Daily Inspiration Through Art

Design and trading cards

I was totally a card collecting mad man when I was a kid. The most intriguing thing for me about the cards, other than the players, was the design. I was amazed how so many things could be done with such a small space. Looking back it’s no surprise, I was destined to be a designer.

I bring this up with the arrival of RG3 in the NFL. I will again have a chance to collect and perhaps become inspired all over again. Above is a sneak peak at an upcoming RG3 rookie card and I am stupid-excited to try and collect a few!

Stay Inspired

-Colt (Did I mention I went to Baylor?)

BACK IN THE SADDLE Fantastic new Campaign by Sonic that brings back “those two guys”  - they were funny then and funny now! Strategically a unique way to target with a not so obvious but still empathetic nod to the unemployment issue faced by many in America.

Commercials start airing Monday. Also check out the FB page https://www.facebook.com/those2guys

-Sara

I know, I know…it’s a love /hate relationship with this social site. Personally, I HATE the FB posts that someone just pinned the latest Kate Spade cupcake foil to their board but LOVE the inspiration that can be reaped from a well-edited collection.  No matter what your opinion, this has been the week of Pinterest from a news coverage standpoint, every time I turned around I was blasted with some new article or blog post on Pinterest – its growth, its viability, its brand building/product selling benefits, even its legal standing.

The folks at Pinterest (a rather small team of 12-15 people depending on your source) either turned on the PR fire hose or this is a great example of Malcom Gladwell’s The Tipping Point because there are seemingly a whole lot more eyes on this company this week than there were last month.  Here are a few of the most recent news pieces:

Even The Army Has A Pinterest - MediaJobsDaily <http://www.mediabistro.com/mediajobsdaily/even-the-army-has-a-pinterest_b10006>
‎
Pinterest, One Of The Fastest-Growing Startups In History, Might Be Enabling Massive Copyright Theft

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/pinterest-illegal-faq-2012-2#ixzz1mflKW6Bv

           
Pinterest dos and don’ts for brands
http://www.nbr.co.nz/node/110244

Learning how to use Pinterest for business? Watch these 6 companies   

http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/blog/startups/2012/02/6-businesses-to-learn-pinterest-from.html              

-Sara

Daily Inspiration Through Art

A Heart for Liqaa

This year I felt inspired by a group called Preemptive Love Coalition. Their mission is to provide life-saving heart surgeries to Iraqi children and hands-on training to Iraqi doctors and nurses. Learn more about their story here.

As a designer, I volunteered my services to help with a logo and header for one of their fundraising websites. If you have the means, any donation would help a ton. Happy Valentines Day!!!

Stay Inspired.

-Colt

Three and a half years ago when I enrolled at TCU I “thought” I knew exactly what I wanted in life: to find my passion, graduate in four years, start my own business, become a top professional in my field, retire early and enjoy my time vacationing with family and friends.

Sounds like the dream life, right? Well, that’s exactly what it was…a dream.

Fortunately for me, I can at least check off the first two. This May, I will officially be a graduate from Texas Christian University with a B.S in Strategic Communication (a fancy way of saying advertising and public relations). After that, your guess is just as good as mine.

Although I am confident in my career choice, I have no idea what path will lead me there. And I’m okay with that because just like social media trends, life is expected to change. For now, I am happily interning in Account Services at Schaefer Advertising Co.

In the past, I believed that as long as I had a plan and executed it with hardwork I would be okay in life, but with every day in the office I’m discovering it’s an empty achievement if there is no passion behind it.

I absolutely love the amount of passion Schaefer Advertising shows among fellow employees, passion for clients and passion for producing quality work. In less than four weeks, I’ve had the opportunity to actively participate in projects, observe client meetings and help meet deadlines.

Most importantly, I appreciate the hands-on approach the staff has taken to mentor me.

I’m sure, in time the next step of my path will reveal itself, but until then I’m spending it having fun and loving what I do best.

