Posted on 2008-May-2 at 04:30
Ok, so I maybe forgot to change the camera back to "normal," so here's a funky stop motion version of my interview w/ Nancy. Maybe not so informative, but totally funny to watch.

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ADC Awards Live! Mise en Scene
Posted on 2008-May-2 at 04:29
Here's a little video showcasing the scene right before the awards were presented (and my funky time lapse function on my camera).

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ADC Awards Live!
Posted on 2008-May-2 at 02:25
Ok, so it's more like live-ish.

It's Brandon here. After a night of some technical malfunctions (and lots of tipsy ad folk) I'm here to report on the ADC Awards. We have a couple video from the night, a couple words from our sponsors, and, of course, all the winners. I'm sure you're dying to know who won. Stay tuned!

B.

Disclosure: The 27th Letter Is Revealed
Posted on 2008-Apr-21 at 02:39
Disclosure: The 27th Letter Is Revealed (And ADC Young Guns 6 Kicked- Off)


Brandon Burns
New York Correspondant
ihaveanidea
 
On April 3rd, the world as we know it changed forever. A 27th letter was added to the alphabet.
 
But, before we get into all that, let’s set the scene. In February, the ADC teamed up with Moleskine and the charity lettera 27 for a little project dubbed The Undiscovered Letter – a contest to “find” the 27th letter of the alphabet. Or, in essence, define what’s next in communication. They tasked past ADC Young Guns with using some nifty new Moleskine notebooks to record their entries. Find out the details here.
 
And now, here we are, at the ADC with the notebooks of the 27 finalists lined up on pretty white tables stocked with bowls of fancy white gloves. The work is precious, and they don’t want grimy vodka hands all over them!
 
Too bad everyone’s hands were full of just that. Drinks quickly flowed into the crowd, and down their throats even faster. Tons of people showed up. It was quite the party. Check out the pics here.
 
As we all drank merrily, we also had a bit of the fun. Everyone who attended had the option of “disclosing an undiscovered fact” about his or herself, jot it down on (non-Moleskine) paper and put it up on the wall. You could vote with stickers, and the person with the most stickers at the end of the night won a brand spanking new copy of CS3. Sweet!
 
Ironically, the kid that won wrote down, “I already stole CS3.” Well, now he has two. One of which is legal.
 
People posted facts. Sushi came. Sushi went. Finally it was time to actually take a look at the 27 finalists. All were good – but the winner was an obvious choice. It was clearly the most profound of the entries. It was the simplest, yet the most complex at the same time. Very interesting. Here’s what Tiziana Haug (YG Class 5, YG 6 jury member) worte about her entry: 
 

The ADC Awards: Behind the Iron Curtain Pt. 3
Posted on 2008-Apr-21 at 12:51
Brandon Burns
New York Correspondant
ihaveanidea

 
The mystery of advertising awards shows is finally revealed. Each week I will post an interview of one of the jury members from this year's ADC Awards, giving you an uncensored peek at what really goes on, what the judges are thinking, and how they decide upon which works to bestow the prestigious ADC cube.
 
Dana Arnett: Design Jury Chairman
VSA Partners, Principal
24-7designheaven.com, Creator
 
The majority of ihaveanidea readers come from the ad world. The Bernbach- praising, Cannes-Lion-chasing ad world. So why are you getting ready to read an interview with the Design Jury Chair? Well, I’ll let Mr. Arnett tell you himself:
 
“Strangely enough, advertising and design are inseparable. Designers are trained to express an idea over a number of pages. Ad people are often defined by a single piece. But good design makes good advertising, and good advertising rarely exists without good design.”
 
It’s true, folks. You’ve all heard the adage: A good ad is X% idea and X% execution. Well, whatever percentage values you want to fill in, execution is still a huge deal. And execution often means design. Great ideas fall flat due to bad typography, photography, illustration, layout, and a myriad of other things. All of these are things that the top designers do well. These are also things the ADC holds near and dear to its heart. And Nancy Vonk agrees (read her interview here).
 
So, what’s the design work looking like this year?
 
“I think the level of work is looking great. Japan and China are the most impressive. Tasteful integration of a fine art approach along with a hand crafted quality - such an intelligent and gifted approach to the way they execute things. The work from the UK shows intelligence and humor, as always.”
 
Any trends poping up?
 
“Over the last five years, I’ve seen a return to classical use of typography. There was a period of infatuation coming out of the post-script age. Some of that romance has worn off and there’s kind of a lot of really tasteful and thoughtful uses of typography and classical type.”
 
Well, I don’t know what the post-script age is, but I think I want to take notes. I think this guy is basically giving me a blueprint of how to execute a great ad! Any more advice for us? 
 
“I’d hope that more work could be more relevant. With so much content and noise, a designer’s [or advertiser’s] real job, if not opportunity, is to cut through the clutter and create some truth in relevant positioning. We need to step back and go ‘hey’ again, let’s get real.”
 
So, Dana, how do we start to move forward?
   
“For starters, I think we can’t be fooled that [the work submitted] is the absolute best and brightest. It’s great work, but I would really like to get some trend analysis, bring 10 or 15 19-20 year old people through here who really sort of represent what’s really going in the world now.”
 
I’d like to see some of that stuff, too. Everyone knows that, while inspiration can come from within, there’s tons more inspiration to be found in the world around us. It would behoove us to take a gander at all of it. 
 
