Powerful ads for banking firms are tough to come by

Most bank ads, even the ones that attempt to be clever, always seem to bore me to death (or changing the channel, which is about the same). Every now and again, one shows up that kind of flips things on it’s head. This Venebles Bell & Partners spot for Barclay is just flat out stunning.

Synesthesia: Neurological phenomena visualized

Every now and again, a video blows my mind. This short film does just that, on many levels. As some of you may know, I’ve always been perssonally fascinated with Synesthesia: a neurological-based phenomenon that is essentially the blending of sensory experiences (i.e. hearing green or tasting a drum beat). The spectrum synesthesia is vast, yet somehow this video by acclaimed music video directors Terri Timely manages to encapsulate a neurological experience into a tangible and beautifully filmed short.

To see the video in higher resolution, go to the short film’s homepage, and for a bit more info on Directing duo Terri Timely, check out this Q & A at Director File. For a bit more on Synesthesia, check out Mixed Signals.

The Changing Face of Everyday Design

I just stumbled across this piece from The Guardian showing what they call “The Changing Face of Everyday Design.” Pretty simple, but pretty effective and interesting. If you click through, you can view all of the images at a larger scale. Somewhat ironically, they printed a few corrections noting that several of the police cars pictured were from the incorrect era. It shouldn’t be that difficult… and The Guardian is usually on top of stuff. I guess it just goes to show that some design is ahead (or behind, as the case may be) of its time.

Visual Information Overload: GOOD Magazine on Flickr

It looks like this has been around for a while, but somehow I’ve missed it until now. GOOD magazine has uploaded all of their Transparencies into a set on Flickr… pretty impressive collection of mind-blowing info-graphics. Kind of a shame they restrict the flickr images to small size, forcing you to click through to the GOOD website. But I’ve seen worse. Plus, their infographics are so amazing, I’ll let it slide.

Upgrade Yourself: Be A Better Man in 30 Days?

I’m not usually a huge fan of overtly manly guides to anything, thus I was leery about Gear Patrol’s upcoming “Be A Better Man in 30 Days.” But Gear Patrol, a blog that defines itself as “The Definitive Resource for the Ever-Evolving Man” and typically is a blend of luxury, style, sports, and technology may be on to something with this series.

Yesterday’s feature was tie and shirt pairings, today’s post was a brief rundown on “properly ordering a steak.” Simple, well done, and an interesting blend of style, commentary, and just enough machismo to give it character without coming off as a bit contrived. If you’re bored, it just might be worth watching (which is more than I can say for most stuff out there).

Maybe green really is the new black?

I’m apprehensively fascinated by the recent increase in quality creative for green topics; whether Greenpeace, the EPA, the NRDC, or a clothing company, the quality of creative and the directness of the “green” messages is impressive. I stumbled across this spot via Osocio today.

While it’s not completely polished, the ideas and the execution are both there to tackle an issue that was once relegated to public service announcements. And while a quick visit to the BlueAvacado website reveals it’s a fairly simple marketing message to increase sales of their reusable shopping bags, I’m okay with it because the messages of social change are being presented in a more apparent and more creative fahion. And they’re actually doing some pretty positive public work as well. Interesting to watch the evolution.

Earth Justice, soot, and stellar animation for a cause

I’m usually not a fan of the way most pro-earth and environmental PSAs come across. They’re usually heavy handed, overbearing, and dip into the realm of scare tactics. This spot, on the otherhand, is refreshingly inoffensive and simply enjoyable.

The animation style is beautiful and captivating, courtesy of Laundry! (who most recently did animation for the new wrigley’s/juicy fruit/big red campaign). The agency behind it is non-profit creative Underground Ads. And to make it even better, the voiceover is absolutely perfect.

I think the blurb about the clip from Laundry!s website hits the nail on the head:

We recently completed a PSA for the global campaign against those nasty little Soot particles. We love mother earth and were totally stoked to chip in and do our part. So watch this shit, get inspired to make some change, and go to stopsoot.org to sign up and tell Obama that you’re pissed.

this whole bit actually makes me tempted to pass this one along – which is a rare occurence for me, especially with non-profit PSA-ish stuff. I’m all for it, but rarely do I fall in love with it.

Retelling the classics: Red Ridinghood exploded with techno

Sometimes, there’s a video/clip/animation that just blows me away. This is one of those times.

I’m a sucker for animation, diagrams, graphs, charts, etc. so this one already starts good. Through in the european techno and the retelling of one of the more bizarre and morbid fairy tales, and you’ve got a winner. Done by Tomas Nilsson, for a “School assignment to reinterpret the fairytale Little red riding hood.” The track is “Sponsored by Destiny” by Swedish electro-pop group Slagsmålsklubben(wiki here). Pretty amazing… And you should take the time to click through to either the vimeo page or the youtube page so you can watch it in HD – significantly more impressive.

This is Reality: Clean Coal Air Freshner

In case the action of this posting isn’t enough evidence, I have returned from my short vacation and am back in the real world, however real it may be. anyway, I’m sure I will have a good photo or two, and maybe even a bit of ad commentary on the ad microcosm that is Vegas at some point, but until then, I give you this.

I wasn’t sold on this campaign previously. but I think this spot is the turning point. Directed by the Acadamy Award-winning Cohen Brothers, this spot for the Reality Coalition is a bit more direct in it’s blatant criticism of the coal industry. which makes it more potent. and in case you’re wondering, The Reality Coalition is a joint project between the Alliance for Climate Protection, the Sierra Club, the National Wildlife Federation, the Natural Resources Defense Council and the League of Conservation Voters. That’s a big list of orgs. to band together. And the Reality Coalition website, This is Reality, continues to improve (with an awesome splash page) and their new blog is equally impressive. Socially responsible advertising at it’s best.

BlahblahFish translates the translations

This idea is so simple yet so awesome. BlahblahFish (a clever yet obvious take on BabelFish) is a translator of sorts, but instead of translating into another language, it translates back into English, making a temporary stop in a different translation.

Definitely worth a few minutes to play around with it… and it kind of changes the way you think about translators.