15 June, 2006

Mr. Galloway Goes to Washington
Up front, I am against the War in Iraq. It was not a war against WMDs. It was not a war against terrorism. It was a campaign of waste, of lives and of resources. 'Nuff Said.

George Galloway, a newly elected member of the British Parliament, was summoned to Washington, D.C., to appear before a Senate subcommittee that claimed -- without ever communicating with him -- that he had enriched himself through the Iraq oil-for-food program.

"Now I know that standards have slipped in the last few years in Washington, but for a lawyer you are remarkably cavalier with any idea of justice. I am here today but last week you already found me guilty. You traduced my name around the world without ever having asked me a single question, without ever having contacted me, without ever written to me or telephoned me, without any attempt to contact me whatsoever. And you call that justice." [Video]
The full statement is available here. To learn more about George Galloway, check out his web site.

13 June, 2006

Florilegium Imperiale: Botanical Illustrations for Francis I of Austria by H. Walter Lack (ISBN 3791334921)
My lecturer used to comment that the Holy Roman Empire was neither Holy nor Roman. Nevertheless being an Emperor does have its advantages. Francis I of Austria, the last monarch to rule over the Holy Roman Empire, was also obsessed with flowers. His Imperial Gardens, where he realized his passion for flowers, remain one of Vienna’s most beloved treasures. In 1791, Francis I commissioned Matthias Schumtzer to paint portraits of every flower in the garden—a project that took more than three decades to complete. Until now, only six of the extant 1,300 paintings have ever been published. This collection features 120 of the most outstanding of Schmutzer’s watercolors. Painted life-size and with extraordinary precision, the flowers range from the exotic to the common. A fascinating text offers biographical information about Francis I, descriptions of the Imperial Gardens in the ruler’s time, and photographs of how they appear today. The 336 page tome measures in 29 X 42 cm and comes inclusive of slipcase. If you have US$165 to spare and delights in botanical art, this is the book to get.
Snacks taste better with Meiji
The gingerbread man has been a marked man ever since Shrek.

Credits
Client: Meiji Milk
Agency: BBDO SIngapore
Creative Director: Francis Wee
Writer: Andrew McKechnie
Art Director: Goh Wee Kim
Photographer: Jonathan Tay

12 June, 2006

The 2005 Creative Rankings by Campaign Brief Asia
Hey, this is Singapore and we love rankings... especially those that celebrates our achievements. The complete ranking consists of 150 agencies.

#1 Ogilvy & Mather Singapore (Sonal Dabral) 1738
#2 BBDO Singapore (Francis Wee) 1287
#3 Dentsu Inc Tokyo (Toshiaki Nozue, Akira Kagami) 1186
#4 BBDO Bangkok (Suthisak Sucharittanonta) 1181
#5 TBWA Singapore (Mark Bamfield) 1178
#6 Saatchi & Saatchi Bangkok (Andy Greenaway) 1177
#7 TBWA Japan (John Merrifield) 1067
#8 Leo Burnett Singapore (Steve Straw) 946
#9 Euro RSCG Flagship Bangkok (Chukiat Jaroensuk) 885
#10 Creative Juice / G1 Bangkok (Thirasak Thanapatanakul) 795
#11 Ogilvy & Mather Bangkok (Korn Tepintatapirak) 775
#12 Saatchi & Saatchi Singapore (Graham Kelly) 677
#13 JWT Bangkok (Pinit Chantaprateep) 599
#14 FCB Singapore (Rob Sherlock) 560
#15 McCann-Erickson Singapore (Ng Tian It) 555
#16 Naga DDB Malaysia (Ted Lim) 536
#17 JWT Malaysia (Edwin Leong) 463
#18 Ogilvy & Mather Malaysia (Daniel Comar) 439
#19 Leo Burnett Bangkok (Praphalrat Tongsiri) 374
#20 Ogilvy & Mather Mumbai (Piyush Pandey) 363

The points system is as follows:
Cannes
Grand Prix 100 (film 150); Gold 60 (film 90); Silver 50 (film 75); Bronze 40 (film 60); Shortlist Single 15 (film 30); Shortlist Campaign 20 (film 40).
D&AD
Gold 100; Silver 60; Silver Nomation 50; Accepted in the Book 30.
The One Show
Best of Show 100; Gold 50 (film 75); Silver 40 (film 60); Bronze 30 (film 50); Finalist 15 (film 20).
Clio
Grand Prix 150; Gold 50 (film 75); Silver 40 (film 60); Bronze 30 (film 50); Finalist in 2005 10 (film 15).
AdFest
Gold 15; Silver 10; Bronze 5.
Asian Advertising Awards
Gold 30; Silver 20; Certificate 10.
The Work
Accepted in annual 12.
Cannes Lions 2006
53rd International Advertising Festival (18-24 June)

39 seminars, 10 workshops, 5000 commercials, 6700 press ads, 4700 outdoor ads, 2200 websites and online ads, 1200 media solutions, 1700 direct marketing entries, 1500 radio entries, 200 Titanium entries, 4 award ceremonies and 2 galas.