Until next week… 

The ADC Awards: Behind the Iron Curtain Pt. 2
Posted on 2008-Apr-11 at 03:35
Brandon Burns
New York Correspondant
ihaveanidea


The mystery of advertising awards shows is finally revealed. Each week I will post an
interview of one of the jury members from this year's ADC Awards, giving you an
uncensored peek at what really goes on, what the judges are thinking, and how they
decide upon which works to bestow the prestigious ADC cube.
 
 

Jason McCann
CD Taxi
Interactive Foreman 
 
Jason is either tired or just naturally a bit on the blunt side - either way, he's obviously
wasting no time getting straight to the point during his time with me. He has sifted
through a fair amount of work, and has even more to scrutinize. But we already know
how grueling the judging of the ADC Awards is – just see Nancy Vonk's interview. 
 
However, Jason's task is a bit different from Nancy’s. As Interactive Foreman, he is 
charged with upholding the ADC's refined standards against a body of work that is, 
according to Jason, somewhat rudimentary.  
 
"The first website was only in 1989. Interactive work is still maturing."  
 
Nevertheless, this year’s crop of work looks promising. "Interactivity is now starting to 
permeate other things, which is cool. Kiosks, etc, can be more robust. Mental barriers 
are almost gone for clients." But despite this new and exciting world, us ad folk know the 
reality. The cold, hard, no-way-I'm-ever-working-on-an-email-campaign reality. Everyone 
wants to do the next Nike+, but, due to this new world of never-ending cool, no one 
wants to spend the time to make the standard interactive advertising toolkit of banners 
and emails examples of excellence. What say ye about that, Mr. McCann?  
 
"Banner work is improving. Some of my best work has been on an email that should 
have been no more than a drop down menu. What agencies need is talent. If you look at 
radio (which is the email campaign of traditional advertising) and look at Real Men of 
Genius, you can see what can be done in any medium."  

Okay, I can see that. But I didn’t get to see much of the interactive work being judged, 
so we’ll just have to hold our judgment for when the winners are announced. 

Either way, I must ask, where is all this going? What's next in the land of interactivity?  
 
"The micro sites are a lot deeper and bigger, but also campaign specific - not really 
hoping to arrest attention for an awful long time. It's part of the maturing process. You 
don't need a site that's going to last for 2 years. Look at [the] HP Epsonality [campaign] - 
you're only buying that product once. The advertising matches the need."  
 
Does that mean that Epsonality got an ADC Cube this year?! I didn't ask. But we'll know
soon enough. Join us for the ADC's 87th Annual Awards Gala on Thursday, May 1,
2008. Check it all out at http://adcglobal.org/awards/annual/.

ADC Q&A with Donald Gunn
Posted on 2008-Apr-10 at 02:09
Awards season is upon us. Appropriately, we interviewed a man who knows more than most about awards. Donald Gunn, once dubbed as "the man with the best job in advertising," is the founder of The Gunn Report, launched in 1999. The Gunn Report is based on a very simple idea: it combines the winners' lists from all of the major advertising award contests in the world - national, regional and global - thus establishing the annual worldwide league tables for the advertising industry. Donald, who is Scottish, joined Leo Burnett in London, fresh from Cambridge University, in 1962. Donald worked as an Account Executive for six years before becoming a copywriter. He subsequently served as Burnett's Managing Director in the Netherlands and Switzerland, and Creative Director in South Africa and France.

In 1984, Donald was appointed Leo Burnett's Director of Creative Resources Worldwide. In this job, based in Chicago, he created several Burnett institutions which are the envy of the industry (including the World TV Update and Worldbeater reels, and the Global Product Committee), as well as spearheading the worldwide study on creativity and effectiveness, "Do Award Winning Commercials Sell?" After retirement from Burnett, Donald served as President of the Cannes Festival in 1998 and 1999.

After much top-secret data-crunching for The Report, the league tables emerge, including top commercials, top agencies, top production companies and top countries, as well as a Showreel of the Year featuring the 100 most-awarded campaigns in the world. Donald talks about notable trends at award shows including the "return of the giants," how you can use The Gunn Report Library, and which particular nineties sitcom featuring Jennifer Aniston his kids got him hooked on. Interviewed by Regan Murphy, regan@adcglobal.org.

ADC: What led you to create the Gunn Report?
DG: There was a need for the best in advertising to be identified. Because there are so many individual award shows there was a need to bring together a consensus and identify and celebrate the best.
   
ADC: What made 1999 the tipping point for the Gunn Report?
DG: In the first seven or eight years the report did not change very much. Eventually, consolidated league tables enabled better comparisons, and after that big things happened.

ADC: Last year for the first time The Gunn Report included online and interactive work in order to reflect the changing face of the industry. What took so long?
DG: I had never worked in interactive. I worked in TV and print and I have always regretted the fact that I was not around for interactive. Some countries have gotten really good at interactive really quickly. I have really enjoyed observing this trend.


ADC: What other trends have you noticed?
DG: The trend of the "return of the giants" is fantastic. These giants have recently done very well in all media. Unilever, with their Dove campaigns for example, is one of these "giants." So are Procter & Gamble and Coca-Cola. Pepsi was eclipsing Coca-Cola but that is not so any longer.

