Lou Dorfsman in front of Gastrotypographicalassemblage
When I saw this word, I can’t help but to smile and write about it.
What is it?
Gastrotypographicalassemblage is the name of the 36-feet long, 8-feet high 3D-typographical artwork by American design legend Lou Dorfsman in 1966 for the Eero Saarinen–designed CBS Building’s cafeteria. As an art director for CBS Radio Network (from 1946 to 1987), Dorfsman was responsible for all the building’s graphics, including the hand-milled wood type that listed all the foods and ingredients. In addition, the typography was done by Herb Lubalin and Tom Carnase under his art direction.
How delightful… until it was torn down and tossed aside in the early 90s. If it weren’t for the efforts of designer Nick Fasciano, and ID magazine writer Eve Kahn, it would have been gone for good.
Gallery photo by Christian Carlsson
What brings the word to mind today is an exhibition of Dorfsman’s work under the same title which runs until October 30 at Kemistry Gallery in London. Sixty original print advertising for CBS will be displayed along with the star attraction: The specially-created half-scale, photographic reproduction of Gastrotypographicalassemblage.
Go to Creative Review to read more about the exhibit and the making of it.
For more on the original artwork, its almost demise & restoration:
Before the 4th of July weekend, Squeaky was asked by Tequila Avión, a premium tequila brand, to help with its digital presence. There was a sense of urgency to “elevate” the brand: Tequila Avión was being written into HBO’s Entourage by the creator, Doug Ellin, for episode “80: Buzzed” to be aired on July 11th (yes, in one week!). They asked for our help because their existing site didn’t do much for the brand.
We opted for a Facebook tab to “Experience Tequila Avión” which allowed the three different tequilas to be featured with custom recipes that are simple and sleek to reflect the premium product, yet lending the small, independent brand a grassroot feel by utilizing their Facebook fans. The strategy and execution were well received by the fans and the brand team, and we did it in a super crunch time!
During the discovery and strategy phase, we scan the web to see what other alcohol brands are doing online. (Trust me, there are a lot of them out there.)
Here are a few that stand out:
Absolut Vodka—Absolut-ly on top
Absolut has consistently done very well with their brand messaging. They are “smart, stylish, creative and witty” and they seem to always get it right, from web to social media to mobile.
Facebook Fans: 534,407 fans
Facebook Campaigns:
BROOKLYN: What’s your Stoop Story? Celebrating Summer, Bloggers sharing their love for Brooklyn, Spike Lee, etc.
Lemon Drop: To promote Lemon Drop the movie starring Ali Larter
NY-Z: Documentary with Jay-Z – video released on Facebook first
Berry Acai: With Zooey Deschanel
Remember their ABSOLUT Anthem video from summer 2009?
Mobile: Absolut’s iPhone app has the nicest interface with a card-flicking motion that has a nice stickiness to it.
In addition, Absolut is the first brand who embraces the LGBT market. The latest commercials I saw was during Ru Paul’s Drag Race (yes, the show is my guilty pleasure. I just love Ru!) where LGBT personalities (from Santino Rice, finalist on Project Runway to journalist / editor / author / TV personality Merle Ginsberg) of shared their coming out / standing up story in a bar and Absolut creating different drinks named for them. Absolut was a sponsor and the segment with Berri Açaí is hillarious.
Summary:
I’ve always been a fan of Absolut, every since I saw those iconic Absolut print ads (Absolut Brooklyn is still my favorite and that was out in the 90’s). The fact that Absolut has managed to move on every new medium successfully and speaking about the brand consistently is an achievement not many brands can claim they did well.
So Absolut, from one vodka drinker to another: Very well done!
Grey Goose Vodka—Less than premium
When Urban Daddy’s The Dashboard came out in August and I saw the Grey Goose bottles on the bottom right corner, I was pretty excited to see what they have to offer. Unfortunately, the nightlife assistance tool is created for Urban Daddy and only sponsored by Grey Goose. So it wasn’t a creative push from the vodka brand.