To keep the conversation going, connect with me, Olivia Stribling, on LinkedIn and follow my professional blog A Woman Who Thinks She Can.

Daily Inspiration Through Art

Hallmark Campaign: Tell me

Great example of a simple and excellent copy behind a great concept. Sometimes all we need is for someone tell us words of encouragement or to remind us that we are loved. Enjoy.

-Colt

The Giants aren’t the only one’s that are celebrating a win. There were a few winning campaigns as well, and once again our creative and strategy guys agreed.

The top ad for Super Bowl 46, hands down goes to Chrysler. Earning 90 points from creative and 85 from strategy, these top scores are a result of brilliant copy writing, perfect impact/placement airing once at halftime, and Chrysler capturing the essence of America.

Todd’s Ad Bowl Faceoff score card (great to good):

Chevy Trucks - total score: 85 points. Strategically it was was smart playing off of a big 2012 story, the Mayan Apocalypse. Also smart directly calling out Ford and their tagline, Ford Tough. Creative execution was flawless down to the co-branding with Twinkies. http://youtu.be/XxFYYP8040A

Volkswagen - total score: 75 points. Good strategy by playing it up with the pre-super bowl buzz with the singing dogs on Youtube. The spot was compelling with the dog getting fit, and the Star Wars ending tied back to the buzz. A weird combination, but there was something in it for everyone. http://youtu.be/0-9EYFJ4Clo

Chevy Sonic - total score: 75 points. Strategy was perfect pushing your new compact on the Xgames/Redbull generation. In the age of CGI graphics, the REAL stunts were too cool. To see a real car do a real kick-flip over a giant skateboard was nostalgic for an old guy like me, and over-the-top for the young hipster. The push to letsdothis.com for behind the scenes was a great extension. http://youtu.be/iuvoSw1TiJ8

Teleflora - total score: 70 points. I know, I’m a guy and sex sells - but this was a smart spot. Days before Valentines day you just reminded dumb guys to call or go online and order flowers for our girlfriends or wives (or both). And all we have to do is give and we receive? They just did the whole florist industry a solid. http://youtu.be/uWrJgFjxlS0

Ken’s Ad Bowl Faceoff score card (great to good):

Chevy Trucks - total score: 80 points.  How do you show the end of the world as we know it, while poking fun at your biggest competitor?  Look to Chevy – they did it perfectly.  In an epic spot, Chevrolet used humor and great production value to show that Ford Tough, isn’t so tough after all.  Was it effective?  Ford thought it would be, they formally requested that NBC pull the commercial before it aired. Plus the Twinkie reference….greatness. http://youtu.be/XxFYYP8040A

Chevy Camaro – total score: 75 points. I really didn’t want to like another car commercial, but this spot captures the exuberance in pride of ownership.  Not just of any car but the car of your dreams. OK , maybe not your dreams, but certainly of most men between 18-24.  http://youtu.be/Ae52ourE3Pw

Teleflora – total score: 75 points.  My wife and my mom are going to kill me.  But let’s be honest:  As guys we are typically clueless about what to get the woman in our lives for Valentines Day, let alone even remembering that Valentines Day is an epically important holiday to half the population. Lest I be labeled a mysoginist  - let the record show I’ve already ordered flowers.  Really. I have. Right after I saw the spot. http://youtu.be/uWrJgFjxlS0

Volkswagen – total score: 70 points. The Volkswagen Beetle had a great brand relaunch a number of years ago, and since that time the Mini Cooper killed them. The Beetle needed a redesign to be a sleeker more contemporary design. The ad told a great story with a nice nod to one of the best Super Bowl commercials ever, last year’s Darth Vader Kid spot. http://youtu.be/0-9EYFJ4Clo

Do these match up with your top five? Let us know!

There were some definite losers in yesterday’s festivities - and we’re not just talking about the Patriots.

Ad Bowl Faceoff scores are in, and Ken and Todd did agree on one thing: the worst ad of super bowl 46. 