This is the world's largest advertising festival, so if you are into creative work , bookmark http://www.canneslions.com/.
What A Rush!
The Tornado Series by Accord Fans
If you ever need a new fan, you can't go wrong with Accord. Created by BBDO Bangkok, writers, Wirat Charoenwiwatchai, Juntiga Nasunee and Suthisak Sucharittanonta with art directors, Aniruth Assawanapanon and Vasan Wangpaitoon, cleverly employed an over the top treatment for the fan's velocity. Writers, Wirat Charoenwiwatchai and Suthisak Sucharittanonta, with art director, Aniruth Assawanapanon, subsequently wrote an outdoor campaign. Distorted man-made structures were deployed to illustrate the capabilities of Accord Fans.

In Campaign Brief Asia's Creative Rankings 2005, BBDO Bangkok came in 4th and Suthisak Sucharittanonta was ranked as the 20th hottest creatives in Asia. Some of BBDO's works include the Richard Gere India VISA ad.
Japan's Twelve Modern Masters of Photography
It is always heart warming to see a gathering of talents, especially when it is for a good cause. The 'Friends of M.S.Swaminathan Research Foundation in Tokyo' has initiated a portfolio project in which all proceeds will be used to aid "Mission 2007. Every Village a Knowledge Center" or the establishing of a village knowledge centre in each of the 600,000 villages in India. The "Modern Masters of Photography - Japan" portfolio is a carefully produced 100 limited, individually signed, numbered and boxed set and priced at US$2,500. The exact specifications are available here. The twelve featured photographers include:

  1. Masahisa Fuksae
  2. Eiko Hosoe
  3. Yasuhiro Ishimoto
  4. Kikuji Kawada
  5. Daido Moriyama
  6. Shigeichi Nagano
  7. Tadayuki Naito
  8. Tokihiro Sato
  9. Toshio Shibata
  10. Issei Suda
  11. Yoshihiko Ueda
  12. Hiroshi Yamazaki
Detailed information about the photographers taking part in the project is available at http://www.masterphotographers.org.
Being There: Harry Benson's Fifty Years of Photojournalism
To quote John Loengard, former picture editor of Life and People, "Harry knows where it is important to go and what it is important to see. What he sees informs us all."

Harry Benson has always been at the right place at the right time. He has photographed all the American presidents from Eisenhower and was just next door to the Twin Towers when the first airplane struck. From Nixon's resignation to the dancing Reagans, the Digital Journalist hosts a online gallery of some of his best works including the famous Beatles pillow fight.[
View]

David Friend (Vanity Fair's editor of creative development) wrote of his experience while working with Harry Benson as well as Harry's "Rules of the Road".[View]

#1 Never to get too comfortable on a story. No matter how bleak things seem, they can always get worse.
#2 Go for the center, first.
#3 Keep in fighting trim, Fleet Street style.
#4 You're only as good as your last scrape.
#5 Speed is all.
#6 Minimize your contact with the office.
#7 Worry, worry and worry some more.
#8 Be a lone wolf.
#9 Every story is some version of Star Wars.
#10 Keep it light.

To summarise, Harry Benson knows the exact When, How, Which, Whether, How and When of photojournalism: WHEN a subject is likeliest to let his guard down; WHO within the orbit of a given assignment will soon set him off target, whether deliberately or inadvertently; HOW best to divert the attention of a subject's minder or spouse in order to go in for he kill; WHICH unexpected ally within the enemy camp--or even among his press corps counterparts--will he soon enlist to assist him in his cause; WHETHER the home office, through sheer impatience or panic, ego or inexperience, is on the verge of endangering a story or compromising its legitimacy by misreading the delicate lattice of courtship and intrigue that have set the story in motion in the first place; HOW to defend an iron-clad exclusive against all competitors--and invariable, against devious colleagues; WHEN to turn on the charm.

11 June, 2006

On this Earth: Photographs from East Africa by Nick Brandt (ISBN 0811848655)
I first came across Nick Brandt's work in a 2005 Chronicle Books catalog. Amazed by the grace and beauty his photographs bestowed upon the magnificent beasts roaming the vast Africa, I placed an order for a personal copy. Nick's interview and a showcase of 14 images in the November 2005 issue of Lenswork made me ever more eager. Finally, I got my "elephant" book yesterday. Introduced by renowned primatologist Jane Goodall, this stunning compilation transports the reader to another realm. One of peace and tranquility. A fast disappearing world where animals remain free and noble.

