Written and Directed by Rodrigo Blaas this wonderful short from a few years back is both charming and sinister, let us know what you think!

(Opinion: Jon Price – Designer)

This is old news, but I recently rediscovered this gem-of-a-website and thought I’d share it on the off-chance it had been missed. This interactive experience (launched last year) has Dita Von Teese invite you on a private (and naughty… got your interest?) tour of the Perrier Mansion – don’t be shy, but this tour might have you blushing. Beautifully shot and seductively paced, this website is a prime example of the strength of online advertising and brand building over conventional routes to market. It paid off – with the site a viral success. Pooling the talents of Ogilvy (France), B-Rell and Nylon Studios, the site comprises everything I love about integrated online media – great interface graphics and animation, seamless interaction, cinematic film-making & soundscape and risqué viral marketing. A dream job, if one for the boys.

View the website http://www.perrierbydita.com/
You can also find a host of clips on YouTube

(Opinion: Jon Price – Designer)

On 19th January, Jeremy Hunt announced that he plans to roll out ‘Local TV’. In his address to broadcasting executives at the Oxford Media Convention he said that the initial scheme would be focused on ’10 to 12′ major cities. The new ‘Local TV’ broadcasting licences are to be agreed by the end 0f 2012. When questioned about his reasoning behind this new approach, he was quoted as saying “Eight out of 10 consider local news important. Nearly seven out of 10 adults feel localness of stories is more important than them being professionally produced.”

In a recent article posted on the Drum website on February 11th, it has also been announced that The Daily Mail and General Trust have decided to sell the Northcliffe Group. The article hints at concerns over new owners/consolidators are not willing to invest in cross platform media due to a series of cost cutting measures. The ultimate concern is that this could spell the end of the local paper within 10 years.

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Motion capture, specifically facial mo-cap, laser/infrared scanning technology and keyframe animation have been used in combination for years to make CGI characters as real to life as possible. However, this new technique, developed by Rockstar Games (the team behind the Grand Theft Auto franchise) uses optical HD imaging and scanning to create a convincing (if slightly freaky) replication of facial movement not seen before in videogames. Their latest offering ‘L.A Noire’, places you in the role of a 1950s investigator, meaning reading facial ticks and micro-expressions is crucial when interrogating suspects. Take a look at the video and see more here.

(Opinion: Jon Price – Designer)

At DNA we regularly discuss TV adverts we have seen and critique them. One that I have seen recently that caught my attention, not so much for the visual aspect of the advert, but for the script writing was the California – Misconception TV advert. It’s fantastic. It plays on all the ‘stereotypes’ that we all associate with California, but conveys it as a ‘misconception’, when in fact we all know that these things are true, or believe them to be true. It’s very tongue in cheek, but it is delivered in a way that conjures up a sense of fun, excitement and also shows off what is wonderful about California. The only criticism (if there is one), is that the advert is great in itself and would have worked just as well without the need to use so many celebrities. Let me know what you think, or send us links to any adverts that you have been impressed with.

Article by Paul Mabin – Managing Director

This is the question posed by VW in one of the best and most creative viral campaigns I’ve seen in a while. See more videos from the campain at thefunfactory.com

The site is dedicated to the thought that something as simple as fun is the easiest way to change people’s behaviour for the better. Be it for yourself, for the environment, or for something entirely different, the only thing that matters is that it’s change for the better.

(Opinion: Simon Farrow – Head of Digital)

After the recent completion of the Rowcroft Sleep Walk website and the application of the cosy, pajama fabric textures throughout the supporting imagery, we’ve spotted similar styles trending all over the shop. With a nod to the fantastic Pixels short, here’s our favorite example, both within the charming game itself and in the accompanying trailer for Kirby’s Epic Yarn…

Another upcoming fabric styled example is Little Big Planet 2. The Comfort ads are well worth a mention too!

Recently I posted an article about the fantastic architecture for the Sugamoto Shinkin Bank, Tokyo… Following that, now feast your eyes on the Hiroshima Shinken Bank Calendar 2011 by IC4DESIGN. Using their signature illustrative style, the calendar breaks down six charmingly detailed scenes of Hiroshima (and its surrounds) over the coming year, which join to form one large piece of art – AND I WANT ONE!

