Post by Edison Miclat
www.thinkparallax.com
You can remember a great ad, but can you remember that tiny URL in the bottom corner? Try using a QR code next time.
What?
What’s a QR code? A “Quick Response” code is a matrix bar code designed for high speed decoding on smartphones. They receive content like links to websites, text messages, phone numbers, calendar events, videos or even online purchases or downloads — which you can then save, use instantly, or share.
Tags: Barcode Scanner, calvin klein jeans ad, iphone app, qr, qr bar code, RedLaser, Tesco Virtual Subway Store
Post by Parallax
Have you ever needed to raise awareness or money for an organization?
We recently finished creating the “Strong Ties for a Strong Education” campaign for the La Jolla Country Day School. The campaign, which will run for several years needed depth with both the visuals and messaging to ensure longevity and consistency to create and maintain awareness.
The video is a quick peek into the process, visuals and messaging for the campaign.
Tags: Annual Fund, Branding, campaign, creative agency, Design, Fundraising, Giving, Graphic Design, graphic design san diego, La Jolla Country Day, LCDS, LJCD, LJCDS, Parallax, San Diego, Type, Video
Post by Sean Bacon
Robert Craghead is the founder of Ten Stories, a motion branding creative house located in San Diego, California. Ten Stories works with multiple Fortune 500 companies as well as a wide range of film and broadcast television clients creating commercials, product demonstrations, film and television main title sequences, and all other motion related content for broadcast or web.
How did you first get into the film/video world?
In college I took a video production class. Up to that point I was unsure of what I wanted to use my degree towards. In the class, we were assigned a project to create a 1-2 minute video. Most students created carbon copies of popular music videos of the day or badly-done narrative Pulp Fiction rip-offs. I created a 6 minute horror film with sets, props, and a plenty of gore. Although I went way above the allotted 1-2 minute limit, I got an A on the project. That’s when I found out in film there really are no rules, just results. I liked that.
What do you see in the future for filmmaking and integrated new media?
I have seen firsthand the difficulty in distributing a modest-sized budget film. It seems that the film industry is being affected by the Internet in many of the same ways the music industry is. Big budget films are still making money, but small to mid sized films are being squeezed out. The studios and distribution companies are shying away from purchasing many films because of the high price in marketing them, and the high risk that they won’t get even a break-even return. This makes it difficult for the independent filmmaker to even think about creating and distributing a film in the traditional way. For every Paranormal Activity there are 500 films that didn’t make it…and a large percentage that were much better, just couldn’t get an audience.
That said, there are many advantages to being a filmmaker these days. Specifically, having more eyeballs on your film. The free distribution outlets to show off your talent (or product) is abundant (YouTube, Vimeo, etc.). A filmmaker can use these outlets to their advantage in showing the film or marketing it (so brilliantly executed for Paranormal Activity). This ideology should also be embraced by companies who want to get their message out. Why buy commercial time when you can get it for free?…and have a direct link to your site. We have already seen massive ad campaigns built on web video (Toyota, BMW, etc.). It will only become more prevalent in the future.
How has design had an impact on your life?
Design is a huge component to what I do at Ten Stories, as well as just enjoying the world. I have always been a huge fan of architecture. Simple line structures definitely has an impact on our everyday design work at Ten Stories.
What would you do if you were not a filmmaker?
Tough question. I would like to think I would be an architect…probably a stay at home dad.
Where do you find inspiration?
Simple things inspire me. The things we see everyday, but don’t really notice. Simple shapes and textures…things my young son notices…such as connected blocks. It really amazes him. So simple, yet perfect.
Favorite music?
If I was on a desert island and had to pick one artist to listen to, it wouldn’t be hard. Sigur Ros. Beautiful and timeless.
Print or web?
Wherever good design is. I guess I prefer print, just so I can touch and feel it. But in the end, good design is good design.
Favorite Spot when you get out?
Every Friday afternoon I pick up my kid and go to the Zoo. I could look at the Gorillas for hours. They don’t do all that much, but when they move…Wow, you can just see all the strength they have, yet they seem so gentle.
Top 3 movies of all time
1. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Perfect movie. Made me think as a kid movies can be as emotional and tense…without a ton of dialogue.
2. Reservoir Dogs
Stark contrast to The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly. Great, great dialogue. Seems like such a big movie, but what did they have?…4 sets?
3. To Kill a Mockingbird
Gregory Peck or Jimmy Stewart? It was either this or Vertigo. Timeless. I think people will still be watching these 100 years from now. A good book too.
When not working you are…
Hanging out with my wife and kid. Thinking of the next project.
Tags: Branding, craghead, creative agency, Graphic Design, graphic design san diego, interview, Parallax, robert, San Diego, tenstories, Video
Post by Sean Bacon
We have recently moved our office to Encinitas and as we build and make this space our own I have been thinking about other successful transformations I have seen. The type wall from the CBS building sticks out in my mind. Lou Dorfsman was the art director for CBS from 1947 to 1987. In his time there he did many amazing things, but the Gastrotypographicalassemblage, as it became known, is one of the most impressive.
