This is a nice little Christmas card from Grolsch. Led by conductor Thomas Blunt, seven members of the specially assembled ‘Swingtop Philharmonic Orchestra’ create a beautiful rendition of 'Oh Christmas Tree' by playing every element of the Grolsch bottle.
You can view it here: Merry Christmas from Grolsch
Thursday, 9 December 2010
Monday, 20 September 2010
iPad meets iTypewriter
Wow! I've just seen this being demonstrated on the Gadget Show and I love it! I think I'll be adding it to my list to Santa this year in fact.
Wednesday, 15 September 2010
There's something about the ostrich...
First Cadbury, with their 'flying ostrich' tv ad and now Louis Vuitton no less. The unassuming ostrich has been far from burying his head in the sand of late.
The window display, seen at the Bond Street Louis Vuitton store is centred around this rather peculiar (and some would even say 'ugly') creature. Everyday an ostrich egg is hatched and a new product revealed - a shoe, watch, or accessory. I love the imagination and the execution of this piece. It makes me want to buy into the Louis Vuitton vision. Display by Chameleon Visual Limited.
The window display, seen at the Bond Street Louis Vuitton store is centred around this rather peculiar (and some would even say 'ugly') creature. Everyday an ostrich egg is hatched and a new product revealed - a shoe, watch, or accessory. I love the imagination and the execution of this piece. It makes me want to buy into the Louis Vuitton vision. Display by Chameleon Visual Limited.
Wednesday, 1 September 2010
Aphex Twin - Live facial mapping
I have seen Aphex Twin live at Matter in the O2, and that was a great show. (My ears are still bleeding from the bass). But I am sad I didn't get to experience his set at LED this weekend - especially when I found out about his 'audience participation' visuals. Amazing! And very Aphex.
Friday, 6 August 2010
Friday, 23 July 2010
Newport State of Mind
One of the best spoofs I've seen/heard recently, DLKW account executive Leo Sloley has created this beauty - his take on Jay Z's 'Empire State of Mind'. Lines like 'Steve Jones, Tom Jones, Zeta-Jones, traffic cones, if you come and visit use the Designated Parking Zones' are simply brilliant.
Wednesday, 21 July 2010
There aren't enough mime artists used in advertising if you ask me
Bose Quiet Comfort. Acoustic noise cancelling headphones.
Tuesday, 20 July 2010
WARNING: Strobe lines are used during this performance.
This artist must have sore eyes! James Marshall (more commonly known as Dalek) has produced five new paintings shown as above, that are certainly not shy nor retiring. His work has been explained as 'colortastic explosigazms'. Couldn't have said it better myself. For more visit his website http://dalekart.com
Friday, 16 July 2010
Coco Chanel Show Paris 2010
I keep meaning to put this up. It is simply beautiful.
One of my friend's was lucky enough to create the look for The Chanel Couture show, creating the models' hair. And when I saw his pictures of the runway I just had to share them.
Karl Lagerfeld came up with the idea of the lion with a pearl in a dream he had about the late Coco Chanel’s (ironically) miniature lion sculpture.
Below is also the making of the dream into reality.
One of my friend's was lucky enough to create the look for The Chanel Couture show, creating the models' hair. And when I saw his pictures of the runway I just had to share them.
Karl Lagerfeld came up with the idea of the lion with a pearl in a dream he had about the late Coco Chanel’s (ironically) miniature lion sculpture.
Below is also the making of the dream into reality.
Beautiful art by Israeli based artist/sculptor This Is Limbo
Made from salvaged wood and recycled waste. He also makes art for the streets of Jerusalem.
Ninja kitty
Thursday, 15 July 2010
Effortless beauty
Whilst flicking through my photos of last year's trip to the US I came across this. It's an Ansel Adams photograph from the exhibition at the San Francisco MoMA. And I love it.
Hairvetica
A font by designer Vladimir Koncar "Diary Type Project". His experimental typography consists of is taking one object (here being hair) and with it creating an alphabet. The result is Helvetica being taken to the next, very hairy, level.
*No hair follicles were harmed in the making of this font.
*No hair follicles were harmed in the making of this font.
Pigeons get a makeover
'Rats with wings', 'vermin', 'pests', whatever you call them, pigeons haven't got the best image. Long overdue a makeover, artist Laurel Roth has done just that, realising their potential as style icons.