This crown ring goes to the “old gimmick” from GO-daddy. Scoring a meek 5 points from strategy and 0 from creative, the general sentiment was that it’s time for Go-Daddy to go-on to a new campaign. 

Check it out for yourself:

Here are how Ken and Todd scored other commercials from bad to worse.

Todd’s Ad Bowl Faceoff score card (bad to worse):

E*trade - total score: 11 points. Need to find a fresh way to creatively show the simplicity of E*trade, there’s nothing more for the smart-ass babies to say. http://youtu.be/Hh8hS8uSoJs

MetLife - total score: 10 points. Great idea for more iconic cartoons to follow their long-time “Snoopy” mascot, but they did nothing with those characters or possibilities. http://youtu.be/zKRVM06MfHc

Bud Light Platinum - total score: 8 points. Tired of CGI, high tech assembly lines building things. Really? http://youtu.be/Eo1BHwPtQcc

Cars.com - total score: 6 points. Too creepy!  Dialogue was lost because I was too busy turning away from the growth out of his back? Sometimes odd is good, but that was just creepy. http://youtu.be/PMxSZQZuBYc

Ken’s Ad Bowl Faceoff score card (bad to worse):
Century 21 - total score: 20 points. I get what you were trying to do, but it came off looking like my old Uncle Albert trying to be cool at my birthday party.  Uncle Albert was never cool. Ever.  Century 21 – you would’ve gotten along great with Uncle Al.  http://youtu.be/TwXycwCe6_s

Samsung–Galaxy - total score: 15 points. As one member of our team said, “a phone with a pen – what are the bringing back the palm pilot.”  IF you are going to take a shot at the most pervasive technology brand, you better have more ammo than that. http://youtu.be/V40oo4kkzHg

MetLife – total score: 10 points. Strategy?  What strategy. Let’s get every great baby boomer and gen x cartoon character and wedge them all into a nonsensical commercial. Met Life - You need a new agency. http://youtu.be/zKRVM06MfHc

Bud Light Platinum - total score: 10 points. Who produced this ad?  A committee of robotic engineers?  Actually, that’s offensive to engineers.  In the age of “hand crafted” small batch beers, could Bud Light have made their product look more impersonal? All wrong.  http://youtu.be/Eo1BHwPtQcc

Do you think Ken and Todd got it right naming Go-Daddy as the worst Super Bowl ad? We’re always up for some good banter, and want to hear what you think!

Daily Inspiration Through Art

Trip to Dallas to see Shepard Fairey

So I posted a few pics a couple days ago over Shepard’s new murals in Dallas area and wanted to share about my trip to see one of the Obey murals outside of the Dallas Contemporary. The Dallas Contemporary is responsible for bringing the Mural project to Dallas and Thursday night they hosted a “chit chat” where Shepard got to discuss his work, his history, and what his passions are.

One of the greatest things I took away from it was his message to “the artist”. His message was to go out and make things happen for yourself, you cannot sit back and wait for opportunities to open, you go out and create the opportunity. This guy definitely made the most of every opportunity that came his way and has continued to create great work. I never really had a “hero” or anything along those lines, but if I had to pick someone he would definitely be up there. He is a designer and artist, I hope I can accomplish a fraction of what this guy has with his talents.

-Colt

Daily Inspiration Through Art

“Obey” Shepard Fairey in Dallas,

Political ties aside, you cannot deny that Shepard is one talented guy. If you don’t recognize the iconic Obama Hope poster than you must have seriously been living under a rock for quite some time.

His work is easily the most recognizable and considered by many the greatest graphic artist of his time.

This week Shepard Fairey is in Dallas, our Fort Worth companion, strategically painting his murals on the sides of many buildings around the city. He will also be hosting a neon themed dance party Saturday night with the Dallas Contemporary Museum.

I hope to make it out sometime to check out his work around the city, I’ll report back with images of the murals.

-Colt