It’s well worth having a scroll through some intense close ups on BehanceNetwork.

(Opinion: Jon Price – Designer)

While sat in the customer suite at Ocean BMW, Paignton, I was perusing the latest BMW magazine and came across an interesting article on the BMW Art Car. Periodically, BMW commission someone to create a work of art on one of their iconic vehicles. The very first was created by Roy Lichtenstein back in 1977. The latest incarnation of the BMW Art Car was created by Jeff Koons, who is renowned for creating iconic structures and images. The vehicle used was a BMW M3 GT2 and was raced at the Le Mans 24 hour race back in June 2010. As you will see from the images and video below, Jeff has worked his magic and yet again created a very strong statement. The artwork is said to symbolise bursting energy, motion and power and in his own words “These race cars are like life, they are powerful and there is a lot of energy, you can participate with it, add to it and let yourself transcend with its energy. There is a lot of power under that hood and I want to let my ideas transcend with the car – it’s really to connect with that power.” Timing was a big issue, as there was only a two month window between the first design sketches and the Paris world premiere. This is why digital print on car wrapping vinyl was used covered by a double clear-coating to bring out the colour. To apply hundreds of dynamic lines of Koons’ design onto the car, CAD designs were translated from 3D into 2D for the printing process and then painstakingly applied to the entire car as well as onto individual spare parts. Not sure I will be doing the same to my BMW any time soon though.

Article by: Paul Mabin – Managing Director

Banking in person can often be a boring and downright inconvenient experience. The design of the Sugamo Shinkin Bank in Tokyo by emmanuelle moureaux architecture + design aims to at least make the experience a more aesthetically pleasing one. Splashed with colour and incorporating ample sunlight and natural elements, the building is a refreshing change from the norm. Courtesy www.PSFK.com

Just have a look at these inspiring photos via WEHEART…

(Opinion: Jon Price – Designer)

As it is the festive season, I thought it timely to post an article relating to real ale, as I’m sure many bottles will be consumed (especially in my household). The brewer Shepherd Neame has been running the ‘Bottle of Britain’ advertising campaign for around 12 years now. On occasion they have been taken to task by the ASA for pushing the boundaries of good taste and humour, but fortunately they have always been cleared. A number of the adverts poke fun at the Germans in particular, but are meant as light- hearted fun and are not meant to cause offense. They try to evoke the British World War II spirit, similar to that used in the TV programmes ‘Allo Allo’ and ‘Dad’s Army’ and I feel that they have captured the essence really well. The use of clever copywriting is what makes the adverts work so well. The website is great too – take a look. Let me know what you think.

Opinion: Paul Mabin – Managing Director

I recently came across these images for a company called ‘Jobsintown.de‘ while doing some research and thought that they showed some great creative thinking. The set of adverts were created by advertising agency, Scholz & Friends, Berlin, Germany. The creative directors Matthias Spaetgens and Jan Leube decided to take their advertising outdoor and place the adverts in locations that were likely to provoke a response and directly target their core audience. A great idea, well executed. Let me know what you think of them.

Article posted by: Paul Mabin – Managing Director.

I saw these ads for Duracell Ultra a while back and just thought the art direction was fantastic – I’m sure you’ve all seen them by now but hey-ho. They were created by advertising agency: Ogilvy, Paris, France and support the television ad (directed by Pleix and Digital District), below. Check out a brief Q&A about the making of the ad here.

(Opinion: Jon Price – Designer)

It was to my surprise last night, that I heard a Christmas tune for the first time this season and we’re still in October. When I looked round at the TV, I realised it was a new take on a Christmas classic – ‘White Christmas’. The advert was for Argos and features a bunch of 70′s style kids listening to the Singer, recreating a classic scene from years past. The advert was produced to highlight the online presence of Argos with the message ‘For something really up to date you’ll find a huge range of the latest things in our new Christmas catalogue, and even more online. Find it, get it, Argos it!’ As a creative myself, I am always looking at the attention to detail when I view a static or motion advert. However, I think that this advert has been extremely well put together. Take a look at the finished advert.