Roth calls his set of pimped pigeons “Biodiversity Reclamation Suits for Urban Pigeons” and has created them by hand carving mannequins and crocheting their individual coats. His collection includes the Dodo, Passenger Pigeon, Ivory Billed Woodpecker, and Carolina Parakeet.
Well, if you can clothe a dog surely you can clothe a pigeon. It would make Trafalgar Square a much brighter place anyway.
Roth calls his set of pimped pigeons “Biodiversity Reclamation Suits for Urban Pigeons” and has created them by hand carving mannequins and crocheting their individual coats. His collection includes the Dodo, Passenger Pigeon, Ivory Billed Woodpecker, and Carolina Parakeet.
Well, if you can clothe a dog surely you can clothe a pigeon. It would make Trafalgar Square a much brighter place anyway.
Tuesday, 13 July 2010
The Office, but not as we know it
Big bad boss man Ray Dalio has called time on gossip in the workplace in America. And is said to enforce this by sacking any employee who is caught gossiping about a colleague three times. Looks like the water cooler might be at risk of redundancy then. Maybe Mr Dalio has something to hide hmm...?
Goldilocks, The Three Bears and A Creative Partner
In my search for a creative partner, something struck me as familiar. It's a little like the story of Goldilocks and The Three Bears...
You start out a little lost in the woods, not knowing which way to turn, or if you'll even find your way at all. But after covering some ground you stumble upon signs of life. Curious, you agree to meet with these potential partners, who offer a taste of their work and their personalities.
You ask numerous questions to assess their creative nous, and in doing so you learn what you actually require of a partner. Some are too inexperienced, too bad at spelling (for a copywriter) or simply too wrong for you. But you will find the rare one or two who are "just right". And it is then you can sleep peacefully. You just have to hope you're not awaken by bears in the morning.
You start out a little lost in the woods, not knowing which way to turn, or if you'll even find your way at all. But after covering some ground you stumble upon signs of life. Curious, you agree to meet with these potential partners, who offer a taste of their work and their personalities.
You ask numerous questions to assess their creative nous, and in doing so you learn what you actually require of a partner. Some are too inexperienced, too bad at spelling (for a copywriter) or simply too wrong for you. But you will find the rare one or two who are "just right". And it is then you can sleep peacefully. You just have to hope you're not awaken by bears in the morning.
Monday, 5 July 2010
Friday, 2 July 2010
I can see the oak for the (lack of) trees
Myself and a friend decided to go on a day trip to Brighton today. And aside from the beautiful weather, food and shopping, we came across something rather beautiful in the the free Wild Planet exhibition on the seafront.
This image formed part of the exhibition and is simply stunning. From the air it looks like a giant oak tree, but this image is made up of storm damage and scars left on the landscape by forestry machinery used to retrieve logs.
Swedish photographer Jocke Bergland took the shot while flying over Sweden documenting damage in the wake of Hurricane Gudrun. Who knew such destruction could cause such beauty?
Jocke says of the image: 'It's as if the heavens had sent a message to the forest industry reminding them that, in this area, deciduous trees would have withstood the winds much better than pine. It's also another stark reminder that global warming will lead to regular and stronger storm winds'.
Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II with 28-70mm f2.8 lens; 1/800 sec; 200 ISO; Cessna aircraft.
This image formed part of the exhibition and is simply stunning. From the air it looks like a giant oak tree, but this image is made up of storm damage and scars left on the landscape by forestry machinery used to retrieve logs.
Swedish photographer Jocke Bergland took the shot while flying over Sweden documenting damage in the wake of Hurricane Gudrun. Who knew such destruction could cause such beauty?
Jocke says of the image: 'It's as if the heavens had sent a message to the forest industry reminding them that, in this area, deciduous trees would have withstood the winds much better than pine. It's also another stark reminder that global warming will lead to regular and stronger storm winds'.
Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II with 28-70mm f2.8 lens; 1/800 sec; 200 ISO; Cessna aircraft.
Wednesday, 30 June 2010
Monday, 28 June 2010
Mysteries solved. Part one: pop(corn) culture.
Upon seeing Alice in Wonderland in 3D at the iMax this weekend I had one question that I desperately needed answering.