ADC: Any other notable trends?
DG: In 2007 within the agencies league table, twenty-three different countries were represented in comparison with sixteen countries awarded in both 2006 and 2005. Countries like Romania and Latvia are being awarded. The geographical spread of creative excellence is increasing and I think this is a great trend.

ADC: Given the example of your life and success in advertising, have you encouraged your children to pursue a career in the advertising world?
DG: I haven't strongly encouraged my children. They are similar to me in some ways though. Two of my children have had internships in London but who knows yet. I am not sure yet what they will pursue.

ADC: The Report serves agencies and networks - but in your opinion, how does the Gunn Report serve an individual creative?
DG: Individual creatives are one of the biggest groups of The Report users. In addition to having a nice book on their shelves, the reel allows individuals to look at 100 of the most awarded works. It is a record of the whole year at their fingertips.

ADC: Any plans to add design to the Gunn Report?
DG: Next year we will add integrated, which is a complete campaign with mixed media. I think design is a whole different thing, but perhaps it will be added to the report one day.

ADC: What should our readers know about the Gunn Report Library?
DG: The Gunn Library is unique in a couple of ways. We only put in 100 of the best of a year of advertising. And as we have gone back and put in commercials from the 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's we have used the same criteria - only including the most awarded. You can find things in a way you would not expect. Beam.TV allows us to provide a whole menu and the menu is devoted to strategy. For example you may search by topics like "safety", "long lasting", "examples of roles of mothers." Or you may search within different formats, "demos" or "side by side comparisons." Categories like "naughty," "rude" and "daring" have been very popular.

ADC: And now your three favorites:
Places you want to go: more of India, the middle of Africa, and more of Japan.

Books: Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns and books by Carl Hiaasen

Movies: The Godfather, Jaws, The Magnificent Seven

TV Shows: Cheers, Friends, UK comedy shows

Drinks: vodka, scotch, wine (but only with meals)

ADC: And what is coming up for you next?
DG: I am about to leave for Thailand for Adfest then will go to India for the Advertising Agencies Association of India's annual festival, Goafest.

ADC: No sign of slowing down?
DG: No, not yet.

The ADC Awards: Behind the Iron Curtain
Posted on 2008-Mar-31 at 01:31
Brandon Burns
New York Correspondant
ihaveanidea

The mystery of advertising awards shows is finally revealed. Each week I will post an interview of one of the jury members from this year's ADC Awards, giving you an uncensored peek at what really goes on, what the judges are thinking, and how they decide upon which works to bestow the prestigious ADC cube.


Nancy Vonk
CCO
Ogilvy & Mather Toronto
Advertising Jury Chair

"What a crap year."

On the second of four days of judging, Nancy is less then enthused when asked to describe the overall quality of the work entered into this year's ADC awards. She’s been judging for hours. Ten hour days to be exact. She’s jumping on her smart phone between rounds, using a spare 5 minutes here and there to manage the creative department of one of Canada’s most successful agencies. She’s tired. She’s even a tad cranky. Then she takes a moment, readjusts.

"Well, it always feels like that in the beginning. But there's some terrific work that's emerging."

Nancy has served on the jury of almost every major awards show - she knows most of the work is crap. But it's supposed to be that way. She's tasked with leading a group of industry heavyweights as they attempt to find the absolute best of the best. The creme de la creme. The stuff that makes you say "I wish I did that." To accomplish that is an amazingly hard task, which is why the ADC is notorious for awarding only a handful of awards each year.

"The ADC stands out not only for big ideas, but excellence in craft. We're not cutting anyone any slack executionally. None."

But what exactly does it take? What's the secret? The formula? "Sometimes you see trends, but this year the trend is no trend. Old formulas are most prominent. And it's sad. I think it shows a lack of imagination. And people aren't responding anymore to this old "logo in the corner" way of thinking."

"But the true gems are the ones where you find a good solution to a real problem."

As the puppeteer behind Dove Evolution (you know, the viral spot that swept all the grand prix last lear), Nancy knows that, while hard, cutting through the clutter is possible. Unfortunately, a large part of the ability to do that falls not so much in the hands of the creatives, but in the way agency and client models are structured. "We can't have anymore auto pilot. You can't put a media choice first, you have to put the solution first. You have to come to more holistic solutions that take into account a bigger issue than what will work in 30 seconds on TV."

But c'mon, Nancy! You can't tell that to a 20-something creative team. At the end of the day, you get a brief and you need to deliver upon that brief or you'll be delivering pizza for a living, right? Wrong.

"Once you show them the way, clients love it." For clients as conservative as Dove and Kraft, Nancy and O&M have had success taking briefs for television spots and print ads and turning them into opportunities to present not only scripts, but other ways to go to market more effectively. Ways that the client probably never thought of. And that's okay, because the clients hire us to be the creative problem solvers.

That's our job. Step up to the plate and solve problems. Solve them with creativity and finesse. And maybe, if you do a really good job, Nancy and her jurors will gather in a room and have at it as they debate which ADC Cube to award you.

DISCLOSURE: ADC & Moleskine Reveal The Undiscovered Letter
Posted on 2008-Mar-14 at 12:34
The Art Directors Club is pleased to announce that The Undiscovered Letter will be unveiled on April 3 at the ADC Gallery, where the creative community at large is invited to come and join in a night of DISCLOSURE. The evening will showcase the 27 finalists of The Undiscovered Letter, a creative challenge in which participants flexed their imaginative muscle to conjure up the 27th letter of the alphabet.
 
