The making of The Man Your Man Could Smell Like

W+K’s first TV spot for Old Spice neatly built on the loud, drawn out comic tones stylistically set out by Will Ferrell’s recent porfolio – most notably Anchorman. While the similarity wasn’t close enough so as to feel plagiaristic it’s good to see a new batch of creative work that demonstrates there is more to the idea than the tone of voice. The overly dramatic and smooth use of a single take (yes – really!) helps build the concept of Old Spice’s Man while taking a pop at the still growing trend of overly fastidious male grooming.

Rarely does one see ‘the making of’ for TV spots, presumably because they would be dull beyond belief, but this is really worth watching.

Timorous Beasties for Nike ACG

Esteemed Glasweigan print studio Timorous Beasties has produced a collection with Nike ACG for their 20th anniversary. While it’s hard to see the detail above, the studio is known for its ability to produce prints in which ornate flowers and insects seemlessly interwoven with magna porn and homeless people. A very unexpected and rare collaboration!

Pics: Freshnessmag

iPad

Amongst the inevitable explosion of admiration and derision for perhaps Apple’s most forward thinking product in recent memory, there have been some very interesting questions to arise.

Probably the most interesting period of after a launch is waiting to see what unintended uses the product lends itself too – and not just the pointless stuff like the hand warmer app. For example, Apple were probably too immersed in the media reading potential of the iPad to see that it would make a great interactive board game base – what other purposes can this product serve?

The other area for discussion is some of the decisions made for the user experience. Dan Hill has pulled together an excellent piece on some these which is definitely worth reading.

The little shop of ideas

In perhaps the best piece of work recently associated with my employer, Idea Shop is the baby of the lovely Ruth Jamieson and Paul “grizzly bear” Grizzell. The concept is a physical space, this time in Brixton market, from which to provide marketing consultancy to help to small businesses and community groups from the local area.

I was asked to help promote the project and be one the panelists. It was the most fascinating day. With attendees ranging from a deaf theatre group to a fledgling photographer, no two challenges were the same, however, two key themes did emerge; that of identity and community – making it clear who you are, what you do and what you’re about and then finding the appropriate community spaces online in which to make this tangible. Keep an eye on the Idea Shop blog to read about the groups, their challenges and what was discussed.

Hopefully there is a bright future for Idea Shop.

Trends in Transparency

The trend of business revealing more about their inner workings, the thoughts of their staff or the processes how they produce goods has been established for a while (see Trendwatching). So much so that many have realised, quite rightly, that it isn’t always a good thing – while I can’t find the particular article Russell Davies wrote which articulates the point I’m about to make, here’s different article on transparency – sometimes transparency takes away the magic, prevents the accumulation of latent human intrigue and the transparent truth is often a little underwhelming or rather dull.

But. One place where this is never the case is airports. The mind-bendingly complex feats of engineering and logistics that make possible transportation of 150 humans at a time to New York for 300-pounds a piece never fails amaze. How apt then, that Alain de Botton should come along and detail every nut and bolt in beautifully articulate detail. As the book as been out for sometime there are some good reviews around. What’s interesting is that this is actually a part of a trend in an industry in which to provide transparency to the masses may well seem counter intuitive.

Regardless, sharing some of the magic from behind doors is definitely welcome – Kulula’s new plane branding a continuation of this trend right into the realm of a giant’s kids incredible cross-sections-esq module. Fantastic.

Monocle’s 10-point business plan

1. Be a complete media brand with print, web and broadcast components

2. Deliver across all these areas in new formats

3. Focus on global affairs, business, culture, design and the best products/services on the market

4. Be an oasis from celebrities and low production values

5. Champion fresh talent for both words and pictures

6. Look ahead, not chase the ambulance

7. Accept no freebies

8. Likewise, not be given away for free

9. Open bureaux, so we have our own people on the ground

10. Do our bit to raise the bar.

Google Fade-in

This is a fantastic change and a really great example of salient design, it also demonstrates the ‘kaizen’ approach to a improving a service where many wouldn’t see any room for improvement. The user initiated reveal is a definitely a worthwhile detail – there are undoubtedly some people for which the subltey & single-minded minimalism could be mistaken for elitist functionalism.

Soda pop otaku

Listening to people talk about their passion is always interesting; there’s always particular nuances or parables about their interest for them to reveal.

Post-blogging: the blogs go to press

The recent spate of street culture blogs launching their own print titles has a slightly inevitable feel – yet for some who have used the rise of blogging as heralding the end of print the media 360 they are pulling off will come as a firm rebuke. As their comfort for writing has developed, along with a web-borne neutral vernacular, it’s hardly surprising the likes on SlamXHype, Jeff Staple and the H(y)r collective has sought out the best medium to develop something more permanent & tangible.

Inventory Magazine from the H(y)r Collective.

The New Order from Slam X Hype.

Reed Pages from Jeff Staple.

All of this begs the question, what might a print future hold for Hypebeast?

Officially now a ‘slow project’

Which of course means it can still be ‘good’ and ‘cheap’! A work in progress currently in New York with the magically talented Steph and due back in London for more contributor’s work in November.