Portfolio

#25

cargocollective.com/jordanstein

I’m working on this.

Back To Basics

#24

Society has never been more wired. With all of our tablets, laptops, smart phones, video games, TV services, and satellite radio, it has become a challenge to remain bored for more than five minutes; if you keep in mind our social media networks and widespread wireless connections, we can find a challenge in not being distracted while idle.

Australian agency Stihl did a great job comparing what we value in modern communication and outdoor activities. These ads can apply to college students and older, but they are definitely relevant to today’s growing kids. Playing outside, absorbing sunshine, and getting exercising is important from a mental and physical perspective — you can’t achieve these inside watching Netflix and eating food on the sofa. Whether this is an effort by creatives to publish their nostalgia of a simpler time or if it is a genuine message to get people active, this is a poster that should be put in every dorm room and computer lab across America.

The Race

#23

The Summer Olympics are coming. Once every four years, billions of people tune in to witness one of the greatest athletic spectacles the world has to offer. Since the 2012 Games will be held in London, British Airways decided to capitalize on their home base and compare the competitive nature of the Olympics with the logistics of airport baggage.

Well-designed and with a fitting ending for the UK, we can expect more Olympic ads arriving in the coming months.

Behind The Letter

#22

As I mentioned earlier, when Tracy Wong lectured as a guest speaker last week, he brought forth some unforgettable messages that students could embrace for the long haul. I won’t forget his strongest points, but there was also some awesome content being exposed.

This anti-smoking public service announcement from the New Hampshire Department of Health is a product of Wong’s thinking.  The PSA communicates one two levels: social and personal. It recognizes the wider social issue of smoking as a deadly vice that millions of people are trapped in, while the subject of the video, Robert, describes his self-esteem and reflects on how his habits hurt his family. The disappointment of not being able to quit for his own health, in addition to failing his own children, is an experience that some smokers have felt. All of the raw emotion sums up the mindset that could be adopted by those who are on the journey to be tobacco free.

A Living Room On Wheels

#21

I don’t know too much about the Swedish auto industry, let alone a company like Volvo.  They’re known for being… safe? I’m not sure there’s much you can do with that quality other than shocking damage to contrast with perfect airbags or the ability to see further with brighter headlights. Their tagline is “For Life,” which is connected to reliability and longevity. It can be difficult to creatively promote those features.

However, like many other car brands, people will spend chunks of time in their Volvos if they choose to buy them. The company recognizes that behavior and they made it the theme for one of their print advertisements. Many view their cars as an extension of themselves, or at least what they consider home. Since a lot of time is spent in these vehicles, it tends to be a space of comfort and familiarity for drivers. Unlike a laundry room or attic, cars should elude the same warmth and relaxation that you’d feel while in a living room.

Although the realities of traffic and daily life can override the hospitality of a Volvo, the company believes that a ride should be as pleasant as possible.

The Nets Could Use A New Look

#20

I’m a huge pro basketball fan. I can be heavily partial toward my beloved Lake Show, but I appreciate the best of what all teams have to offer.  I like certain players on other teams because of their skills, but something shallow like a sharp uniform or a great team symbol can win me over too.

Graphic designer Michael Weinstein has a great revision of the current New Jersey Nets logo.

Although this logo does not have any cringe-worthy features, it comes off as boring and a little aged. With an official move to Brooklyn next season, the Nets should be active in a rebranding process to commemorate the trek across the Hudson. Drastic steps don’t even need to be taken for a modern overhaul to make a positive impression.

This is a fine example of a Nets logo fit for the next decade.  The 90′s-style “Nets” font is replaced by a semi-cursive type, and lines from the “N” that replicate the ribs of an actual basketball. A ring around the ball suggests Brooklyn’s nickname as The Planet (because of it’s size and diversity) and the Brooklyn at the top of the logo is fit for the front of a new uniform.

We may never see this logo as part of the Nets’ rebranding process (along with convincing free agents to play with them and competing with the Knicks for market share). However, it would be included in the ideal world.

Doing It Wrong

#19

I agree with most of what Banksy is saying here.  He’s on point when he explains the ways in which ads have the ability to damage peoples’ self-esteem.  Not only does this marketing insult those who it is trying to attract with emotional manipulation, but it’s off-limits to the audience too.

The foundation of all advertising should be to respect the viewer and not to waste their time.

We > Me

#18

Yesterday’s guest speaker in the CS lecture was Tracy Wong of WDCW fame. Aside from being one of the masterminds behind promoting ESPN’s popular College Gameday program, Wong also collaborated on Tully’s Coffee “3:21″ effort and Washington state’s “No Stank You” anti-tobacco ads.

Wong provided refreshing and relevant realities of ad agencies and services.  He gave ample credit to strategists who are essentially the engine of any great campaign, giving creatives a “two-foot putt” for success.  Wong also emphasized the need to leave your ego at the door; a stubborn and arrogant personality can be toxic to a creative environment and can solely destroy good ideas.  Along those lines, compromise was a value which can lead to further success when clever methods are utilized to satisfy client and creator.

One of my favorite pieces of advice from Wong was the benefit of keeping an empty mind instead of an open mind. Instead of dismissing ideas from the start, absorbing everything the other person has to say without discrimination is a more successful route compared to arguing or interrupting a proposal.

Knowledge talks, wisdom listens.

Milano Kalibro Kobe

#17

As a sports fan, I take personal enjoyment from well-made ads that promote athletes.  When these ads include my favorite athletes, such as Kobe Bryant, I pay my full attention to what is typically a 30-second spot of a basketball player dunking in a dark gym or a running back performing camp drills.

As you can tell, this is not your ordinary athletic endorsement. The format is one which not only includes a “forgotten” Italian crime film from the 70s, but a modern reflection on that film by acclaimed filmmaker Enzo G. Castellari. Nike does a phenomenal job by incorporating Kobe’s roots (he spent his childhood in Italy) with contemporary soccer stars from that nation.

Saving Us From Ourselves

#16

The most recent TED (Technology Entertainment and Design) conference tackled the question of whether society’s consumption habits and the growth of efficient technology has accelerated us closer to a doomsday scenario.  Our global economy has witnessed some of the most dramatic changes in technology advancement in recent history.  Pioneering accomplishments in the fields of engineering and science have brought positive developments to energy efficiency and accessibility, along with lower prices for access to these energy channels.  However, increased efficiency of technology does not exactly mean that consumption of a specific resource does not stabilize, which has a very negative effect on our planet.

Which brings us to advertising.  Are people, specifically those who live in wealthy Western nations, too easily swayed by presentations that convince us we need products that are truly necessities?

Perhaps consumers get overly infatuated with goods and services that were not within reach before more efficient delivery became an expectation.  Instead of waiting anxiously on the next big fad in apparel as a way to one-up peers, consumers should gravitate toward higher quality products that last longer with more persistent functionality and advocate sustainabililty.  Maybe people allocated their time unwisely, believing that heavy workloads will be rewarded with higher paychecks, mistakenly assuming that more money, and more consumption, will transport them to fulfillment and well-being.   Some may believe that to be naïve, others would argue that money could buy them happiness.  At that point, people could just have conflicting definitions on what it means to be content.