Dos Equis: The Most Interesting Man in the World

I absolutely love the creative genius behind The Most Interesting Man in the World campaign for the imported beer brand, Dos Equis. Done by EuroRSCG, the commercials are accompanied by the company's excellent interactive website that includes The Most Interesting Academy. The noteworthy part of this campaign is that it has produced measurable sales growth. According a recent Ad Age article, "Through mid-June, a period when imported beer sales dropped 11%, sales of Dos Equis rose more than 17%, moving the brand into eighth place among imports (in a tie with Stella Artois), when shipments rose 13%, claims Advertising Week."

Some of my favorite liners describing the MIM:
"He once had an awkward moment just to see how it feels."
"His blood smells like cologne."
"Even his enemies list him as their emergency contact number."

Television Spots











In addition to the traditional 30 second television spots, the campaign also includes shorter advice spots from the MIM.





Couldn't forget the print ads.


And a radio spot.

The Secret Life of Logos & Gotham Books

While browsing at a bookstore yesterday, I came across an interesting book called The Secret Life of Logos by Leslie Cabarga. 75 designers contributed their opinions and experiences with logo creation. My favorite part is the sketches and logo variations of each identity, showing the evolution of the logo. One of my favorite identities is for Gotham Books, an imprint of publishing giant Penguin Group. According to the design firm responsible for the piece, Eric Baker Design Associates, "the logo both captures New York City, which the name Gotham implies, but distinctly refers to publishing with the book forms used to create the skyscraper icon."

Designers: Eric Baker and Eric Strohl

Coca Cola Can Design - Part Deux

In April I posted about a special edition Coke can I'd been given. Above are all 5 summer edition designs. I still like the aviator sunglasses the best, but the grill design is coming in a close second.

WWF: It's your turn

Another batch of brilliantly simple ads for the World Wildlife Fund, by JWT Singapore and from Cannes Lions 2009. The signature black and white of these print ads is signature of the organization's identity. An easy to grasp idea is another mark of a WWF ad.

JWT Singapore
Executive Creative Directors: Ali Shabaz, Tay Guan Hin
Creative Director: Ali Shabaz
Copywriter: Pradeep D'souza
Account Manager: Peter Cheung, Group Account Director
Art Directors: Christiano Choo, Karen Muck
Production Manager: Neo Kian Heng

Honda Insight

From Rubin Postaer and Associates, comes these commercials for the Honda Insight. I enjoy the choreographed idea of showing a subject and then revealing more people, with their Insights of course. The music is well-chosen: fun, welcoming and relaxing.

Fiat: ecoDrive

Latest to spark my interest is the sharp website design by AKQA, for FIAT. Done for the Italian automobile maker's new ecoDrive initiative that clocks how you drive your FIAT ultimately to reduce the driver's carbon footprint by analyzing the results and changing habit. Basically, it's Nike+ for your FIAT. The website has fresh graphics and though buying a FIAT isn't in my near-future, exploring the website was definitely worth it.

Book Cover Design

Great book cover image for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Unsure of the designer.

Bento Box

This is the Bento Box from L.A. based Plastica. Love the design and practicality of this snack box set.

BMW Expression of Joy

A few weeks back my friend was reading the architecture and design magazine, Dwell when she showed me the brilliant media and creative placement BMW had done. To coincide with the launch of the automakers Z4 Roadster (also a sweet design in itself, the first BMW roadster with a retractable hardtop), Expression of Joy is how artist Robin Rhode used paint, a massive canvas and the Z4 to create a piece of art.

With help from GSD&M Idea City in Austin, Texas, and Dotglu in New York, Expression of Joy fuses innovation with raw creative talent. The paintbrush became the tires of the Z4 and the brushstrokes depended on however Rhode manuevered the vehicle. The website contains several videos to show the process, along with the entire canvas. Visitors to the site can create their own Expression of Joy by disecting the canvas. My Expression of Joy is below.
An article from Brandweek discusses the media used, including the cover takeover of Dwell's June issue that originally sparked my interest.

Random Findings

I got these images from a friend. I enjoy both visuals, the top was taken in Paris and the bottom was taken in Ireland.

Sand Dancer

Director Valerie Reid does an excellent job showing the work and passion of New Zealand sand artist, Peter Donnelly in this short film, The Right Step. Better known as Sand Dancer, Donnelly creates huge pictures in the sand, remarkably, without ever seeing the whole piece until he is done. Reid gracefully illustrates Sand Dancer's beautiful outlook on his artwork, which is washed away with high tide. He sees the piece's birth, life, and death and then the cycle continues with a new work of art and in that, he finds his peace.

Polar Bears

Director Tim Godsall of Biscuit Filmworks for Ogilvy New York received plenty of gold stars from the Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP) by winning in the Viral/Web Film category and the Audience Choice at AICP's Next Awards. The Next Awards "honor multidimensional brand promotions in the moving image." "Polar Bears," done for the Environmental Defense Fund and Ad Council, follows the trend of recent environmental PSAs with a poignant delivery of the message. Worthy work for a worthy cause.

Portland State University Logo

It took me a second, actually a few, to figure out Portland State University's logo. But now that I have, I love design. This is probably in part because it reminds me of a Celtic symbol of some sorts, not to mention the flawless fit of the lettering.