If you wish to see how it was put together, then view the next video.

The Bing Crosby campaign was developed at CHI & Partners, London, by creative director Nigel Roberts, creative Alan Cinnamond, planner Sarah Clark, working Argos head of brand development Siobhan Fiztpatrick. The Media was handled at Mindshare by Steve Henderson and the filming was shot by director Steve Cope via Cut & Run. The post production was done at The Mill, London and the audio post production was done at Grand Central. What a team.

Article written by: Paul Mabin – Managing Director.

Quite simply, it’s just too successful for its own good. Despite being a horrible typeface.

Prompted by a recent magazine article by the Beeb, I wanted to share my loathing of this seen-everywhere, used-for-everything font. Its creator, Microsoft employee Vincent Connare, has a lot to answer for because he has given birth to a monster.

But why do so many people hate it with a passion? I don’t know, but for me it’s just an insignificant typeface that’s become popular without being good. I blame the advent of the computer. Gone are the days when the choice of font in a printed piece was usually made by a professional, based on its suitability for the task. Now, with computers in almost every home and business, Joe Public (and his wife and family) can just click on a menu item labeled ‘Font’ and choose from a long list of typefaces with a single mouse click. And there, lurking in the list, is Comic Sans. Waiting with a cheeky grin on its face. Waiting to adorn everything from a poster for a lost kitten to a pub menu.

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Straplines can be tricky to nail and can mean far more to a consumer than was intended by the brand. Take my lunch for instance, the packet shows a photo of a lovely sausage roll stuffed with sausage meat, mature chedder cheese, spring onions and pickle with the strapline “Real honest food”. Unfortunately when bitten into, the reality was far from ‘honest’ and the image on the pack far from ‘real’. Was this real Cornish irony or simply a matter of a product with less content than it’s branding budget!?

A pint awaits whoever comes up with the best new strapline for this well-loved snack brand, and there’s a packet of Ginsters ploughmans rolls for the worst!

(Opinion: Simon Farow – Head of Digital)

I have finally got round to editing over 1.5 hours of footage taken by my nephew (Murray Dorrans age 14), while we were all on Safari in Tanzania. Don’t worry I have condensed it down to around 4.5 minutes and have worked the footage around Disney’s, The Lion King (Original Broadway Cast Recording) ‘Circle of Life’ soundtrack. The footage was imported onto a Mac and edited using the pre-installed Apple iMovie software. It’s the first time I have ever used this software, but without reading any manuals or consulting help files, I managed to put it together myself. The Apple iMovie software was an absolute joy to use and incredibly intuitive. Anyway, I hope that you enjoy it! It features some imagery that I did not manage to capture using my Canon DSLR.

Article by Paul Mabin – Managing Director

It was inevitable… Simon finally bullied Paul into investing in an iPad for the DNA web team. The official line is that the iPad is now an established platform and therefore all web work and apps need to be developed for and tested on the iPad. The truth… Si and Rob just wanted to spend the day playing with a new toy, giggling in the corner at the most expensive version of etch-a-sketch ever conceived.

Been and gone, but I still love this fantastic piece of design, created by advertising agency Leo Burnett for the promotion of the WWF Earth Hour. Although this idea has been used previously by the same agency (see here), this years implementation was much better and pushed the idea further still. Great stuff.

(Opinion: Jon Price – Designer)

Take a look at this fantastic and award winning 10 minute animation from Tiny Inventions. ‘Something Left, Something Taken’ is a charming and beautifully animated dark comedy about a vacationing couple’s encounter with a man they believe to be the Zodiac Killer. Using After Effects, Stop-Motion, Pixilation, Drawn on Paper, Flash and Live Action puppets, the result is a mixed media triumph in which you’re never quite sure of the techniques used to bring the scenes to life. Thankfully, Tiny Inventions has generously posted an extremely extensive ‘making of’ detailing almost every part of the production process and pulling back the curtain with in-depth tutorials. The efforts and creative talent that went into the production are equally as fascinating as the animation itself – be sure to check it out.