Elena, Account Executive Retail with a dose of surprise and a pinch of humour Today, Wieden & Kenedy’s new ad for TK Max is airing for the first time. The piece is a continuation of last year’s ‘Ridiculous Possibilities’ campaign, where the brand aimed to show the randomly amazing things you can find when buying at their stores, and how they can change your life. It’s a fresh approach to retail, with a dose of surprise and a pinch of humour. It’s not the first time W&K has surprised us with unexpected brilliance. Their approach to Honda is just outstanding. You might remember ads like ‘Hands’, where the hands of a Honda engineer shows you the brand’s innovation and products over the years, and helps you understand how they come up with new ideas for new products. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dxy4n0UT82o#t=21 Or the famous launch campaign for Honda Civic Type R ‘The other side’, which had people all over the world wondering why the car wasn’t being launched in their countries.
Sian, Creative Artworker Passports, postcards, programming, and pictograms: Beazley Designs of the Year Want to know what important, impactful, and outstanding design looks like? Look no further than one of the most exciting events of the design year: the ninth annual Beazley Designs of the Year. The exhibition celebrates design that ‘promotes or delivers change, enables access, extends design practice or captures the spirit of the year’ (or as Time Out describes it, ‘find out what the world’s geniuses have been up to for the last 12 months’). The event covers six categories including Architecture, Digital, Fashion, Graphics, Product, and Transport. For graphics I was ecstatic to see one of the best rebrands this year for Channel four, alongside outstanding projects ranging from passports, postcards, programming, and pictograms.
Norwegian passport: High quality, subtle, and exceptionally visually balanced, this redesign creates a sense of national pride through abstracted landscapes and a muted colour palette, giving the impression of a high value, yet functional document. Who wouldn’t be proud to hand this over at the airport?
Dear Data: Featuring in this year’s excellent Big Bang Data exhibition at Somerset House, illustrated postcards with hand drawn and whimsical infographics document the relationship between two designers.
Hello Ruby: Ruby, snow leopards, penguins, robots, and foxes playfully help children to learn about programming, technology and computing.
First Aid Kit for Refugees and NGOs: These pictograms focus on the principle of universal visual languages to help refugees when they arrive at camps.
The nominees for all the categories are a testament to the value, scope, and impact of design. You can see them all here, or visit the exhibition from 24th November.
