Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Relentless

For some reason I seem to really like the design on the relentless packaging, there's a number of reason why I'm drawn to it, with the main reason being the elaborately serifed Gothic typeface with is pretty unusual thing to see on a drinks can . The can has a distinctive dark brown colouring, showing the muscles of a human's neck/head/shoulder area( which I only noticed while doing some research into the drink) in the stlye of the 1800 medical illustration.
It is marketed to provide continuing energy with the slogan of "No Half Measures" (a reference to the can size, which is twice that of a standard redbull 250ml ) but The Coca-Cola Company implies it refers to an encouragement not to settle for less than your best, which is pretty cheeky way of getting a rise Redbull retaliated and bumped their can size up to 330ml.




The can design was "inspired by the attitude and artistry found within the world of core action sport and modern punk rock".
I think the reason I'm writing about relentless because its something that caught my eye, I quite like the gothic style yet edgey style, it is not your typical energy drink label. They normally are quite bold, basic and down to the point. I think its always a cool thing to pull away from the ordinary, instead of playing it safe I think coca- cola went for something a bit different and quirky, personally I like the style of the artwork its intricate yet not overpowering.

Quiet Revolution- A Hayward Touring Exhibiton

Quiet revolution is a exhibition that brings together international artists who use everyday objects to create poetic, lo-tech inventions that explore how we can transform and be transformed into our surroundings.

It plays on the principles of public perception of the qualities of regular day to day common place object, that I think results in quite a random exhibition which as first glance looks as if not that much thought or effort has gone into it, but once it is explored is quite and interesting and makes the audience question each piece and I think it can all be interpreted in your own way.

At first I didn't really think much of the exhibition as it just looks like random objects placed together the create 'art' but I think the randomness of the placing of the objects is what intrigued me, making me want to explore how each individual will interpret something in a different way.


Below are some examples of some of the pieces:

Monday, August 24, 2009

Lydall Phelps - The pigeon Archive


This is an exhibition I visited in the Milton Keynes Gallery which is a presentation a new body of work by the Australian - born aritist Lyndall Phelps.
The Pigeon Archive explores the little known yet highly significant role pigeons played in the First and Second World Wars. The Archive documents, through photography, video and sculpture, the re-enactment of pigeon manoeuvres using re-constructed wartime equipment. When I first saw what the exhibition entailed I didn't think it would be very interested but looking at the amount of dedication and research that has gone into each individual piece I was impressed with the discipline that Phelps has demonstrated.
An example of the artist's depth into research is when three replica transport cases are crafted as well and thirty- two brown oil harnesses that the pigeon would have worn to carry secret information. Each individual harness was meticulously handmade by Phelps resulting in a very detailed piece of work.


One of the pieces that I though was particularly interesting was the enigmatic film made by the artist in 2008 in which a light- weight surveillance camera is strapped to a pigeon and then released in flight over Cambridgeshire, which was once littered with military air traffic. The film results in a dizzy, spiraling documentation of the landscape in the very motion of the bird.
I really liked the way this piece interacts with the audience, it is quite hard on the eyes as it is a continuous motion but I found myself watching it, I captured some of the film in the video link below.





Overall I found the exhibition very interested and inspiring, I like the way the artists has taken a not very well known or even interesting subject and interpreted it in their own way resulting in an exhibition of intricacy and devotion which is informative and educational.

Take a look at her website at www.lyndallphelps.com to see the exhibition and some of her other projects.

Monday, August 17, 2009

Animator v.s Animation

This is a great and quirky animation, it's so inventive is must has take ages but it is very effective and extremely funny!

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Social Media

When a young singer used United Airlines as a means of travel, traveling with him was his beloved guitar. During the flight his guitar very badly handled and cost him over $12,000 to restore it back to its original condition..
So instead of a complaint letter, the band "Sons of Maxwell" decided to post a music video about the experience and the destruction of his guitar it was aimed at United Airlines .



According to the BBC United Airlines Stock is down 180 Million dollars this only goes to prove that bad cutomer service costs you in the end.
I along with companies didn't realise how strong and influential the power of online media can be .
Media through press and TV on its own if a very powerful thing and can help the growth or demise of anything they please, but I think now with this new information business will be more aware.

When i came to work today I overhead some of my colleagues discussing the song and forwarding the youtube links to one another. Its amazing to see how something like this can spread so quickly the resources are so readily available through the internet.
Yes it is word of mouth, but now is is so easy to know what is going on socially and quickly check it out on the internet instead of having to read a newspaper or what the TV.
Most people in this modern era use the internet, people rely on it as a daily dose of gossip, if its not through the computer its on their blackberry or iphone.
I do wonder what society would do if they only had basic amenities would they be able to survive?

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Yell.com 118 247


I'm currently working on a a placement with Yellow pages so I am always intrigued to see what new material they release.

When the new 118 247 advert was released I didn't know what to think.
I did a bit of research and found that it features Magic Trevor which is basically a
character that shot to internet stardom by featuring on the weebl website.
See the link below to see some of his early stuff :

http://www.weebls-stuff.com/toons/magical+trevor/

IF you check out the youtube reviews I found people either absolutely love it totally hate iit!

I find it so very very clever, it may be annoying but annoyance sells as it gets in your head and gets your talking even if it may be negative, its a matter of gaining brand awareness which I think Yell achieves with this advert.

Did anyone else have this catchy tune in their head?

It will be interesting to see how they carry the campaign on and what else they have up their sleeves!
Check out the video below to see the advert if you haven't already.




Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Banksy Vs Bristol Museum

Banksy ( who's identity is still unknown) has executed his latest stunt in his hometown of Bristol!
Banksy was given free rein over Biristol Museum when a the shut the museum for two days and two nights and allowed him to cause havoc of the whole museum!
The exhibition open 13th July and will stay one until August 31st.( Free admission).

My housemate had the pleasure of going on the opening weekend and had to wait and hour and a half ( considering that she was there at 8 on a Sunday) but said it was definitely worth the wait. He has managed to attract and entice many different audiences with people travelling from all around to see his work.

The response I got was " he has managed to address real life controversial subjects and turn them into constructive art by adding humour and realism".

He is very inspiration and he encourage people to not shy away from subjects that are thought of as taboo and is not afraid to speak out.
Fingers crossed I will be visiting the exhibition for myself and cannot wait!