Category: Humor

Posters

ESPN FIFA World Cup Murals

By Delphine Hirasuna |

ESPN took a different approach to promoting its coverage of the 2010 FIFA World Cup to be played in South Africa from June 11 to July 11. Through its ad agency, Wieden & Kennedy, New York, it commissioned a Capetown artists group, called Am I Collective, to paint 32 murals that spoofed each of the countries participating in this year’s soccer tournament. The paintings integrated cultural themes, caricatures of real players, and visual commentary on each team’s World Cup standing. Soccer fanatics may understand the symbolic meaning of some of the depictions; the rest of us take pleasure in viewing the images.

USA
This take-off on the famous painting of George Washington crossing the Delaware during the Revolution against Britain alludes to the fact that Team USA will face a formidable challenge in the opening group stage matches against England. The team USA boat bears the nation’s motto “E Pluribus Unum,” Latin for “Out of Many, One.”

Denmark
The heist film “Ocean’s Eleven” inspired this poster showing coach Martin Olsen and the team from Denmark ready to steal the trophy.

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Advertising

Clever Marketing or Simulated Sex?

By Delphine Hirasuna |

We know that sex sells, but at what point do you cross over the line from suggestive to simulated? For the past week, the @Issue editorial team and interested others at Studio Hinrichs have been engaged in an ongoing dispute. My opinion and that of several others (who just happened to all be women) was that this commercial bordered on soft porn (the next ad in this series even more so). The male designers in the office watched the commercial attentively before describing it as “stylish,” “well-designed,” and “clever marketing.”

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Humor

“Television,” for example

By Delphine Hirasuna |

Visual tone of voice – it’s a much-discussed concept in design. How do you let the product, company or service speak for itself through choice of typography, color, pacing, and style of imagery? How do you communicate mood, energy, personality, urgency? What we liked about this video by Beth Fulton of b.fulton multimedia production in Atlanta is that you can feel the frenetic quality of the poem by screenwriter/actor Todd Alcott, even without hearing Alcott’s frantic voice. First look at the video with the sound on and then watch it again with the sound off. Consider how different the poem would have felt if the typeface was more ornate or the pacing was less erratic and staccato. Although the Fulton/Alcott video is more compelling than, say, giving expression to a brand, it does show us that when the visual tone of voice is on target, the message is far more memorable.

Brand Language

Fly the Funny Skies

By Delphine Hirasuna |

Kulula, South Africa’s first no-frills commuter airline, makes up with humor what it lacks in global stature. Its two-plane fleet, which flies short-hops from Johannesburg to Cape Town and Durban, is painted a conspicuous lime green with callouts identifying each part of the aircraft, including the cockpit area where the “the big cheese” (captain) sits, and the “loo” (lavatory) “or the mile-high club initiation chamber.” This is a brand identity that you are not likely to forget. In fact, you may even look for Kulula planes on the runway to amuse yourself.

The inflight instructions are equally irreverent, with the flight attendant advising passengers to make sure they have all their belongings with them when leaving the plane, but if they have to leave anything behind “make sure it is something the cabin crew can use. Preferably not children.”

Or telling passengers before takeoff: “If you have a child with you, please be sure to fasten their seatbelt first. If you have more than one, please select your favorite now and fasten their seatbelt.”

Humor

Speling Lesons

By Delphine Hirasuna |
It has been interesting to observe how typing text messages with two thumbs on a cell phone is transforming the written language. Acronyms have replaced full sentences – LOL, OMG, GTG. Everything that can be abbreviated is. The question is, will this lead to the evolution of spelling as we know it? It wouldn’t be the first time. Over the centuries, spelling has changed, syntax has changed, even the noun-verb-object order of typical English sentences has changed. I happened upon this fake news article sent to me years ago. At the time, I found it ludicrously funny; now I’m not so sure. Maybe it was onto something, albeit before its time. Copy editors beware; your troubles may have just begun.