V Energy drink - 2012 campaign concept

In 2011 I worked on the V Energy drink experiential campaign. The idea was "V-Ball", you can read about this is a previous post. The campaign was a success with the general public and all involved behind the scenes. V Energy wanted more of the same for this years campaign.

The concept was simple, don't fix something that isn't broken.  We would keep the event the same (appearing at various festivals throughout the Summer): a portable beach volleyball court where brand ambassadors could play matches with and against the general public, a large set including huge branded banners and flags, a bar serving free samples of the energy drink accompanied by a DJ.  A perfect social experiential event.

The only difference for this year would be updated and refreshed graphic elements. I created the concept board to the agencys' art directors' specifications and we now await the feedback from V Energy. 

Andrex Washlets 8 page gatefold leaflet artwork

With the Andrex Washlets experiential set artwork complete, and in the hands of the printers the next job was to complete the gatefold leaflet.

This 8 page leaflet had been through various design versions, eight in all. The final design had been chosen and it was time to move it forward.  The artwork was simple to create because I had previously done the bulk of the specifics while in the previous design stage.  In fact, all I had to do now was check everything, and then recheck everything before collecting for output and supplying it to the printers.

Andrex Washlets stand artwork

Almost everyday for the last month I have been working diligently on the experiential campaign for Andrex Washlets 2012. Today was the final day for set artwork in a frenzied final push between account handlers, project managers and printers.  I made the final tweaks to the artwork and supplied the various items to the respective print companies.

All of the artwork was for a large set which would tour the country appearing in the largest shopping centres.  The object would be to spread the word of the new Andrex Washlets product. The set would stand in a 10 x 12m floor space, and would be 2m tall.  It included artwork for floor graphics, desk wraps, wall panels, interactive i-pad software and uniforms for the brand ambassadors on set. 

Using Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and a lot of mathematics, my role was complete and it was then in the hands of the print companies. Of course I would remain on call in case any problems arose.

Andrex Washlets floor ripple development

With the Andrex Washlets experiential campaign looming, I had to put some time in on New Years Eve and New Years Day. I was working from home and I'm not one of these people to moan about working on public holidays.  Being self employed I tend not to have weekends at the same time as other people.  This makes me happy, as it gives me a sense of freedom and choice.

In various previous posts I have spoken about the large impressive stand Andrex have commissioned us to create.  The stand will tour the country, making stops at many of the largest shopping centres in England. The objective is to spread the word of the new Andrex Washlets product - which I have used by the way, and like a lot. That isn't marketing speak, or an attempt to sell them - I genuinely like them.  You know, if I were to say that on the radio they would no doubt send me free boxes full of them!

This touring set would need to be reconstructed in each location.  The company that does this for us is used to it, it's what they do. However, on this occasion I don't envy them.  The floor to this set is particularly complicated.  It's jigsaw like, made up of circular prints varying in size from 1.8 meters in diameter, to 0.9 meters in diameter.  If you were to look directly down from the ceiling you would see water ripples overlapping. It would be impossible to print something that large, so each ripple had to me cut separately and placed correctly. The artwork for this part of the job took me the best part of three days.  It was mathematics intensive and the files were extremely large. 

Check the other posts for full stand graphics and layout.

DSLR film #2 - "DSLR film is dead"?

Writer Darren Laken and I meet once a week to discuss the story of the movie. We are writing for the horror/fantasy genre. I will be directing and producing the film, and I'm extremely excited to be getting full creative control. We have had around ten meetings thus far and we have the story pretty much outlined. The job now is to write the "treatment".

The learning curve to making a movie is huge if you've never done it before.  The learning curve is as huge as you want it to be really. I've joined various independent communities and I continue to read up on tips.

One of the most difficult decisions for me so far has been which format the movie should be shot in.  When the idea was sparked it was pretty clear I wanted to shoot  at 1080p in DSLR. Having been to a DSLR film festival in Colorado I was so impressed with the quality that the format offered.  It is also affordable, kind of perfect for a first time director on a tight budget.  This decision was made a couple of months ago, but since then I have read various articles on the internet about how DSLR film is dead.  For a few days I floundered around the internet trying to find answers, I was panicking I'll admit.

I am not an authority on the subject, but as far as I can make out "DSLR film is dead" is an exaggeration from the point of view of marketeers and snobs.  When DSLR film exploded onto the scene about two years ago as a viable and quality format, it was due to the large sensors (full frame) DSLR cameras came with. With the ability to use the affordable stills lenses and their larger range of f-stops, the format became a huge hit. The only downside was the audio input.  To capture professional sounding audio, a film maker would have to purchase an external field mixer and/or external recorder of some sort.

The term "DSLR film is dead" started appearing when companies such as Sony and Panasonic released their next generation video cameras, with equally large sensors.  These cameras seem to be mid-priced, about the same as a top end DSLR camera.  As far as I can see, DSLR is not dead at all. Sure, it no longer dominates the independent movie market, but for a photographer who already has a collection of lenses it makes sense to stick with it.  The quality of DSLR is extremely high and versatile.  For my personal project, I have chosen to continue with DSLR unperturbed... and the sound quality issue?  Well, I always was going to buy a field mixer/external sound recorder anyway. 

Andrex Washlets 8 page gatefold leaflet designs

On the 27th of November I posted about the deadline of this particular job - I had a day to complete it.  I cracked on and got it done, I was working from home so the tight deadline was stress free.  There seems to be more stress on tight deadlines when I'm asked to go into the studio and work amongst the project managers and account handlers. They do a difficult job well, but it easy to slow down an art-worker with interruptions.  From my home studio, there are no interruptions and I can work straight through (listening to my own preference of music!)

Although I completed the work in time for the deadline, there were production complications and the deadline was put back by a few weeks. This allowed Andrex the luxury of having time to get me to tweak the leaflet here and there. Various text changes and visual amends.

Deadlines are funny things.  Sometimes a tight deadline will create some great artwork - some creatives thrive under pressure.  Sometimes a distant deadline will lead to an idea being over scrutinized and will eventually become weak. At other times, a longer deadline will allow minor tweaks to make the design look just right. The latter is how this particular scenario panned out.

Various design versions have followed the leaflet created on the 27th.  We are now awaiting confirmation on which idea Andrex prefer, the artwork creation will follow their decision.

Andrex Washlets PowerPoint visuals

When I'm asked to create something in PowerPoint, I always feel like I'm cheating myself and the client. Don't get me wrong, PowerPoint is good bit of software for putting together fast presentations to be shown in the average office.  As a creative however, it has many limitations. Making a PowerPoint slide show look different to others created in the same software is not an easy task.  I find the controls clunky, and I'm always disappointed with the end result. Visual effects and text control is limited. For the record, when a client asks me to create a slide show without specifying the software - I will use Keynote, or After Effects. These will lead to a much more dynamic looking result.

I digress, I was asked to create a PowerPoint slide show by the marketing agency. The show was going to be a simple tool by which we show the powers at be at Andrex where we are with our designs and artwork. I guess all of that waffle in the last paragraph is irrelevant in this situation. PowerPoint allowed me to quickly drop in visuals allowing this mini job to be completed without detracting from time spent on the overall artwork of the final job.

Sometimes PowerPoint is perfect for a job, what can I say. I just like to do the best job I can.... and I like to moan!