AD2 Roanoke

I both equally love and hate this t-shirt from Chop Shop. As a passive comic book fan, I appreciate the the old-school comic feel. And as a user of Photoshop, I’m glad to see these filters actually being “used” for something (especially you, Halftone Pattern Maker). But as a T-Shirt wearer, well, my proclivities and preconditions about what I wear are my own.

I’m also a little jealous I didn’t come up with it first.

Get this t-shirt from Chop Shop.

[Chopping Block via Neatorama]

   I just got back from a planning meeting with Danny at 202 Market about the upcoming Ad2 Reunion.  First of all let me say that this venue and this manager could not be better or more fun to work with.  Not only are they letting us completely take over their loft, but they’re also creating a specialty menu of drink and snackie items to go along with our theme.  I don’t know specifics yet, but some ideas we tossed around were Banaramas, Totally Tubular Tinis, slap to your wrist shots, Gold Chain Mr. Tea’s, and Aqua Nets.  Stay tuned for more details and continue to save the date, Tuesday, 9/8 at 6:00 in the loft of 202 Market in downtown Roanoke.

Hope to see you all there! 

Last Tuesday, we asked you to join us for a free Sugar Rush and did you ever! We had record numbers of attendees all crammed into the tiny, adorable Bubblecake location on Crystal Spring Ave for our first ever Ad2uesday! The selection of cupcakes ranged from sprinkle-laden strawberry to extreme chocolate to vanilla chip, but the only flavor missing at the end of the night was Key Lime. The members have spoken, We Love Lime! Be sure to check out the photo reel attached and make sure your face wasn’t snapped covered in icing. If you were one of the unlucky few who couldn’t attend, check it out to see how much fun you could have had eating sugar and learning about Ad2 Roanoke, the premier group for advertising and creative professionals.

Great read on www.adage.com by Brian Steinberg.

A creative genious at Omnicom has designed a paper thin video player insert that will run in Entertainment Weekly. Whoever said a print ad can’t be interactive?

This is awesome. Although it will only be available to subscribers in LA and NY, this is a great example that we have not thought of it all yet.

When Entertainment Weekly readers open the magazine to the ad pages, they will see a small screen flicker on and start to load a video. A brief segment featuring actors from “The Big Bang Theory” will explain how to use the player, while talking about features from Entertainment Weekly and the different video selections a reader can choose. By pressing one of five different buttons, readers can watch a video montage from “How I Met Your Mother,” a montage from “Two and a Half Men,” a humorous ad for Pepsi Max, a sneak preview of “Accidentally on Purpose” or a preview of new CBS dramas “NCIS: Los Angeles,” “The Good Wife” and “Three Rivers.”

Read the full article at http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=138546

I just wanted to post a quick thank you to everyone who came out to Bubblecake last night for our Sugar Rush membership drive.  I think it was one of our most successful events to date, and I know I had a blast meeting all of our wonderful new members.  Be on the lookout for pictures and an official write-up soon!

What do you send new recruits to inspire them to join a branch of the armed forces? Why not a full sized paper cut out of their potential future decorated dress uniform? Thats what the Singapore Navy did.

“We sent out direct mailer packs, which opened out to be the ultimate uniform – a crisp, white Naval Officer’s jacket, complete with medals and decorations. An awe-inspiring uniform that is revered and respected. The life-sized uniform could be held up, immediately allowing the recipient to see how he would look in it. A business reply card was placed in the breast pocket.

What kills me is that even something as cool as this still only received 4.7% in responses out of the 6,000 students it was sent to, only slightly higher than an average direct mailer. I do like the touch of the business reply card in the breast pocket.

[Singapore Navy Ad Campaign via Neatorama]

From a great article by Garr Reynold’s on his blog Presentation Zen:

Most people do not really think about design and designers, let alone think of themselves as designers. But what, if anything, can regular people — teachers, students, business people of all types — learn from designers and from thinking like a designer? And what of more specialized professions? Can medical doctors, scientists, researchers, and engineers, and other specialists in technical fields benefit in anyway by learning how a graphic designer or interaction designer thinks? Is there something designers, either through their training or experience, know that we don’t? I believe there is.

Below are 10 things (plus a bonus tip) that I have learned over the years from designers, things that designers do or know that the rest of us can benefit from.

Read more…

Some of the tips mentioned here are words I live by daily. Others, it was nice to hear spelled out and to be reminded of. Take the time to read over these points, especially if you’re not the “creative” in your office. You may find you relate easier to them after you do.

[Pesentaion Zen via Mister Alexander]

Join Ad2 Roanoke for a free sugar rush from Bubblecake. As our first Ad2uesday event, all current and prospective members are invited to Bubblecake on Crystal Spring Ave in South Roanoke for delicious, and complementary, Ad2 branded cupcakes designed by our friends at Bubblecake! Here, you will get to know our current board members, learn more about Ad2 Roanoke, and get covered in sprinkles. This is a ticketed event, so contact ad2@ad2roanoke.org to reserve your ticket.  If you aren’t a planner, but get a craving for sugar-laced advertising  just show up at the door and mention Ad2. See you there!

Designers, are you frustrated at that Art Director who’s made you edit the same single column ad for the 12th time this week? Art Directors, are you upset with the A.E. that has requested a dozen changes to a simple newspaper ad ‘to get it just right’? Account Executives, are you growing impatient with the clients that are forcing you to talk with those socially awkward and pale ‘creatives’ for, like, the millionth time because they gave you the wrong telephone digit or something? Copywriters, feeling unappreciated? Programmers, getting down in the mouth? When it’s all said and done, what have we accomplished, really? Why do we continue this farce we call ‘advertising’?

Fortuantely, Everything Is Terrible has provided us with this presentation to put it all back into perspective for us:

In case you were wondering, this is why that tune sounds familiar. You can thank me in the comments section.

[via Everything Is Terrible]

Sipho Mabona is an amazing artist with great talents in the art of origami. He is working with Asics on a new campaign regarding their origin and history.

Take a look at some of his photos: Sipho Mabona-Flickr

Sipho Mabona - Praying Mantis

Sipho Mabona - Koi Instellation

Thanks to Graphic Designer, David Airey for the heads up on this artist. Great blog and email updates! http://www.davidairey.com/