The tool, albeit the really sleek 3D-ish design, is only half as cool and smooth as the Sprint “Plug into Now” dashboard, which came out almost 2 years ago and is still being kept up-to-date nicely.
L’Orange: Downloadable Cocktail cards (go to Photos, with simple “Drag to desktop and print” instruction), Video of their TV commercial, Mobile Recipes App (Grey Goose Mobile Alert).
Boxes: Pocket Cocktail iApp, Send a Toast to friend (which links to their website)
Note: Unfortunately, all the campaigns above are no longer available.
Mobile: Dubbed “A Guide To The Extraordinary, Delicious and Exquisite,” I felt that it was nice but lacking the pizazz that Absolut’s iPhone app brings to the table.
Hornitos Tequila—Ballsy!
Facebook Fans: 48,1545 fans
Facebook Campaigns:
Grow A Pair: Showing their commercials + monthly contest. Currently running ads with videos pointing to Facebook
Recipes: With an easy Print, Share, Comment & Like links under each recipe
With its recognizable bottle simply at the center on the website, surrounded by hovering, comment-shape features, the brand strongly presented itself as a premium spirit brand. I like it: It’s clean, straight-forward and it feels premium.
Was the hovering of the elements done intentionally to mimic the bee in the logo? I don’t know but now that I’ve noticed it, it’ll be interesting to find out.
This is Justin Timberlake’s tequila. It’s not a spoof. He can now add “Distiller of fine tequila” to his list of accolades. The tequila is supposedly super smooth, according to tequila aficionado who tried it. Well, if you have what it takes to create a product, why not, right?
The website opens with a looped video of this girl, looking at you and, I have to admit, if you leave it on for a while, it’s kinda creepy. Within the FILMS section, you can watch its sexy smooth commercials. Coming from the guy who brought “Sexy Back,” it’s certainly appropriate.
I’m really liking Adrien Sauvage‘s take on his look book. As his first collection of suits is being praised due to its mix of modern styles and Saville Row-level cuts, I’m more drawn into the black-and-white look book.
Called This is Not a Suit, the look book showcases Sauvage’s creative talent and artistic vision, in which he cast and personally photographed some of art and music’s finest as models for his debut collection. The Tumblr site appropriately offers a simple presentation of the subject, the artistic landscape and the photography, which I really think is brilliant.
A side note on his collection: No logos or insignias—which I love. Basically, nothing gets in the way of the suit’s subtly smooth air and crisp appearance. The only nod to his name is an A. Sauvage label on the interior of the jacket with a short info of its origin along with notes about its inspiration.
Lancôme was smart to tap Michelle Phan as its video makeup artist in February. The 22-year-old art school student is a YouTube sensation—she’s the most subscribed beauty guru with over 200M views and 800K subscribers.
To keep her inspired, Lancôme sent Michelle to Paris for 4 days, visiting historic sites from Notre Dame to The Pont des Arts where Kate Winslet filmed the signature Trésor commercial, as well as the Lancôme Institute. Her Paris journey is recorded in Lancôme’s Facebook “Michelle + Paris” app.
Even though she’s only 6 months into her 2-year contract, her YouTube video views already doubled and she keeps on garnering buzz: This week, she is featured by T, The New York TimesStyle Magazine, for which she created an exclusive video titled “Futuristic Look.”
p.s.: Did you know she was turned down for a job working behind the counter at a department store for Lancôme? I bet she’s doing OK now.
Bobbi Brown—Pretty Powerful Follow-up
Bobbi Brown captured many in NYC with its Pretty Powerful campaign which was unveiled in May, from print ads to commercials in and on yellow cabs to 5-minute makeovers in their beauty counters. The campaign showcases real women and was kicked off through a video contest in January with public voting in March. For every vote cast in, Bobbi Brown donated $1 to one of Bobbi’s causes, Dress for Success, an organization that provides disadvantaged women with interview suits and career development advice.