"I get extremely close to these very wild animals, often within a few feet of them. I don't use telephoto lenses. This is because I want to see as much of the sky and landscape as possible--to see the animals within the context of their environment. That way, the photos become as much about the atmosphere of the place as the animals. And being that close to the animals, I get a real sense of intimate connection to them, to the specific animal in front of me. Sometimes a deliberate feeling that they’re almost presenting themselves for a studio portrait." (Nick Brandt, April 2004)

Nick employed a Pentax 6X7 camera for all his photographs. All negatives were scanned and processed "dry room" using Adobe Photoshop. The magnificent panoramic images of the elephant herd was shot separately and later stitched. This is the perfect gift for all wildlife lovers and a great demonstration that beautiful images need not have color. To view more, kindly visit http://www.nickbrandt.com/.
Think Different(ly) about 1984
During the 1990s, Apple commissoned ad agency, TBWA, to create the Think Different slogan. The one minute black-and-white television commercial was narrated by Richard Dreyfuss and featured footages significant historical people of the past, including Albert Einstein, Bob Dylan, Martin Luther King Jr., Richard Branson, John Lennon, R Buckminster Fuller, Thomas Edison, Muhammad Ali, Ted Turner, Maria Callas, Mahatma Gandhi, Amelia Earhart, Alfred Hitchcock, Martin Graham, Jim Henson, Frank Lloyd Wright and Pablo Picasso. Despite its ingenuity, the ad was not without controversy. Critics have denounced Apple's exploitative use of historic figures to promote its own brand while supporters see the ad as a tribute. The full text of the ad as follows:

Think Different (View)
Here's to the crazy ones.
The misfits.
The rebels.
The troublemakers.
The round pegs in the square holes.
The ones who see things differently.
They're not fond of rules
And they have no respect for the status quo.
You can praise them, disagree with them, quote them,
disbelieve them, glorify or vilify them.
About the only thing that you can't do is ignore them.
Because they change things.
They invent. They imagine. They heal.
They explore. They create. They inspire.
They push the human race forward.
Maybe they have to be crazy.
How else can you stare at an empty canvas and see a work of art?
Or sit in silence and hear a song that's never been written?
Or gaze at a red planet and see a laboratory on wheels?
We make tools for these kinds of people.
While some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius.
Because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.


1984 (View)
Another one of my favorite ads is for the launch of Macintosh. The 1984 ad was only televised once during the half time segment of the Superbowl XVIII on January 22, 1984. It was made and directed by Ridley Scott at a cost of US$1.5 million. The cleverness of the ad was to draw reference to an Orwellian Nineteen Eighty-Four world and suggest then industry giant IBM as Big Brother.
How to be an Artist
I came across this wonderful text from a workshop some years back. Unfortunately no source was given but thnx to Google, it is a poster from Planet SARK's Classics I Artwork Collection.

How to be an Artist
Stay Loose. Learn to watch snails. Plant impossible gardens. Invite someone dangerous to tea. Make little signs that say "Yes!" and post them all over your house. Make friends with freedom and uncertainty. Look forward to dreams. Cry during movies. Swing as high as you can on a swing set, by moonlight. Cultivate moods. Refuse to be responsible. Do it for love. Take lots of naps. Give money away. Do it now. The money will follow. Blieve in magic. Laugh a lot. Celebrate every gorgeous moment. Take moonbaths. Have wild imaginings, transformative dreams, and perfect calm. Draw on the walls. Read everyday. Imagine yourself magic. Giggle with children. Listen to old people. Open up. Dive in. Be Free. Bless yourself. Drive away fear. Play with everything. Entertain your inner child. You are innocent. Build a fort with blankets. Get wet. Hug trees. Write love letters.

You could buy a copy of this wonderful poster here.

10 June, 2006

With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility
This coming December, the ultimate training manual will finally be available. The 176-page Spider-Man Handbook (Quirk Books) complete with step-by-step illustration will touch on essential skills such as How to Deal with a Nightmare Boss and How to Live on a Meager Income. More importantly, the book will emphasize essential super hero skills (such as How to Crawl up a Wall, How to Swing from Building to Building and How to Design and Build a Costume). This instruction manual will definitely benefit all the potential web slingers of the world. A perfect Christmas Day gift for all the Peter Parkers out there.

09 June, 2006

J K Rowling's Da Potter Code
(June 2005) The Sun Newspaper sent its reporter to meet the two gunmen who allegedly tried to sell stolen copies of the forthcoming Harry Potter book. The gunmen claimed to have copies for sale at GBP50,000. Police said they arrested a 37-year-old and a 19-year-old. Their names were not released. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is slated for release July 16, 2005 and sold 1.9 million copies during its first four hours on sale.

