DENVER, CO – For over twenty years, Gary Kester has worked 80-hour weeks in the hope that one of his advertising campaigns would get to print and television unsullied. Every time, intervention from the account managers, creative directors, the client, the client’s family, the client’s accountant and the receptionist has turned something that was once “a thing of beauty” into “an unmitigated shit show.”
“But this next campaign will be different,” said Kester,[Read More]
People always ask me why I made the switch from marketing to writing code.
Often, when it’s coming from a Marketer, the question is posed with an obvious tone of incredulousness. Like why in the hell would I want to spend my days looking at that horrible black screen, tucked away in a dark room, just a hair’s breadth away from turning into Gollum. The fear and loathing is unmistakable. And then sometimes, when the question is posed by a Coder, there is an air of distrust and skept[Read More]
How would you define purpose-led marketing, and why is it important?
Purpose-led marketing is an emerging school of thought built on the idea that creatively commercial activities should try to make the world a better place. I often remind myself of a quote I read from Design House Stockholm: “Don’t make something unless it is both necessary and useful. But if it is necessary and useful, don’t hesitate to make it beautiful.” We, as the advertising and marketin[Read More]
A week ago, right about now, BDW’s event RE: was well under way. The RE: event, billed as a 3 day celebration and showcase for innovative thinking, is the essence of the CU-backed grad school that is bent on honing the talents of the next generation of makers, doers and entrepreneurs by mixing innovation and ideation built on a strong understanding of technology, design and strategy.
Day 1 saw an introductory event at Boulder's BMOCA, where a good mix of startup/tech folks and agenc[Read More]
If a brief landed on your desk tomorrow with the problem, “fix the economy,” what would you do?
It’s an interesting question for an ad agency to try and solve. What could an industry built on unfettered consumerism do to help fix capitalism? Does advertising have a responsibility in improving the economy around the world? And not in the “we help sell more shit to boost the economy” way, because insane levels of debt-driven consumption from the last thirty years have put a st[Read More]
Advertising historians know well the distinguished, delightful charm of San Francisco, publishing decades of chapters telling rich tales of our industry. One of the newer chapters unfolds daily at agency Venables Bell & Partners, where Founder and Executive Creative Director Paul Venables oversees a think tank of 170+ staffers and a drool-inducing client list sporting brands like Audi, Google, SKYY Vodka, Intel and Reebok — where the independent agency was inked just weeks ago as th[Read More]
Rhymes with Pixel is digital imaging artistry by David Nadeau. David has extensive experience in high-end people, automotive and product retouching. More than 16 years of experience working freelance, pre-press and in top ad agencies such as Mullen and Crispin Porter + Bogusky give David a huge advantage over his competitors. Top photographers and art directors ask specifically to work with him because they know he takes the time and effort to[Read More]
An earworm that won’t stop tapping your skull from the inside. A tenacious pop jingle with teeth and a paycheck.
As a freelance designer, I do a fair amount of this for clients. Generally, my process has been a garble of notes and trips to thesaurus.com, but lately I’ve noticed a fairly simple pattern emerging, a 3-step framework for cutting through the fog.