DISCLOSURE will feature an exhibit of this elusive, not-yet letter as it has been conceived by the 27 finalists, from initial notebook sketches and scribbles to completed designs. An international panel of judges will further select personal favorites from among these finalists, but only one entry will be named “The 27th Letter.” Expectations are high, as the competition was open exclusively to ADC Young Guns alumni—under-30 professionals in various creative disciplines who have been selected biennially for their exceptional talent. The contest, designed by the ADC in partnership with Moleskine® to raise awareness about lettera27, presented an unusual puzzle in its intentionally broad scope. In a tribute to literacy advocates and their search for unique and unconventional solutions, ADC Young Guns were encouraged to do away with boundaries and tackle the challenge of The Undiscovered Letter in any manner they wished to choose—through any subject, form, skill, and/or medium. Their challenge has been to push the meaning of communication forward and to set the missing 27th letter outside the box that holds the familiar twenty-six.
 
Just as DISCLOSURE celebrates the varied and unpredictable interpretations of a single mysterious idea, guests are encouraged to add to the evening’s theme by submitting a surprising secret of their own. The ADC invites all guests to fax in a little-known fact about themselves when RSVPing. These faxed facts will be anonymously displayed throughout the gallery, and party attendees will vote for their favorites. One fact will triumph over the rest, and one identity will have to be revealed in order for the winner to receive his/her Adobe®-sponsored prize. To RSVP, go to adcglobal.org/disclosure.
 
DISCLOSURE also kicks off the start of ADC Young Guns 6, this year’s installment of the ADC’s biennial under-30 creative competition. The call for entries, which opens online earlier that day, will be launching in a more literal manner at the event; Young Guns hopefuls are especially encouraged to attend and keep an eye out for information that will be floating around in connection to tips from past Young Guns.
 
Tickets for DISCLOSURE are $20 for the general public, $14 for ADC members. The party will serve an open bar and take place from 7:30PM–11PM at the ADC Gallery, located at 106 W. 29th Street.
 
Select work for The Undiscovered Letter will be published in a limited edition book by Moleskine® this fall, with sales proceeds going to lettera27.
 
Adobe®, the lead sponsor for ADC Young Guns 6, supports this project for its close alignment with the way Adobe® products recognize and help creatives who work across platforms and without boundaries. Supporting sponsorship has been provided by JanouPakter, a talent recruiter for the world’s leading corporations, design consultancies, advertising and branding agencies, and fashion and luxury goods houses since 1985.
 
To learn more about The Undiscovered Letter, visit www.theundiscoveredletter.com. For more information on ADC Young Guns 6, visit adcyoungguns.org. (*Website will launch with call for entries on April 3.)

ADC Young Guns 6: For Young Guns, By Young Guns
Posted on 2008-Mar-14 at 12:29
Sixth biennial competition reunites five generations of ADC Young Guns to select the next wave of creative wunderkinds
 
To all young creative professionals across the map: It’s time to open those portfolios and find the pieces that show you at your freshest and most brilliant. ADC Young Guns 6 is fast approaching and will uncover the best under-30, professional talent throughout today’s multi-disciplinary creative industry.
 
Since its inception in 1996, ADC Young Guns has identified rising stars in the fields of graphic design (Stefan Sagmeister, James Victore), illustration (Deanne Cheuk), photography (floto+warner), advertising (Alexander Gelman), interactive media (Rei Inamoto), film and video (Mike Mills), and animation (Todd St. John), among others. The competition discovers the most promising young creatives across various disciplines and brings these emerging talents into the spotlight. The sixth class of ADC Young Guns will have their work showcased in a gallery exhibit and published in a limited edition book by Moleskine®. Their work will also reside in the ADC’s permanent collection online. These new Young Guns will be awarded the iconic ADC Cube and join the ADC’s membership, a veritable Who’s Who of advertising and design that counts Milton Glaser, Yohji Yamamoto, Ivan Chermayeff, Seymour Chwast, and Jay Maisel among its famous names.
 
This year the ADC has added a twist to Young Guns 6: for the first time, Young Guns alumni from classes 1–5 will serve as the jury and choose the new class to join their ranks. Having once been selected for the same award, these “old” Young Guns bring unique experience to the judges’ table, where they will evaluate each body of professional and personal work without the constraint of media categories. In making the competition both for Young Guns and by Young Guns, the Art Directors Club—with its singular capacity to connect several generations of visual
talent—has created a rare community characterized by its creative daring, forward- thinking ambitions, and level of prestige.
 
ADC Young Guns 6 opens its call for entries online on April 3 in conjunction with its launch party, Disclosure, at the Art Directors Club gallery. The launch will coincide with the ADC’s unveiling of The Undiscovered Letter (www.theundiscoveredletter.com). Full details of ADC Young Guns entry guidelines, competition rules, and jury will be available before this date.

