ADFEST 2011 & humility in advertising

Today I returned from the Asia Pacific Advertising Festival in Thailand, where I was Editor of ADFESTbuzz and Lotus News.

The festival's guest of honour this year was Washington Olivetto, founder of W\Brasil in Sao Paolo. I was underwhelmed by Olivetto - many felt his speech only indicated that both he and his agency were far past their heyday in the 1980s and 90s.

The Jury Presidents invited from agencies in Asia were so much more inspiring, and humble. I was particularly impressed by Ram Madhvani, director at Equinox Film in Mumbai, who told me the reason his films are considered so exotic is because they're firmly grounded in Indian culture. He doesn't attempt to create films that global audiences will like; he makes films that are unashamedly local, which is why his Happydent commercial (above) could only have originated in India.

I was also struck by Satoshi Takamatsu, founder of Ground in Tokyo, who has created lots of award-winning integrated campaigns. Satoshi is wise, unassuming and thoughtful - I was touched by his confession that he is too embarassed to tell his family how successful he is -- humility in advertising is a rarity!

To see this year's winners of the ADFEST Lotus Awards, visit www.adfest.com

My feet in Phuket

Here are my feet relaxing in Phuket before the madness of ADFEST 2011 ensues...

Polish designer Maciej Zien visits Sydney

Today I interviewed fashion designer Maciej Zien, who is in Sydney for a few days from Poland. I liked him so much I had the odd sensation of wishing we could be friends.

Today Zień is one of Poland’s most celebrated designers, and though I haven't seen enough of his work to know whether his talents live up to his fame, I was struck by his charm, confidence, and ambition to loan his name to a line of products far beyond the world of fashion, like all the world's cleverest designers do.

Maciej also designs interiors and his tile range will be available at Taste showrooms in Australia later this year. The textures are incredible- some tiles look like alligator skin. Here are his interior design tips, which I compiled for Taste's custom-published magazine:

1. USE BEAUTIFUL TEXTILES
“I use a lot of beautiful materials in my home. I have an amazing cashmere couch by Loro Piama, which is incredibly soft and comfortable. She also sells a line of cashmere carpets called ‘One Step to Heaven’. Materials are very important.”

2. LAMPS CREATE ROMANCE
“I put lights in the same part of the window where you would see the sun, and I put lamps around my couch to create a romantic atmosphere.”

3. CHOOSE COLOURS THAT CHANGE WITH THE LIGHT
“Taupe is my favorite colour. In the morning it looks greyish, but in the evening when you turn on your lamps you can see beige. It changes a little throughout the day.”

4. DESIGN FOR THE SENSES
“Some apartments make you think about an emotion – that’s very important for me. Fragrance and music help to evoke emotion; when you are in one of my stores, you can smell candles and hear music, so if you closed your eyes you would still know you’re in my shop.”

5. MIX OLD AND NEW
“It is sad to forget history, so I love to mix old details with modern design. This is also why artwork is very important. When you change your home, you take your artworks with you. When you put them in your new apartment, it immediately feels like home.”

AWARD Awards 2010… my verdict

Last Friday I attended the AWARD Awards, which are a bit like the Logies for the ad industry.

Every year the AWARD Awards struggle to keep their audience under control. As the night wears on, the crowd gets drunker until barely anyone pays attention to anything.

This year, Rockwiz host Julia Zemiro did an admirable job of keeping the crowd in check – a crap job that barely anyone is tough or funny enough to pull off. She did, but not without commenting that AWARD’s dogmatic ‘no speeches, no clapping, no alcohol’ policy was zero fun.

If you’d like my two cents, I’d say the night was a bit of a fizz. I understand why AWARD keeps its audience on a very tight leash. I agree that integrating the AWARD Awards into a 3-day festival called Circus was a good idea. Hopefully it will create the impression that the Australian advertising is finally growing up.

But AWARD is a long way off getting it right. Personally, I didn’t appreciate being treated like a naughty teenager before being whisked away to a nightclub full of sloppy 20 year-olds in Kings Cross.

So I was amused to read this story in Campaign Brief today. Congratulations BBDO! The agency's 'Support Scent' fragrance for Guide Dogs was very lovely.

Claire Inc, Adelaide

Often when I interview interesting retailers and designers I accidentally buy their products.

