So let’s start with some good news …
There are not going to be any posts next week because – yes, you guessed it – I’m going to be away.
But that’s not the only good news for you, you see today’s post is going to be short.
Proper short … not a 1000 word diatribe of bollocks that I call short.
I know … I know … who knew today was going to be your lucky day.
So with that, I leave you with this.
Simply move back from the screen and squint.
That’s it. Now what do you see?
If it’s nothing, maybe you need to go to the opticians.
If it’s something, maybe you’ll have stopped being amazed by it by the time I’m back.
Or maybe will have turned it into an ad campaign – that is if anyone visits this blog anymore.
See you in 10 days.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Attitude & Aptitude, Audio Visual, Authenticity, Childhood, Content, Context, Creative Development, Creativity, Culture, Freddie, Queen
So very soon, a bunch of Freddie Mercury’s belongings are going to be sold at auction.
And yes, I will be bidding on some … albeit the cheapest stuff that is available.
But if I could, there’s stuff I’d love to have.
From the shoes Freddie wore during Live Aid [which is 38 years today] to the royal cloak and crown he wore on the last Queen tour in 1986 to this …
What you see is one of the pages Freddie used to construct the lyrics and song structure for Bohemian Rhapsody.
The scribbles, the word changes [for example, originally it was going to be called Mongolian Rhapsody] the different keys he saw different parts of the song being performed in.
How amazing is that.
What is even more amazing is that it’s all on a 1974 calendar deskpad for British Midland Timesavers – which, I assume, was an airline.
Maybe he got it because originally, he worked at an airport as a baggage handler.
Maybe he got it because his parents ended up moving to Nottingham, which is near East Midland’s Airport.
But whatever the reason, for a song that will exist in culture for eternity … it’s pretty amazing it all started on some random notepad.
More than that, there are other songs that also appear on that pad … for example Somebody To Love … which proves what Queen fans have thought for decades, that they are ‘sister songs’ … and then the classic We Are The Champions, which didn’t even get recorded by the band until 3 years later.
Or said another way, one innocuous pad of paper captured three songs that went on to achieve iconic status across generations and genres.
I love it.
Not just because I’m a Queen fan, but it proves imagination and inspiration can be triggered and caught anywhere.
Sure, not everyone will achieve the same quality or impact as Freddie did, but in a world where we are trying to systemize every aspect of creativity … it’s a good reminder that for all the processes, eco-systems, models and frameworks, if we recognize, embrace, develop, work on and trust our imagination, we may find we can start creating ideas that transcend whatever the latest ‘best practice model’ can only wish for.
Not just because best practice is past practice … but because it’s goal is consistency whereas imagination is about liberation.
Now if only I had 1.2 million pounds …
Filed under: Advertising, Audio Visual, Brand Suicide, Context, Creativity, Design, Distinction, Marketing Fail, New Zealand
Over the years, I’ve written many an ode to design.
Not just because Jill is a designer, but because I believe the discipline has demonstrated its power to create change of cultural opinion and behaviour to a much greater extent than the ad industry has achieved.
From making sound, visual … pasta, stylish … to a nations pain, united … it has consistently found ways to answer problems that deeply connect to our soul.
Hell, they even found ways to encourage inclusivity that doesn’t make bigots and Tories scream we’re in a world of woke.
Incredible.
What has been interesting how been seeing how national symbolism is increasingly being brought into design.
Of course this shouldn’t be a surprise because we’re living in a much more nationalistic World.
And while being proud of where you come from is a good thing, this is less about that.
What we’re seeing more of is jingoism dressed up as patriotism.
Politically ignited racism and prejudice, disguised as heritage and protection.
It’s pretty blatant.
Now don’t get me wrong … I’m definitely not saying any design that incorporates nationalism means it’s for a racist company.
Nor am I saying any company who celebrates a ‘born here’ message is prejudice.
But I am saying that if you’re going to do it, you better do it well because not only can it have big implications on how you’re perceived … you can end up making yourself look the least inviting company in the country.