A collaboration between Dorfsman and Herb Lubalin, The 35 x 8.5 foot wall was designed with gridded type related to food and placed in the cafeteria in CBS’ headquarters. The wall really made the space and gave the room character and an obvious purpose. Dorfsman referred to the wall as “his magnum opus, his gift to the world” and it personally also sparked my love for typography. Unfortunately in 1990 CBS discarded the wall, but it was saved by a designer with some foresight named Nick Fasciano. Thanks to Nick the wall still exists but from improper care and storage it is damaged. The Center for Design in Atlanta has taken on the task of restoring the piece to its original glory. Check out and get inspired by his amazing creation. Hopefully it will be restored and put on display sometime soon.
Great video about the wall and Dorfsman:
Gastrotypographicalassemblage from Kemistry on Vimeo.
Tags: Branding, CBS, creative agency, Design, Gastrotypographicalassemblage, Graphic Design, graphic design san diego, Lou Dorfsman, Parallax, San Diego, Type
Post by Parallax
What comes to mind when you think of an annual report?
A nice cover shot, a few interesting pages and then more paper for the recycle bin? Content that is used for one purpose, one time – to communicate fiscal and organizational highlights to shareholders from the past year and strategic plans for the future. Not very exciting stuff.
But what if the report could communicate all of this and be used as a P.R., marketing and communication tool now and well into the future for anyone that comes in contact with the organization?
Parallax recently created an online, interactive flipbook for the 2009 San Diego County Water Authority Annual Report. It’s full with rich content, interactive charts and videos. Hardly something you would expect from a public agency, but it’s a sign of a growing trend in annual reports and other printed, multipage documents.
The online flipbook is designed like a printed piece, and by either buying a simple application and creating it yourself or using a service, it becomes an interactive book. You can incorporate video, flash, search functionality, links, surveys and most importantly view user statistics. And, since you’ve designed it in a print layout you can digitally print small quantities on an as needed basis.
It serves as the bridge between print and online communication and is one of the most useful, cost efficient means to communicating on both platforms. Click to view the report and find out how you can be part of the growing trend.
Tags: Annual Report, Authority, Branding, creative agency, Design, Graphic Design, graphic design san diego, Interactive, Parallax, San Diego, Video, Water
Post by Sean Bacon
Advertising is a field that constantly changes to gain your attention. It has evolved over hundreds of years as approaches change with the times and technology. Getting the attention of target markets, especially younger people, is becoming more and more difficult as we are more and more aware of advertising tactics and marketing plans.
Monocle Magazine with an ad for Blackberry on the left and an article on the right
As awareness of advertising in magazines and on television increases it is becoming much easier for us to skip over advertisements not allowing them to use their power on us. With the invention of Tivo and other DVR devices as well as TV on the internet it is now possible to completely skip all ads on television. I am sure it is not new, but lately I have noticed a trend that combats these issues that is extremely successful. Why not make the ad blend in? Instead of making it splashy and special on its own to differentiate itself from everything else, make it like the magazine itself or resemble the TV show tricking the viewer into giving their attention because they do not recognize it as an advertisement. I have noticed it in magazines for a while, but I think the british magazine Monocle does it extremely well by having the ads follow the magazines design style as well as including text so that the ad blends in with the magazine resembling the rest of the content. I cannot tell you how many times I have “accidently” read one of the “ads” in their magazine, it really is a fantastic tactic. These ads have so much added value and must involve some coordination between the magazine and the people purchasing the ads.
More interior spreads from Monocle showing ads hidden amongst regular content.
I recently noticed a similar tactic being used on NBC. I rely on my DVR to save me from watching mundane and boring commercials, but during the show Community for the past few weeks they have been showing a commercial for TurboTax that I have seen more than any ad only because they “trick” me into watching it. They use the actors from the show Community and put them in a scenario that relates to the content on the show. It always airs as the first commercial in the break, and the first 3-4 times I would rewind back to watch the commercial thinking I was missing part of the show, a very smart way to combat this new DVR and Tivo age in terms of getting people to watch commercials.
Seems to me that with all the new ways we are able to filter information it might be best for some companies to focus on blending in and speaking to an even more specific target group, like people who watch Community, making sure their message is seen and read rather than trying to stand out and be looked over. Of course there are always exceptions and many ad campaigns are incredibly successful and work well at grabbing attention and standing out, but many of these are large big budget projects. So I guess the next time you are working on television or print advertising ask yourself is it better to stand out or blend in?
Tags: Advertising, attention, Branding, commercial, Commnity, creative agency, DVR, Graphic Design, graphic design san diego, Magazine, Monocle, NBC, Parallax, San Diego, Tax, Tivo, Turbo
Post by Sean Bacon
A great grassroots campaign for an awesome cause. I think the video does an amazing job at getting your attention and holding your interest. Check out their great site: www.girleffect.org
Tags: Branding, campaign, creative agency, Design, effect, girl, Graphic Design, graphic design san diego, grassroots, mess, Parallax, San Diego, Video, world
Post by Sean Bacon
A little late in terms of the Superbowl, but I think this was a lackluster year for TV ads during the big game. This is usually where the big guns pull it all out to amaze us. I think the best ad I saw was for Google. It was such a simple idea and was executed very well. I especially love how the ad only relied on showing their own product and how it changes and influences everyone’s life.
More recently I came across this and was so excited to see the ad go one step further to allow anyone to create their own ad/story relating to their own life. I thought it was so fun and a great way to keep the forward momentum of the great ad. Create your own and post a link in the comments, we’d love to see them.
http://www.youtube.com/searchstories
Tags: ad, Branding, creative agency, custom, google, Graphic Design, graphic design san diego, Parallax, San Diego, search, story, superbowl, TV