ADC Q&A
Posted on 2008-Mar-7 at 12:22
For this month's Q&A we catch up with the Brooklyn-based graphic, interactive, and architecture multi-disciplinary design studio, WSDIA - WeShouldDoItAll. WSDIA is Jonathan Jackson, Jared Seavers, and Sarah Nelson. Their studio's name is simply a goal, they say. They think designers and all other professionals alike should not feel constrained to singular expertise. They design, develop and mediate interactive, print, motion and architecture projects for a diverse group of clients in a wide array of professions, such as the arts, architecture, advertising, fashion and media. The three twenty-somethings are ADC Young Guns and are currently designing the ADC Young Guns 6 identity. When they are not busy playing wiffleball, basketball, or watching The Wire, these three are using their multi-disciplinary skills and approaching design with an open-eyed perspective. Interviewed by Regan Murphy, regan@adcglobal.org.


WSDIA is Jared Seavers, Sarah Nelson and Jonathan Jackson.
  
ADC: Tell us how did your background shape where you are now?
Sarah: I studied Graphic Design and Art History at Boston University then came to New York three years ago, met Jonathan online on MySpace. I liked his work, he liked mine, so we started working together and it took off from there.

Jared: I went to Kent State and so did Jonathan. I started studying fashion, then switched to English. I moved to New York three years ago and started working at a denim company called Earnest Sewn, and I still work for them as well as for WSDIA.

Jonathan: My degree is in architecture. I worked for two architecture firms (Archi-Tectonics & ROY) when I first arrived in New York. But I couldn't work for other people, so I had the idea of starting my own office and since Jared and I worked so well together in the past, we decided to try it once again. Then I met Sarah a year later.


   
ADC: Why go out on your own rather than start at an agency and work your way up?
Sarah: I intended to start out at a big advertising agency and I am glad I didn't do that. Working at a small studio means seeing every project through all steps. There's something so valuable in being hands-on with each client on a much more personal level. I don't think this would be the case at a larger company.

Jonathan: I had always thought I should've worked for a graphic design studio, but I decided to just learn on the fly. Plus I am a little hard-headed when it comes to authority so it has worked out for the better.

ADC: How do you approach your projects?
Jonathan: If an architecture project came in tomorrow I think Jared and Sarah would have just as much of a say of what goes into it because they experience architecture in a totally different way than I would, and that input is needed and valued. While one of us might lead, we definitely all have an opinion in the project. Each project does have a leader but the other two are deeply involved.
   
 

 
ADC: WSDIA designed a fantastic poster for a lecture series for Kent State University. Describe the process and its challenges.
Jonathan: The whole idea of photographing real life objects started with a temporary holding page for the easterndevelopments.com website which was functioning until we finished the real website (just two artists to be displayed). With that stemmed the ADC Young Guns Live poster, in which we used real miniature objects again.
With the Kent State poster we wanted to push the idea of using 'real life' objects in our work a bit further by using 'real' scale objects. The objects we've selected represent the milieu of public lecture archetypes or quite possibly archaic-types, combining the past with the present. The bulk of typography is created in a non-digital way by using bespoke 3-dimensional letters that were mounted to a huge piece of plexi-glass, which hovers over the background objects. The 3D type was produced by Via Letter, in the UK. It was a long two day shoot and the project couldn't have been completed without the help of long time collaborators, photographers Mastromatteo+Steen. I think there is a joy in using real life objects. (See photos and more info on Kent State University project here).

ADC: What are your favorite aspects about your job?
Jared: I think that it is nice to be able to pick and choose projects and have control over the creative leadership, rather than working for someone else.

Jonathan: The best part is being able to call the shots and to have the say in what the final product will be.

ADC: What are your least favorite aspects of your job?
Jared: My cliché answer would be dealing with tough clients.

Jonathan: My least favorite aspect is definitely handling the money side of the business. Making sure we get paid on time.

Sarah: That's tough. Personally the hardest aspect is balance. Making sure that we create the best possible work, while still making time for a normal life sleep, food, getting outside!

ADC: What did the ADC Young Guns competition mean to you?
Sarah: It was an awesome experience to be part of a group of emerging talents. To have earned that recognition when we are so young and such a small company is an honor.

Jonathan: To add to that, the ADC Young Guns award gave us a sense of arrival. We started this studio in 2004, out of the blue and with no help, and to be positively judged by our peers and others is very nice.

ADC: The ADC Young Guns 6 Call for Entries is approaching - what advice can you give to future competitors?
Jonathan: Hhhmmm....That is a tough question to answer, but I'd say submit only your best work, and have a very critical eye when judging your own work.

Jared: And it never hurts to have your friends or people you trust take a look.



ADC: The website that WSDIA did is for Diesel's Denim Gallery seems to be a great pairing with the SoHo concept store, which is positioned between a retail space and an art gallery. What was your inspiration?
Jonathan: Our inspiration for the site was the front entrance porcelain tile wall at the store on Greene Street. When we saw it, we quickly thought to break this wall up into a huge black 'never-ending' field of space and tile. The design expresses both the higher end products that only the Denim Gallery provides but also acts as a clean, luxurious showcase shell for displaying the artwork of shows and events that take place there.

ADC: What are your plans for WSDIA - and do you have an intern or two working for you?
Jonathan: We hope to keep it in the family; there are no intentions to have it grow into a very large company.

Sarah: Working collaboratively with other small (usually friends') companies is something we hope to continue doing. And yes, an intern would be helpful, but for now this is Jonathan's role. Haha.