Which is my insanely long-winded way of posting this logo from a company just down from our office.
Honestly, I don’t know if I should be impressed or horrified.
But I definitely can’t stop looking at it.
And while some would say, “well that’s a good thing”, I can assure you, it’s definitely not.
I find it amazing they value highlighting they’re a NZ company more than a good hair transplant company.
I mean, look at it?
It’s fucking horrific.
It makes them look the poundland of hair ‘restoration’.
I also should point out I didn’t find this company – my wonderful colleague Henry did, and he’s blessed with beautiful locks – so don’t think I’ve suddenly decided I want a full head of hair.
I know how much you’d love that so you could take the piss out of me, but sadly – for you – that dream is not going to be answered.
So all there is left for me to say is this.
Design. It’s amazing. But pay for a good one or you may end up looking like a bald man in a badly fitting, badly made wig.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Attitude & Aptitude, Audio Visual, Authenticity, Comedians, Comment, Content, Context, Craft, Creative Brief, Creative Development, Creativity, Culture, Documentary, Entertainment, Immaturity, Mischief, Netflix
Congratulations on surviving the first week back of this blog.
Remember, the good news is there’s no more posts till next Tuesday thanks to yet another holiday in New Zealand. If I knew I’d be having this big a break at the start of the year, I’d have moved here 6 years ago when I first had the chance.
It’s utterly mad, which is the perfect segue to another example of madness.
Have a look at this:
That, my friends, is apparently a genuine tweet.
Someone believes a video made by Mr Beast somehow proves the creator community is the ultimate in power, influence and success because – according to them – it got more views in less time than the original Netflix show.
How many flaws can we spot in that statement?
Look, I’m not doubting the creator community can have incredible influence over culture.
I’m not doubting the creator community can attract incredible amounts of ‘views’.
I’m not doubting the creative credentials of Mr Beast [who I do enjoy following].
But apart from the fact the Mr Beast video actually took 10 years and 7 weeks to make as it required Squid Games to be written, produced and streamed prior to Mr Beast being approached by a company to ‘re-create it’ for his channel … not to mention it didn’t make nearly as much money, or have as great an impact on sales of Van’s as the original … literally copying something someone else created is the absolute opposite of what ‘creator community’ is supposed to mean.
Don’t get me wrong, the creator community is a brilliant thing.
I genuinely love it.
But there are millions of people who are putting in so much effort to make ‘content’ and often only end up with a few likes rather than real revenue. And even those who do make it big, still earn less than the biggest stars of ‘traditional’ film making – so the promise of the community may not be as bright as some think it is.
At least right now.
I’ve blanked the name of the person who wrote the tweet to protect their delusion, but it kind of reinforces my post from last year about the fine line between entrepreneurs and parasites.
In the 80/90’s, a number of UK up and coming comedian created a group called ‘Comic Strip ‘.
The comedians were Rik Mayall, Jennifer Saunders, Adrian Edmondson, Dawn French, Nigel Planer, Peter Richardson, Jennifer Saunders and Alexei Sayle.
So basically the foundation of British comedy television for the next 30+ years.
Anyway, Comic Strip was basically a creative vehicle for them to make a bunch of programs for Channel 4.
One of them was called Bad News, a ‘rockumentary’ about a fictitious heavy metal band trying to hit the big time. Yes, the premise sounds awfully like the movie ‘Spinal Tap’ … however Bad News came out the year before that seminal movie, so it’s just a bizarre coincidence.
So in the show, the guitarist, Vim Fuego – played by Ade Edmondson – tells the interviewer that he is a better guitarist than Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page.
His reason for saying that is because he could play the solo to Stairway To Heaven when he was 13 but Jimmy couldn’t even write the song until he was 26.
Later in the program, he said John Lennon had visited him in a dream and gave him a song. He decided to call it Imogen. And when the interviewer said the name – and the melody – were suspiciously like the Lennon classic, Imagine … he claimed he’d never heard of it.
Of course, all of this was supposed to be great comedy, but with views like the twitter writer above, apparently it was simply an example of future human delusion.