My most pressing question wasn't 'how exactly does 3D technology work?', nor was it 'how does Johnny Depp manage to pull THAT look off?', or even 'what was it that Lewis Carroll was smoking when he wrote the original?' Instead I found myself turning to my boyfriend to ask 'how did popcorn become the must-have film accompaniment?'
It raised a bit of a mystery actually, the only answer offered being 'because it doesn't make noise like crisps do...?' After looking into it, it seems the answer goes back to the Great Depression.
Here comes the science (history) bit...
In the late 1800s street vendors were selling popcorn outside theatres, making a tidy profit. Theatre owners hated popcorn and thought it a nuisance as it made a mess of their auditoriums. They also felt it distracted from the film experience, with people getting up half way through a show to purchase popcorn from the street vendor.
Fast forward a few years to 1925 and Charles Manley had perfected the first electric popcorn machine. He marketed the machine to film theatre owners, and 'ta da' one of the most successful combinations in culinary history was born. [Insert jazz hands] You could say Manley was the 'kernel' of popcorn...
During the Great Depression popcorn became an affordable treat, popular with the masses. In fact in the 1950s popcorn made more profit for the theatre owners than the films themselves. In the 1970s and '80s, the VCR was introduced alongside the microwave, seeing the trend of film plus popcorn reach new heights.
With theatre owners today able to keep 100% profit of popcorn sales, (unlike that of ticket sales), it seems popcorn and film culture's inseparable partnership is here to stay. Amen to that.
Stay tuned for more instalments of 'mysteries solved'.
My most pressing question wasn't 'how exactly does 3D technology work?', nor was it 'how does Johnny Depp manage to pull THAT look off?', or even 'what was it that Lewis Carroll was smoking when he wrote the original?' Instead I found myself turning to my boyfriend to ask 'how did popcorn become the must-have film accompaniment?'
It raised a bit of a mystery actually, the only answer offered being 'because it doesn't make noise like crisps do...?' After looking into it, it seems the answer goes back to the Great Depression.
Here comes the science (history) bit...
In the late 1800s street vendors were selling popcorn outside theatres, making a tidy profit. Theatre owners hated popcorn and thought it a nuisance as it made a mess of their auditoriums. They also felt it distracted from the film experience, with people getting up half way through a show to purchase popcorn from the street vendor.
Fast forward a few years to 1925 and Charles Manley had perfected the first electric popcorn machine. He marketed the machine to film theatre owners, and 'ta da' one of the most successful combinations in culinary history was born. [Insert jazz hands] You could say Manley was the 'kernel' of popcorn...
During the Great Depression popcorn became an affordable treat, popular with the masses. In fact in the 1950s popcorn made more profit for the theatre owners than the films themselves. In the 1970s and '80s, the VCR was introduced alongside the microwave, seeing the trend of film plus popcorn reach new heights.
With theatre owners today able to keep 100% profit of popcorn sales, (unlike that of ticket sales), it seems popcorn and film culture's inseparable partnership is here to stay. Amen to that.
Stay tuned for more instalments of 'mysteries solved'.
Thursday, 24 June 2010
Evolution sits still
As usual Sagmeister proves his worth as an iconic designer, producing this quirky (and oddly practical) chair design with 200 interchangeable covers. I like the idea that even the perforations eventually 'evolve' to form part of the design, in a head rest.
Named 'Darwin chair' my only criticism (yes, I dare to criticise the mighty Sagmeister) from looking at the final product is that there could be a neater way to contain the disused designs at the reverse of the chair. For that time you want to display the 126th design before the 80th.
Click here for more: http://www.dezeen.com/2010/06/24/darwin-chair-by-stefan-sagmeister/#more-84532
Wednesday, 23 June 2010
There's just no excuse for it. Have you not heard of Google?
I'm referring to bad spelling. It really winds me up how people, especially in the industry who pride themselves on being 'copywriters' cannot spell for toffee, or even the Tesco Value equivalent.
An example of this was when I met up with a potential copywriter partner recently. At a quick glance the work itself looked good, but I immediately spotted a few spelling mistakes/typos that to be honest put me off. Attention to detail is priority and I'm not comfortable working with a copywriter who can't even check through their own work for mistakes!
Now I'm not saying I'm perfect, but it's not difficult even if you can't spell in the first place to look a word up in the dictionary, ask one of your colleagues, or even simply type your effort at the word into Google. It will correct you in an instant, meaning we can all get on with living our lives happily ever after.