ADC: What is next for you?
Jonathan: Our next few projects include an exhibition design at the AIA Center for Architecture, called 'New Practices New York 2008.' It's an exhibition similar to Young Guns, highlighting 4-6 young architectural design studios. Other upcoming projects include two books for the Institute for Urban Design, a website for a musician and more work for the ADC Young Guns. We are in the running for a couple of projects as well, re-branding and a new website for a photography agency, and a couple of environmental graphic projects for a new Brooklyn park and a new building designed by a prominent architecture studio.



Sarah: We recently completed a new logo and site design for friends of ours, a photography studio called Kate and Camilla. The project was about creating a super sterile atmosphere and treating the imagery like little gems. The entire process was really smooth. Two versions were created, one version has the simple straightforward navigation and the other is a bit more playful in its approach.


ADC: And are these friends you met on MySpace?
(Laughter) Jonathan: Nope.

ADC: Who has most influenced your career and how?
Jonathan: A big influence is any other studio trying to perform multiple types of design and doing each very well.

Sarah: Small companies that stay true to creating stellar work, and remain humble in the process.

Jared: I'd say Jonathan...he's the reason I'm in NY to begin with...

And finally, your favorites...
Places you've been
Jared: Japan, Phonecia (NY), Massillon (OH)
Jonathan: Germany, Italy, The Seattle Public Library (best contemporary building I have ever been in)
Sarah: Drews Lake (Maine), Tulum (Mexico), Venice (Italy)

Places you want to go
Jared: Europe, South America, Nigeria
Jonathan: back to Italy, The Netherlands, Los Angeles (never been)
Sarah: Iceland, Japan, and Copenhagen

Websites
Jared: The Style Press, The Sartorialist, weather.com
Jonathan: flickr.com, dezeen.com, archinect.com
Sarah: hopingforhappyaccidents.blogspot.com, epicurious.com, ffffound.com

TV Shows
Jared: Martin, Chappelle Show, The Wire
Jonathan: The Wire, The Wire, The Wire
Sarah: Weeds, The Wire, 30 Rock

Books
Jared: The Autobiography of Malcolm X, White Teeth, Nine Stories
Jonathan: To Kill a Mocking Bird - I mostly read mags
Sarah: The Hottest State, No one belongs here more than you, The Giving Tree

Concerts you have attended
Jared: Femi Kuti, The Roots, Slum Village
Jonathan: Feist, Common, Mos Def
Sarah: Battles, Erykah Badu, Sia

ADC Q&A with Dana Arnett
Posted on 2008-Feb-5 at 03:24
Dana Arnett is a principal of VSA Partners , leading a team in the creation of design programs, film projects, interactive initiatives and brand communications solutions for a diverse roster of clients. His clients have included Caterpillar, Harley-Davidson, Cingular, IBM, Handspring, Chronicle Books and Time Warner. Founded and headquartered in Chicago, VSA Partners has offices in New York, St. Louis and Minneapolis.

Dana will chair the ADC Design Jury for the 87th Annual Awards. Over the course of more than two decades in the field, Dana has been recognized globally by more than 60 competitions and designations, including: ADC, Communication Arts, Graphis, The Type Directors Club, ID, The LA Film Festival, the AR100, The American Marketing Association, AIGA and American and British Art Director Clubs. Dana was a 1999 inductee into the Alliance Graphic International, and holds the honor of being named to the ID40, which has cited him as one of the 40 most important people shaping design internationally. He is currently a board member of the American Institute for Graphic Arts.

A frequent lecturer and visiting professor, Dana is also active in helping to shape the role of design in society through his contribution to publishing endeavors, conference chairmanships and foundation activities. The Harley lovin' Chicago native offers the ADC his thoughts on design education, a "wish I'd thought of that" moment, the meaning of awards, and the preference of thin crust over deep dish pizza. Blasphemy? Interviewed by Regan Murphy, regan@adcglobal.org.

ADC: You are reported to be an avid motorcycle lifestyle fan - did personal interest inform your approach to any given design solution for Harley-Davidson?

DA: Personal interest and a passion for motorcycling has everything to do with the success we've experienced with Harley-Davidson. My knowledge and experience with motorcycles has always provided an intuitive advantage for making decisions and finding special ways to creatively express ideas or concepts for their customers. Referencing those motorcycle moments and memories keeps things real when it comes to translating concepts to Harley's highly discriminating customer base. You can't sugarcoat anything Harley-Davidson.


ADC: Digital creatives will work side-by-side with designers and ad agency creatives to evaluate all forms of work entered in ADC's 87th Annual Awards. What are the implications for the outcome?

DA: With the rapid convergence of media, the rules and lines for creative success are rapidly blurring. Whether it's a digital designer or a traditional art director, I look forward to sharing insights with anybody who's at the top of their creative field. The interactive judges, regardless of their chosen medium or set of preferences, will surely inspire me to think differently when it comes to evaluating the work. It's no secret that consumer preference and habits are being influenced the most by digital forms of communications.

ADC: In the process of identifying the most compelling and innovative work, judges may have the bittersweet experience of seeing work they wish they'd done. Any "I wish I'd thought of that" moments for you this past year?