Claire Inc is a good example... Belinda Humphris founded online vintage store Claire Inc in 2009, and it already has a global following thanks to a smart web marketing strategy.

Humphris first began selling second-hand clothes on eBay to fund her university studies, never imagining her hobby would later become a fully-fledged business.

Buoyed by the success of her eBay store, she decided to invest in a standalone online store, ClaireInc.com, a couple of years later.

By setting up an online store to sell vintage fashion from the 1980s and ’90s, Claire Inc now generates 50% of its sales overseas while 80% of its Australian customers are based in Sydney and Melbourne.

Without an online store, Claire Inc might never have caught the eye of influential fashion bloggers like Style Bubble in London, or attracted celebrity buyers like British singers Lily Allen and M.I.A.

Read my interview with Humphris here... While researching the story, I purchased a very excellent 1980s pencil skirt for the bargain price of $110 dollars.

Mark Gowing has a new website

I have always admired Sydney designer Mark Gowing: he is easily one of my favorite graphic designers in Australia – not because all his designs necessarily match my own tastes, but because he is such a thoughtful designer who brings an intellectual rigor to his aesthetic choices.

Mark has a talent for inventing typefaces; his designs are disciplined and geometrically meticulous; there is a modernist, almost industrialist edge to his work; yet his designs are still evocative.

Yesterday, Mark unveiled a new website that's worth a peek: www.markgowing.com

Left: the Miro-esque Circa.11; and Hopscotch typefaces; plus a poster by Mark Gowing Studio

ADFEST, Phuket

see you in phuket!
Originally uploaded by Barbarella07

It's February and I'm already drowning in deadlines, so I am excited to say I just booked my flights to Phuket for ADFEST 2011...

James Gulliver Hancock

James Hancock is having an exhibition in the city tonight - I can't make it, but I heart his work. I purchased a print from this series last year (only mine is a drawing of an exploding lawnmower). I almost worked with James when I needed a new designer at CREATIVE but I think he would have been bored working on the same magazine so long. He lives in the US now with his pop singer wife, but his work is still often published in Australian magazines.

Things I’m researching… the history of kitchens

This may not sound very exciting. But this week I’ve learned that if weren’t for an Austrian architect named Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, kitchens might look very different. In 1926, Grete got the sensible idea of designing a kitchen that facilitates the tasks it’s used for. Seems obvious, but before Grete kitchens were just big, smoky rooms filled with clunky furniture.

After Grete, kitchens became much tinier but a lot more functional, with built-in stoves, stainless steel sinks, cupboards and storage.

She was one of the first architects to realize that design fused with functionality would become an important 20th Century trend.

And her kitchen – called the Frankfurt Kitchen – influenced every other kitchen that came after it. Grete was also an anti-Nazi campaigner, a Communist, and the earliest female architect to feature at MoMa in New York. She died aged 102.

Picnic Etiquette: six steps to a delightful afternoon

This summer, the National Gallery of Victoria has been hosting picnics in its sculpture garden – a darned delightful way of attracting patrons.

I love to picnic often and always, so last weekend in Melbourne I stopped in at the NGV and ordered a hamper with bubbles to enjoy with friends. I noticed this thoughtfully penned guide to picnic etiquette, which accompanied the menu - if only all marketing directors could commission such charming copy:

"the Basket
Even when lunching on a lawn in the city, one’s basket should give the impression of a day in the country. A good basket should be large enough to appear plentiful, but not so heavy that it makes one perspire.

the Blanket
To make the right impression, one needs the appropriate blanket. Laid flat, it should seat approximately four persons and, as you are in public, sleep only two. Colour should be chosen in accordance with one’s clothing.

the Perfect Spot
While arriving early does prevent one from being fashionably late, it can be necessary for securing the ideal location. Look for grass that is not damp underfoot, and sun and shade in equal measure.

the Refreshments
No need to overcomplicate this matter. Drinks simply need to be properly chilled and never-ending.

the Long Lunch
Remember, there is no such thing as a quick picnic.

the Conversation
Dull weather and dull conversation are the only two things that can ruin an afternoon picnic. Make sure to choose guests wisely and, if in need of inspiration, attend an exhibition prior."

Words by: Chris Barton, Right Angle