An example of this was when I met up with a potential copywriter partner recently. At a quick glance the work itself looked good, but I immediately spotted a few spelling mistakes/typos that to be honest put me off. Attention to detail is priority and I'm not comfortable working with a copywriter who can't even check through their own work for mistakes!
Now I'm not saying I'm perfect, but it's not difficult even if you can't spell in the first place to look a word up in the dictionary, ask one of your colleagues, or even simply type your effort at the word into Google. It will correct you in an instant, meaning we can all get on with living our lives happily ever after.
Is anything actually 'skin coloured'?
I myself own a lot of 'skin coloured' products. From concealers and face powders to tights, bras, knickers and even plasters, they all by reputation claim to blend into your skin tone and thus give the appearance of, well no appearance. NONE of these actually match my skin colour, yet we still buy into these products for their 'invisibility' against our skin. Are we mad? It's like buying glue that doesn't stick, or a hair dryer that doesn't dry hair.
Tuesday, 22 June 2010
What is it about football...
...that makes everyone so patriotic? Suddenly it's 'Go Engerrrrllaand!!' and St George's flags as far as the eye can see. If only we were all so proud to be English the rest of the time.
Saturday, 19 June 2010
Friday, 18 June 2010
And sew I sew...
I've been wanting to sew for a while now, sew, this year for my birthday my lovely parents bought me a state of the art sewing machine. I am sew pleased, I can finally start creating all those fabulous summer dresses I have been dreaming up for sew long. Ok, so enough of the sewing puns. I'll just let you see what I've made sew far (sorry, couldn't resist that last one).
Shopping list reads 'don't forget the irony...'
I just witnessed a guy buying just two things - cough medicine and 10 Malboro Lights. Oh the irony.
Thursday, 27 May 2010
Laughing Yoga
So, being game for new experiences myself and my partner in crime, who shall be known only as 'That's DeMornay!' went to The Book Club's Laughing Yoga class last night. And boy did we laugh. Not sure we participated in anything which could be classed as yoga however, by any stretch of the imagination.
I'm still a bit unsure whether it was the consumption of wine, or if it was genuinely funny, but we spent the evening drinking, shaking hands with strangers and laughing when prompted (and more so when not). Sounds strange. And it was. But thoroughly enjoyable. And at £5 including a glass of wine it was cheaper than therapy at least.
At one point we found ourselves part of a room full of strangers lying in a circle on the ground belting out the most hearty, hysterical laughter we could generate into the air. It was like something from a Salvador Dali video.
As a result I shall now be laughing to myself now before interviews, client presentations, first dates, weddings and barmitzfas.
I'm still a bit unsure whether it was the consumption of wine, or if it was genuinely funny, but we spent the evening drinking, shaking hands with strangers and laughing when prompted (and more so when not). Sounds strange. And it was. But thoroughly enjoyable. And at £5 including a glass of wine it was cheaper than therapy at least.
At one point we found ourselves part of a room full of strangers lying in a circle on the ground belting out the most hearty, hysterical laughter we could generate into the air. It was like something from a Salvador Dali video.
As a result I shall now be laughing to myself now before interviews, client presentations, first dates, weddings and barmitzfas.
Tuesday, 11 May 2010
What's in a name?
You may well be wondering why I have called my blog 'Cake and Tequila' (or you may not give a damn, but I'm going to tell you anyway).
Once upon a time, many years ago, myself and my (then) copywriter entered into the world of advertising (I make it sound like we were born into it illegitimately...maybe we were). We decided we'd eventually write a book together. It would detail all of our experiences (good and bad) in Adland. We'd call this book 'Cake and Tequila' (it seemed to sum up the industry at the time). So, until said book is written (I currently don't have a copywriter partner so it may be some while in the making) I shall write my thoughts and experiences here. (Could I use any more brackets here do you think?)
Once upon a time, many years ago, myself and my (then) copywriter entered into the world of advertising (I make it sound like we were born into it illegitimately...maybe we were). We decided we'd eventually write a book together. It would detail all of our experiences (good and bad) in Adland. We'd call this book 'Cake and Tequila' (it seemed to sum up the industry at the time). So, until said book is written (I currently don't have a copywriter partner so it may be some while in the making) I shall write my thoughts and experiences here. (Could I use any more brackets here do you think?)
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