DA: Wow, that's a hard one. I have one of those moments virtually everyday. I have to say that Michael Beirut's simple, yet elegant signage solution for the New York Time building is one of those, "I wish I had thought of that." The execution has little to with décor, and everything to do with execution. The power of this idea emerges from the beautifully restrained integration of typography and surface. Michael chose to tattoo the newspaper's ageless masthead directly on the louvered façade of the building. There aren't any fancy tricks here, just the tasteful and intelligent integration of two forms. If you've ever signed a building, you know how difficult it can be to balance the opposing demands of the client and the architect. Michael achieved both. Dare I say that he made the building look even better than that architect imagined? You be the judge.


ADC: Your work has been recognized internationally by competitions and special honors, including ADC. As a designer and principal of a design firm what do awards mean to you?

DA: I have to resort to one of my favorite Mark Twain quotations when answering this question, "It is better to deserve honors and have them than to have them and not deserve them." While I appreciate the various awards and distinctions that VSA has received over the years, I'm also sober enough to realize there are clients who provide us the opportunities to do great work. Sure we strive to do exceptional work everyday, but never out of need for recognition. We actually love to design and realize that richer rewards come when clients see results from the investments they've made in excellent design.

ADC: As an activist in helping to shape the role of design in society through various endeavors - what is top of mind at the moment?

DA: I think the most important issues for designers to focus on right now is the need to create truth and relevancy in our media rich and sensationalized world. Everyday, we're asked to tell stories and position products and services for a wide variety of audiences. Beyond the job at hand, designers need to sort through the content and point people in the right direction. Unfortunately, much of today's advertising and design has less to do with words and more to do with how content is manipulated, packaged and channeled. McLuhan's prophecies from the 60's have never been more relevant than today.


ADC: VSA's work for the Converse (PRODUCT) RED campaign debuted in the July issue of Vanity Fair. The campaign, titled "Weapon of Change", featured bold messages and illustrations encouraging consumers to be optimistic rebels and to become agents of change. ADC's Designism program also supports this exploration. What are your feelings about "responsibility" when it comes to implementing change through design?

DA: Design has always had the power to drive our assumptions and shape opinion. Walter Gropius, one of the founding fathers of the Bauhaus, argued that, "design has a significant contribution to the making of institutions as well as our lives." The lesson here is simple, whether it's a RED advertisement or an identity for a large company, design has a chance to rise above the fray and have a profound effect on people's behavior. And design doesn't have to choose between form and function, it can be a vehicle for both. Until we teach our design students this fundamental truth and preach these ethics to our peers and clients, we'll never get the public to realize the larger effect that design.

We're beginning to see a shift happen as a result of design. More and more corporations are seeking designers to incorporate design beyond the predictable functions of differentiation and decoration. Companies like Target, Apple, Interface and Nike are utilizing design to position their purpose, not just their product.


ADC: Given your many speaking and teaching gigs at design conferences and educational institutions how well do you think design students skill sets and today's design business environment are meshing?

DA: We have a long way to go. Unfortunately, the vast proliferation of design curriculums at the university level over the last twenty years has diluted our abilities to position some of the most important driver of design - business being one of them. With over 30,000 design students graduating from various programs every year, its no wonder there's so few "rounded thinkers" out there. Certainly, there are still a handful of exceptional college programs that stress the important synergy that exists between business and design. But sadly, the most viable places to learn about the marriage of design and business are generally on the job or at special conferences or events. Until we see a concerted effort to reshape or create certification for design education, we'll be obligated as a profession to shape this issue on an extracurricular basis.


ADC: What do you like most about "mid-west attitude"?

DA: Honesty.


ADC: Has Chicago's severe weather ever impacted your design style?

DA: Well, we do stay inside for six months of years. Perhaps that has something to do with the hours we devote to design and our proliferation of ideas.



ADC: How have the mid-western origins influenced VSA?

DA: We really don't view ourselves as "Midwestern" in the traditional sense of that word. Most of our clients are from out of town and our staff represents a virtual melting pot of origins and backgrounds. Yes, Chicago is a very manageable city to live and work in, and this may have helped to shape our attitude. One of the most important things I learned while growing up and living in the Midwest is just how durable and provocative this region can be. We take little for granted and we're known for putting our noses to the grindstone. Perhaps these are the subtle, yet important, attributes of VSA.


ADC: And finally, please give your three favorite...

Places you've been:
The South Island of New Zealand
Front porch of my Michigan Lake House
The Pacific Coast Highway on a Harley-Davidson

Websites:
http://www.google.com/
http://mocoloco.com/
http://www.auctionzip.com/

Places you want to go:
Turkey
The Oval Office
Heaven

Drinks:
Cold beer on a humid day
A good single malt
Hendry Zinfandel

Foods:
Fresh peaches
Thin crust pizza (yes, I'm from Chicago)
A grilled New York Strip  

Movies:
The Searchers
Magnolia
Fast, Cheap and Out of Control

All images are the work of Dana Arnett and his colleagues at VSA Partners.

ADC & Moleskine Present: Design The 27th Letter
Posted on 2008-Jan-17 at 09:46
Ah. And it all becomes so clear. It's about 7:30, and Ami Brophy, the director of the ADC, is speaking. All of our questions will soon be answered.

Ami: The ADC Young Guns is all about boundary changing talent. Young Guns tend to take non-linear career paths, paths that help to define the future of this industry. As the ADC was the first international creative collection of it's kind, our partner in this challenge, Moleskin, shares our mission of fostering the development of ideas. The legendary notebook of Picasso and Hemingway, Moleskine has focused on pushing the boundaries of communication. And to tell you about our current collaboration, I'm proud to present to you the President of Moleskine.

