Andrex Washlets 8 page gatefold leaflet visual

I really don't mind tight deadlines, they make things exciting. You really have to plan how you're going to get things done in time, and focus. This was an eight page leaflet, approximately A5 in size which was designed as a gatefold mechanism. The leaflet is to be part of the shopping centre activity, being handed out to passers-by. The leaflet itself introduces the product and an additional Facebook page where people can win health and beauty prizes.

I had only a day to turn this around, which was definitely pushing it - but I pulled all the stops out and spent my Sunday just cracking on with it. I used Photoshop and Illustrator. I'm pleased with the results, as was the client. For now, this is just a visual, the artwork will be created in the near future.

ISU Plus - branded templates

Earlier in the year I was asked to amend my previous designs for some of the templates I created for them. The templates were used by the company when creating PowerPoint slideshows, or documents in Word or InDesign. All I was asked to do was to simply swap their old log with the new one, due to their company colours remaining the same.

After the recent large canvas print and roll-up designs, they asked me to re-amend their templates to fit the new theme - which was the wall of text graphic I created. This wall of text is a list of 60 - 70 words I felt described the ethics of the commendable ISU Plus.

So now they have matching templates, and banners and roll-ups.

Andrex Washlets 2012 campaign logo

The 2012 campaign concepts and designs are in full swing at the moment, and we're all under tight deadlines. Fortunately I work well to tight deadlines, it's something I'm used to and working the long hours has never bothered me.

With the set designed and visualized in 3D, another vital part of the campaign was to develop logo ideas. The right logo for the campaign is vital in representing the product. There was a lot of to-ing and fro-ing between the two agencies involved, and of course the mother ship - Andrex.

My role was to use Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign to visual ideas from the agency’s Creative Director and develop them. We must have gone through thirty or so stages until we came to a conclusion, the one posted below.

Andrex Washlets 2012 set visuals

With the year coming to a close it is time to start working on concepts and plans for next year’s Andrex campaigns. As with many of the larger companies, Andrex has many products and variants available on the shelf. One of their latest products is Andrex Washlets, a moistened flushable toilet wipe.

I had done some campaign designs for this product earlier in the year, so already had the artwork elements to work from. Working as part of a team, I worked alongside a Creative Director and a 3D visual artist to create the artwork for a presentation to show Andrex.

The branding was already firmly in place, as was the product design itself. Our job was to visualize and create printed and mounted designs for next year’s promotional campaign. I worked in Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign.

The set will appear in shopping centres across the UK next year.

ISU Plus - 200 x 120cm Banner

Last year I created a large 2 x 1.2m canvas print to hang in the ISU Plus office. This would be the first thing viewed by anyone visiting them, so it had to be clean, striking and stylish. After creating the recent 2 x 0.85m roll-ups for their expo stand, they wanted me to design a more generic, much larger canvas print to hang in the office in place of their old one.

The brief was explicit in saying the new design had to remain stylish and clean, yet fit in and reflect the much bolder roll-ups. The reasoning was that this much larger canvas print would hang in the foyer of the office, but occasionally be taken down and transported to the expos to hang behind the newer roll-ups.

For this we decided that the original ISU Plus blue should be used, and I then added the wall of text graphics to tie them all in together.

Finally, the client asked me to print the canvas myself and ship it to Denmark. They have been extremely happy with my prints in the past, and have had a few setbacks and flat prints when using a Danish printer. This of course was at an additional cost, but they thought it was worth it for the vibrant prints my contact is capable of. Interestingly, my contact has recently upgraded their canvas printing machinery, so their prints are now even brighter than they were before!

DSLR film #1 - Asked to direct

Back at the end of October I was asked to direct an independent horror movie. I jumped at the chance and ever since my mind has been very busy with thoughts & inspiration. The writer of the story and I have been meeting every Thursday to discuss ideas about the plot and characters.

I'm super excited about the possibilities of having free reign over my creative juices. I've been scouting locations and taking photographs. I've already created a timeline that I'd wish to stick to. I will keep you posted with the progress.

The most important information I can give you right now would be the deadline and format. The deadline is set to be October 2013, with the view of getting it submitted and shown at the Telluride Horror Festival. That is the goal.

In regard to the format, I've chosen HDSLR film. I've been so impressed with the quality of movies shot in this format, with this kind of kit that really I have to choose this path. DSLR film is extremely hot right now; the new format gives an incredible amount of freedom to someone with a photographic background. The possibilities seem larger than that of standard film. In short, this is due to the low light capabilities of a DSLR sensor, and the ability to use DSLR lenses with their much smaller f-stops. I know that I will be spending a fair amount of new kit, which is also exciting... I mean... who doesn't fantasize about being a Director?

ISU Plus - 200 x 85cm Roll-ups

My long term Danish client ISU recently rebranded themselves as ISU Plus. They are a company that specializes in helping the less fortunate have higher qualities of life; children, handicapped, elderly, unemployed etc.

They often appear exhibitions and promotional expos around Denmark. Due to their rebranding they needed a new set of promotional roll-up banners to shout the arrival of their company. The previous set of banners I design a couple of years ago were subtle and sleek. This time they asked for something brighter and more striking, to keep things fresh and exciting.

They needed four of these 200 x 85cm roll-up banners, each depicting one strategic word. I decided using a theme of "hands" to hold the symbolic imagery together. I also went heavy on text as a visual tool. I felt that the four words they had chosen were not representative enough of what a commendable and trustworthy company ISU Plus is. I put together a list of seventy words which describe the company’s ethics; they liked the idea a lot.

I'm looking forward to seeing these four large prints hanging in place. Loosely translated, the four words mean:

indsigt = insight
sammenhæng = cohesion
udvikling = development
med værdi for brugeren = value for the person

Advanced learning

I've just invested in a huge bundle of advanced tutorials for many of the software packages I use daily: Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Premier, After Effects etc.

My reasoning being that software advances each year, and it's very easy to fall into the trap of sticking with what you know. It's so easy to get left behind in this industry. While I'm a long way from being left behind, I aim to make sure that it never happens. The way for me to guarantee this is for me to set aside a slot of time each week to do some tutorials. This will either allow me to brush up or uncover learned but forgotten skills, or best case scenario - learn something new.

I've had my most successful year to date, and I want to continue building what I have in 2012. This is one of many things I've put in place for Rewkachu.

Kinder Suprise presentation

Kinder Surprise is a chocolate that everyone is familiar with, and it used to be one of my favourites growing up. So I was delighted when this job appeared on my lap. It was a presentation which was related to the previous Ferrero Rocher one. Unlike the previous presentation, this particular one was printed and mounted on boards. This usually means that more Photoshop work and creativity is involved. This is always a bonus in my book. On top of this bonus was the free Kinder Eggs! What a great job to be a part of.

I worked in a small team to create the concept and designs. My role was to create the designs. I used Photoshop and Illustrator, please see a couple of the visuals below.

I'll find out in the coming weeks if our presentation was successful.