06 June, 2006

Planet Football
The World Cup is less than 2 days and some 18 hours away, the Goethe-Institut, has taken the opportunity to sponsor a wonderful photography exhibition, "Planet Football," consisting of a series of photographs produced by Magnum Photo. The excellent series, regardless of its urban or rural settings, serve to remind us that, football, is probably the one common language that connects us all.

Though nothing beats viewing the actual photo exhibits, there is an online gallery featuring fifty of these memorable images. [Click] If you are eager for more, Phaidon has published Magnum Soccer (ISBN 0714845213) for a more comprehensive look at the beautiful game.

But what does this championship actually mean in the 32 countries participating? The Goethe-Institut will feature an international weblog with one blogger for each nation playing commencing on June 9th. The authors will introduce their countries' peculiarities of football. Stay tuned. http://www.goethe.de/ges/spr/prj/blo/enindex.htm

Who will win the World Cup? Just watch this hilarious ad to find out.
1st Sticker Award
Stickers have become an essential element of contemporary street art used by the most underground of artists. With stickers, anyone can plant their flag, gain notoriety, recognition and attain instant coverage while the action itself is inconspicuous.

The StickerAward book was released on 01.02.2006. The extensive 324 page full-color tome will feature more than 800 entries from some 2,500 submissions from around the world and includes 2 pages of award winning real stickers to indulge readers. For a sneak preview of the submissions especially the winning entries, kindly visit the official StickerAward website. The 2nd StickerAward will be open for submission on June 15th, 2006. Be ready.

On the sticky front, 1819SuperMovement, a platform for the arts, music and design community with an emphasis on the Singapore creative scene, has announced the results of their recent sticker project Majulah Stickapura Series//3.
Pedals and Petticoats: On the road in post-war Europe by Mary Elsy
(ISBN 1 84024 439 9)
An interesting title I came across today about a road trip undertaken by four young and spirited girls. I have heard lots of friends and stangers saying that they will never get to see the world and its always been their dream to travel. Well, perhaps this tale will inspire them to.

[Publisher Description]
Christmas, 1950. Five years after D-Day, Britain was still recovering from the aftermath of war when four British girls – Mary Elsy, her sister Barbara and their friends Agnes and Esme – hatched a daring plan to give up their jobs and cycle through Europe. They would camp together in one tent on a shoestring budget, and ride 3,000 miles through battle-scarred Germany, France, Austria, Italy, Spain, Belgium and Luxembourg.
Although the Second World War was now firmly in the past, the ruined cities they found were a sobering reminder. At a time when few were travelling for recreation, Mary Elsy’s party created a stir everywhere they went. With its fascinating cast of characters, Pedals and Petticoats is a charming eye-witness account of life in war-devastated Europe.

01 June, 2006

It's Not About the Bike
A Dutch investigator appointed by the International Cycling Union cleared Lance Armstrong on Wednesday (31st May, 2006) on charges of doping during the 1999 Tour de France, the first of seven he won consecutively, and strongly criticized international anti-doping authorities. Lance has retired from competitive racing to devote himself to the fight against cancer, has strongly denied using banned substances during the 1999 Tour or any other race. "The report confirms my innocence," Armstrong said in a statement.

Lance was diagnosed with testicular cancer on 2nd October, 1996. In 1997, he founded the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF), firmly believing that in the battle with cancer, unity is strength, knowledge is power and attitude is everything. Its mission is to inspire and empower people with cancer. We serve our mission through education, advocacy, public health and research programs.

Lance's tale goes beyond mere survival but his continual fight to live strong. Lance's book, It's Not About The Bike, is an inspiring tale of facing life's challenges with an attitude.

Related Site:
Nike Wear Yellow

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The Glass Cube @ Fifth Avenue
The Apple Store Fifth Avenue, New York, opened on Friday, May 19, 2006. Cost US$9 million dollars, the distinctive 10 metre structure will serve customers 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

"The new store offers more than 100 Macs and nearly 200 iPods for customers to try before they buy, as well as the world’s largest assortment of accessories to help you get the most out of your Mac® or iPod®. The Apple Store Fifth Avenue also has the largest staff of any Apple Store, with nearly 300 highly trained Mac Specialists, Mac Geniuses and Creatives who offer free tips and tricks on photography, movies and music to make creative projects come to life at The Studio. The new store will feature a combined 45-foot Genius Bar, iPod Bar and The Studio where customers can get face-to-face support, free advice and work on creative projects at any hour of the day or night." [Source]

View the amazing architecture and the opening day crowd here.
For the latest events and workshop schedule, click here.