President: Thank you, Ami. Moleskine is a proud supporter of Lettera27, a non profit organization that facilitates the gaining of information. Moleskin is involved in creative and educational project on every level, any initiative that makes use of paper and writing instruments - so we are very proud to work with Lettera27. The twenty-seventh letter represents more than a letter, it is your future. It is what you want it to be. This project invites all past Young Guns to be creative and push the boundaries of communication to see what's next. You can use any media - a book, a phone, an experience, what have you. You will receive a participation kit in February, in which you will find instructions. On April 3, we will have announce the 27 finalists in conjunction with the kick-off/call for entries for Young Guns 6. The work of the finalists will be featured on the ADC website, and beyond.

Well, that was short. Maybe 4 minutes, tops. But there wasn't really much to say. It's quite simple, really. Design the 27th letter by whatever means necessary.

Well, I'm going to have a couple drinks with the Young Guns, ADC, and Moleskine people. But look forward to an article in the "Articles" section on the crowds reaction the the assignment, what people plan on doing, and what Moleskin and the ADC plan to get out of the challenge.

Signing off.
B.

ADC & Moleskine Present: A Couple Old Guns Take A Guess
Posted on 2008-Jan-17 at 09:16
There's something to this ADC Young Guns thing. There must be. There has to be a good reason for why there are original YG1 winners here at this event - people who were selected as Young Guns 12 years ago. Let's call a couple over and see if they can figure out tonight's secret.

Meet Michael Whitney (YG1) and Christa Skinner (YG3)

Brandon: So, what were you guys doing when you were selected as Young Guns?

Michael: At the time I was self employed, working in design and fabrication. I'm really into furniture and industrial design. I actually recently designed the bars here at the ADC. So, I guess I'm still doing the same thing.

Christa: At the time I was a freelance art director. I think, specifically, I was working at Cyclopse productions. I remember I submitted some layouts and design I did for Blue Magazine - an adventure lifestyle magazine.

Brandon: So what do you guys know about tonights event?

Christa: Nothing, really. We know that we'll get a design assignment from the ADC and Moleskine, something to do with Lettera27.

Michael: Yeah. To be honest, it doesn't matter. The ADC is great, and the Young Guns are an amazing, talented group of people. It's great just to come and socialize and reconnect with people in the industry. To get a design challenge on top of it is just icing on the cake.

Brandon: What would your dream assignment be?

Christa: To be honest, any opportunity to be creative is a great opportunity.

Brandon: Well they're about to tell us what your challenge is so let's listen...

ADC & Moleskine Present: Andre Andreev Takes A Guess
Posted on 2008-Jan-17 at 09:05
Ok, let's see who knows what's going on here.

I spotted Andre Andreev, sipping beer out of a wine glass (it's one of those events) and called him over to pick his brain about tonights event.


Brandon: I take it you're a past Young Gun

Andre: Yup. Young Guns 5, the most recent class.

Brandon: So what are you doing now?

Andre: I run a moving and storage company. (Hands over a business card to confirm)

Brandon: That's... great. Ok. So, do you still try to design on the side?

Andre: I'm just kidding. I just think the business card is funny. I actually own my own design company called Dress Code. We do branding and motion graphics. You should check it out. We do some cool stuff.

Brandon: Whew. Good to know Young Guns alumni go on to bigger and better things. Not that moving and storage isn't... well, you know. So, is this what you were doing when you were selected as a YG 2 years ago?

Andre: No, I was working as a senior designer at MTv then. I did the campaign for the 2005 and 2006 VMAs, as well as some other not so cool projects. But, then again, the "not so coll" projects at MTv are still probably cooler than any other project anywhere else, so it was actually pretty great.

Brandon: Cool, cool. So what do you think of tonight's event?

Andre: I have no clue what's going on.

Brandon: None?

Andre: Nope. I know it has something to do with the ADC, Moleskine, and the charity Lettera27. I know that we're going to have some sort of assignment. But that's about it. That's kinda all I really need to know. Young Guns is kinda like a club, we all know each other and have a good time together. When the ADC says there's something going on, that's pretty much all we need to know. Open bar and catered treats are usually on hand, too, so that's always a bonus.

Brandon: Cool. Well, hope you have fun tonight. Try not to pass out from the anticipation, waiting to hear what the assignment is. You only have about 20 minutes left to wait.

ADC & Moleskine Present: ?
Posted on 2008-Jan-16 at 06:40
Shhh. Quiet. Top secret ADC business going on.

It's Brandon from IHAI here, and I've been invited to the ADC for a closed event. I'm not quite sure what's going on, but there a bunch of well dressed arty types drinking the free top-shelf and nibbling on what looks to be some tasty catered treats. It's a relatively warm January night here in NYC, so the people are pouring in.

So who are these people? Well, the ADC has invited past Young Gun winners from all five classes (that's over a decade worth of Young Guns) here for a special "creative project" for Moleskine and Lettera27, a literacy charity. You know Moleskine, they make those nifty little notebooks that look pretty chic when you whip them out to jot a little sketch down.

What's the project? No one really knows. But the big announcement is soon to come. Right after we have a few drinks and exchange in a bit of small talk.

B.