Pudsey Bear's Makeover

I have just found out that advertising agency Fallon has redesigned BBC Children in Need's Pudsey Bear. The idea was 'to create a fresh new look' and create something that was 'exciting and accessible enough to make people want to get involved'. He was also redesigned so that Pudsey could be used digitally - online and in animation.
Unfortuntely I am not a fan of this redesign. Having grown up with the previous design, introduced in 1985, it seems a shame to change something which is so iconic. It is a design which appeals to all ages whereas this new design looks quite childish, created in a similar style to children's characters such as Miffy. I also think it looks more like a Gummi Bear than Pudsey!
Above is the new design and below is the old design.

Visit London

I saw the St Paul's version of this advert on the Tube at the weekend. Having done some further research I have found some more examples created by Oscar Wilson. I think they are clever, interesting and eye catching adverts. The use of typography to create the image is different from their other campaigns and makes them visually appealing. The coloured typography against the plain blackground is simple but makes it more eye catching. Another exmple of when simple can sometimes be more effective. The image depicts something related to the attraction being advertised and the type making up that image displays things to do and see at that attraction.




Agency: RKCR Y&R, London.
Art director: Neil Durber
Copywriter: Ben Hartman

Cadbury's Gorilla Advert

This is the new advert for Cadbury. I am not sure how a Gorilla relates to chocolate but it is certainly an advert which will get people talking about it which, in turn, will work in Cadbury's favour. It is intended to simply make you smile, in the same way chocolate bars do!
Agency: Fallon
Creative director/copywriter: Juan Cabral

Black Magic Rebrand

This week's Design Week featured the rebrand of the Nestle chocolate Black Magic by Elmwood. I think it has been executed really well. The finished product looks sleek, expensive and contemporary. The use of black and silver on the packaging reflects the brand. I think it will defintely boost the brand and help increase sales as it has made the product more appealing.

'Black Magic brand manager Rebecca Reason explains that the design brief was influenced by the Japanese philosophical approach to designing called Kansei, whereby consumer emotions are translated into specific design parameters.' - Design Week

The Queen

I saw this film the other night on TV. It is based on how the Queen and the rest of the Royal Family dealt with the death of Princess Diana. I was quite shocked by how the Royal Family reacted to the situation. However, the film cannot have been too far from the truth otherwise the Royal Family would surely have considered court action. It puts a good light on Tony Blair which shows just how much opinion has changed about him since the Iraq war. It is a rare and truly insightful look into the life of the Royal Family. It is an interesting film and I thought Helen Mirren played the role of the Queen very well, producing a controlled and understated performance.

The Memory Keeper's Daughter

I loved this book because it was an easy read but at the same time dealt with some quite hard hitting issues.
Dr David Henry deliver's his wife's twins. However, the female twin is born with Down's Syndrome. At the time (the book being set in the 1960s) attitudes towards people with disabilities were very different from what they are today. David tells his wife their daughter died while secretly he gives his daughter away to a nurse to be placed in an instituition. The nurse decides she cannot put the girl in an institution and brings her up herself. The book then goes on to deal with the effect this action has. It breaks David's family apart, and tells the story of how the girl makes her own way in the world.
It is a real page turner, drawing you into the plot. It is hard to understand how anyone could do what David did, but you can see that he did it because he was trying to protect the people he loved, even if it turned out to be the wrong thing to do. This book is interesting because of the time it was set in and people's attitudes back then. Hopefully this kind of thing would not happen in today's world.

Cars Made Into Mobile Billboards

An article I found in today's Telegraph:

'About 7,000 US motorists have signed up to have their cars covered in adverts in "brand ambassador" deals worth up to £400 a month.
FreeCar Media, The Los Angeles advertising agency behind the idea, instructs drivers under a code of conduct not to smoke, litter or swear when behind the wheel. Drivers whose cars were recently wrapped with adverts for Coca-Cola were told not to be seen sipping Pepsi.
Car commercials are part of the trend towards so-called "guerrilla" advertising, whereby companies look for ways around consumers' growing resistance to conventional marketing tactics.
It is estimated that a single vehicle's advertising message can be seen by as many people as 70,000 people a day.'

The only problem I can see with this is that if it becomes a common thing, with already 7,000 motorists doing it, then it could become one of the conventional marketing tactics they were trying to avoid. Also, I can't believe that anyone, unless they were desperate for the money, would cover their car, that they had paid a lot of money for, in advertising!

Remasterpiece

Go to www.remasterpiece.com then click on video, then video again and there is an option for you to 'View Maresias Promo' to see the animation.


It is another piece of work created by Stylorouge, a fantastic piece of computer animation.


'Remasterpiece is the first collaboration and international release by artists Chris Coco and Sacha Puttnam.
Sacha has used his strong classical background to select some of the most beautiful moments in classical music and together with Chris, has put them into a context that makes sense to a new generation of listener.
Remasterpiece is a highly original approach to classical music, blending the past and the future in a beautiful mix of classical and ambient music.'


I think this 'music video' works really well with the piece of music. The colours reflect the relaxed yet uplifting feel. The speed of the animation is also in time with the music. Watching this video takes you on a journey, you are drawn into the animation as it moves from scene to scene. It is captivating and beautiful.

Hand Art

Having been really impressed with the hand art images created for the LSC Skills Advert, I was further impressed when I found some more examples of this work. The attention to detail is amazing. So much attention would have to have been paid as to how the hand would eventually sit so that the image worked. I am especially fascinated by how the artist managed to make the lines and creases in hands work to create the texture of the elephants skin. The finished effect is stunning.

Richard Sweeney

A series of scluptural works created through the cutting, scoring and folding of paper.



Sliceforms comprise several interlocking sheets intersecting at right angles to create forms that suggest three dimensionality.




'Elements of repetition within architecture are very appealing to me, I’m drawn to the way structures can be produced with sets of repeating elements, each of which is simple in its own right, yet contributes to create a complex and rigid structure.' - Richard Sweeney.

This work appealed to me because of it's initial complexity and the smooth forms these sharp shapes are able to create. However, on taking a closer look, as mentioned by Sweeney, you can see that it is not so complex as first thought.

Rob O'Connor

This is the work of the creative director at Stylorouge. His main role within the company, other than that of creative director, is to do the photos shoots for the album covers and videos etc. I think his work is interesting because of his use of lighting, adding an exciting, intriguing and dynamic feel to the images. He uses lighting to dramatic effects. The example below shows how his photography was used for the album cover.

Laura Welsh Website

www.laurawelsh.com
I have recently done a work placement at Stylorouge. This is a website created by the company for a new musician. I really like the feel of the website. It is quite informal but works really well because each part of each page is interesting to look at. There is so much going on. I like the diary/sketch book theme to the website. I makes it feel more personal, like you are getting an insight into this musician's life. I think the bold colours mixed with sketches and photos work really well together.