Packaging

SKYY Vodka’s Warm Holidayy Wishes

By Delphine Hirasuna |

Skyy_Vodka
SKYY, the American-made vodka, is transforming cities across the country into a knitted wonderland by taking everyone’s favorite ugly holiday sweater and wrapping it around everything from city buses in San Francisco, to bus shelters in Boston and downtown Chicago, to art installations in Manhattan’s Union Square and the Meatpacking District. Available for a limited time during the holiday season, SKYY’s iconic cobalt blue bottles are actually wrapped in blue and white Fair Isle knit sweaters. “Ugly sweaters have become a big pop culture trend, with people theming entire parties around them, and vodka is the number one spirit consumed during the holidays. It was a natural fit to combine the two, ” explains Umberto Luchini, Vice President of Marketing at Campari America.

Animation

7 Daily Moves in a Single GIF

By Delphine Hirasuna |

7 Daily Moves
This is a promotion for a fitness exercise app called 7 Daily Moves by Singapore-based physical trainer Sonam Mehra, founder of Small Spoon Pte. Ltd. Mehra worked closely with tech partner Prakas Donga from India and motion graphic designer Martin Kundby Nielsen from ccccccc in Denmark to demonstrate 48 basic exercise moves in a single GIF. The tiny animated figures are charming to view, and a great condensed version of all the workout moves you need to do to stay fit.

Public Service Campaign

From the Ears of Autistic People

By Delphine Hirasuna |

How do you describe in words what autism feels like from the perspective of the person afflicted with the disorder? Sometimes verbal explanations seem inadequate, incomplete, superficial. It’s better to show it and hear it from their eyes and ears. Rattling Stick Production Company made this public service video for the National Autism Society in the UK to help viewers feel the sensory way that some autistic people experience the world. Sounds that most people don’t even notice affect them with the jarring impact of a pile driver. The video was directed by Steve Cope, with creative direction by Kit Darayam. Turn up your sound to get the full effect.

Advertising

Greenpeace Ad: A Story Told in Metaphors

By Delphine Hirasuna |

Greenpeace_Artic

Designers are always in search of ways to convey a message visually without the need for lengthy explanatory text. That’s the charm of this Greenpeace advertising released to coincide with the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris last week. Created by London-based Stine Hole Mankovsky, the video and print ads communicate through a shorthand of visual metaphors that are widely understood by the public. Iconic Russian nesting “dolls” tie the story to Russia; stylized icy blue peaks suggest Arctic glaciers, and the decreasing size of the dolls serve as a metaphor for the ever- shrinking habitat of polar bears, which are fast vanishing in numbers. The only text is “Save the Russian Arctic. Greenpeace.” That says it all. Today the gravest threat to polar bears and the Arctic is the unmitigated release of greenhouse gases, which are warming the planet and causing the climate to change.
Read More »

Visual Merchandising

Pigment: Inspiring Retail Space for Fine Artists

By Delphine Hirasuna |

Pigment_1

Pigment in the Shinagawa district of Tokyo is the kind of art supply store that fine artists dream about. Pigment carries art supplies that are considered rare throughout the world. It offers over 4,200 colors of pigment, more than 200 antique ink sticks, 50 types of animal glue, traditional “washi” papers, and brushes for every technique. The store is staffed with experts to advise customers on the unique features of each painting tool and how best to use it, and holds workshops taught by art professors and supply manufacturers. Designed by world-renowned architect Kengo Kuma, the modern and spare interior is constructed using organic curved surfaces inspired by bamboo blinds. The bamboo stretches from the roof to the eaves, with the environment displaying products in a manner that seems more like a museum exhibit than a show of retail wares. This is a store that has reverence for the arts and treats the tools of the trade as works of art in themselves.
Read More »