While on my usual browse-mode, I went back to the website and noticed its been jazzed up a little. The Pretty Powerful winners now have a “Get The Look” section on a larger page format. The Beauty Buzz section looks like a news bulletin (albeit one from a very nice design firm) with a strong personal feel, especially in Bobbi ‘s Story.
On the other hand, the Learn section has an educational feel of a makeup artist class, where instructions are laid out in a very visual way and the products look almost touchable. The design “Botox” (like they say: You, but better) works for me; I found myself browsing the site more than I usually do.
Maybelline New York—The French Revolution
Gemey Maybelline, the French site for Maybelline New York, offers a lot more features I found interesting compared to the US site. On the mobile front, there are Makeup Studio Mobile app, a virtual makeup studio, and Studio Manucure (aka Manicure Studio) iPhone app which shows you the secrets to a perfect manicure, from selecting the right nail polish to nail care solutions.
In addition, there is WeLoveMakeup.com, an online community of more than 20K “Make Up Addicts” sharing thousands of looks and discussion topics. It’s like Facebook for makeup artists and beauty enthusiasts to connect, learn, share, and even have Make Up Parties.
Its Blog in The City features three personalities: Capucine (a makeup addict), Emily (a fashionista) and Flo (for NY looks & trends). The blog is young, fun and informational, the topic ranges from summer frocks ala The Sartorialist to Magnolia Bakery. I even learned that there is such a thing called a trikini. Who knew?
Meanwhile, Maybelline’s US site has the Runway VIP Sweeps and Maybelline Loves Fashion microsite to support Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in September. You can find videos and instructions on how to get the look, plus a mini NYC guide if you are here in New York during Fashion Week.
The microsite could be a lot better. It’s just not up to par with what you’d expect out of an official sponsor of Fashion Week.
Chanel—Rouge Coco
Chanel launched its Rouge Coco campaign this spring, featuring French actress / singer Vanessa Paradis. I like the Facebook effort, where you can share virtual Coco Rouge buttons (a la the press kit / swag bag that was sent out in December) by posting them on your wall. Unfortunately, once the reveal period was over, the buttons are gone.
I like that you can browse all the lipstick shades within the Facebook tab but when you click to “Shop Now”, the color you were reviewing didn’t carry through to the e-commerce site. You can see the color name in the URLstring, but you have to reselect the color from the dropdown.
This is too bad because the e-store interface is nicer than a lot of other beauty brands and because the Chanel site is gorgeous with its simple typography, clean layout and stunning photography.
When iPad arrived and all these apps started popping up, I was really not getting all the hype. It’s just an enlarged iTouch. Right? Then I saw The Guardian‘s iPad app, Eyewitness, and I was blown away by how crisply and smoothly presented the images are. The application brought the message to the medium perfectly and the result is breathtaking: The touchable images are so right there in front of you, they litterally take your breath away.
This little moment brought to mind what the photographer and director Michael Grecco wrote in his blog about “The Crazy Industry” that is photography:
I don’t think we’ve even begun to see the visual changes ahead. I think photography will become this hybrid thing on peoples devices that will incorporate the beauty of the still images in composition, content and feel, but then it will additionally be able to move, inform, and help you act.
With the shrinking of the print world, there will be interesting changes on the way work is presented for photographers and artists alike. Like putting up an online portfolio to showcase your work, magazines are also converting to the digital form.
Martin Scorcese, Divers by Michael Grecco
Michael pointed out Issuu.com, a digital publishing platform that can turn your print publication into its digital version that works on the web or even on the iPad by a simple upload. It’s a great way to simplify the presentation layer while creating a database of work by others that allow photographers to see what’s out there and basically “gives me a perspective, not only on myself, but on our society and where we’re heading visually.”
There are other digital publications out there that provides stunning and inspiring photography. Take Victor by Hasselblad and Visura Magazine, beautiful photo glossies.
Victor by Hasselblad: Lanscape by Hans Strand
Visura Magazine: Personal Violence by Joseph Rodriguez
Dramatic, touching, heart-breaking, uplifting… These images should inspire more than just photographers, but also creative minds to find new ways to experience them.
