Starting today through October 16th, 2010, the Society of Illustrators will exhibit “Blow Up” featuring Yuko Shimizu, Sam Weber, and Tomer Hanuka. Each artist comes from a distinct cultural background – Japan, Canada, and Israel, respectively. The show explores how their identities get “remixed” through meeting at an American crossroad.
Shimizu creates 3 new works specifically for the show (Blow Up No.0 and No.1 pictured above). She says, “I wanted to show my creative process. I normally create loose sketches first, blow up the sketch to the size I want to draw, cut the watercolor paper, very loosely trace the sketch onto the paper using light box, then spend long hours (sometimes days) drawing with a Japanese brush that is specifically designed to write sutra as part of Buddhist practice. I try to figure out the details of the images as I create to make the long drawing process interesting and refreshing.”
Jim Wright has been busy this year. If you’ve walked by a newsstand, you’ve probably seen his work on multiple magazine covers. Wright shot Bruce Willis, Gerard Butler, and Brett Favre for three issues of Men’s Journal, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Emma Thompson for Good Housekeeping, Claire Danes for Access, Hugh Grant, Chris Noth, and Sylvester Stallone for three issues of Cigar Aficionado, and Rachel Ray for multiple issues of Every Day with Rachel Ray.
It comes as no surprise that Wright is one of the winners of PDN Faces contest. His physically grueling shoot with Bruce Willis for Men’s Journal is one of the judge’s top picks. We asked Wright to comment on some of his memorable covers after the jump.
“Daydreaming with… James Lavelle” opens today at the Haunch of Venison gallery in London. James Lavelle of music group UNKLE curates work from music, art, film, fashion, and design to bring an experience that combines music with visual art. Lavelle reveals in an interview, “We want to break down the line between what people think and do traditionally in the art and music realms, there’s a diversity in the work, we want to take things out of their boxes.”
The original artist lineup includes James Lavelle, Warren du Preez & Nick Thornton Jones, Nathan Coley, Futura, Jonas Burgert, Polly Borland, Azzi Glasser, Ian Monroe, Alex Box, Boudicca, Ben Drury, 3D, Dan Glasser, Will Bankhead, Faile, Jamie Shovlin, Oswaldo Macia, Simon Birch, David Nicholson, and more. Kai and Sunny were invited to the be in the show in early August. Their addition came as no surprise as the duo previously collaborated with Unkle on album art for select tracks to Alexander McQueen’s A/W 2009 McQ collection.
Cole Haan returns this fall with a continuation of “The Inspired Life” campaign. Six individuals “driven by their passion, vision, and curiosity” take center stage in images shot by The Selby as he captures them about their daily lives. DJ and musician Lindsey Caldwell, proprietor Jonathan Roquemaure, photographer and model Oona Hart, vintage store owner and singer Adazoe, farmer Nolan Calisch, and painter Jenna Gribbon (pictured above) star in the campaign. Visit “The Inspired Life” at Cole Haan’s website to read interviews and view photos of each person conducted by The Selby.
E-commerce has changed the way that shoppers approach luxury retail. Upscale brands once only available in brick and mortar stores are now available for perusal and purchase on the Internet thanks to new online retailers. Rue La La is an invitation-only online site that offers private sales of luxury items available only for select periods of time. Members benefit from a curated selection of goods at a discount price.
Rue La La recently refreshed their homepage with a new image by Leonello Calvetti, an eye-catching 3D roller coaster track twisted into the shape of Rue La La’s letters. Says Creative Director Amy Van Aarle, “Rue La La is all about style and confidence, served with a twist. And for us style isn’t just what you wear – it’s how you live your life and how you see the world. With the roller coaster concept, we wanted to convey an experience that’s intriguing and unexpected, but also optimistic and fun. Rue La La is an ever-changing, delightful destination, and our homepage is the perfect place to convey that.”
Republic, a retail brand based in the United Kingdom, debuts its first above-the-line campaign for fall/winter 2010. The chain currently has 100 stores across the United Kingdom and Ireland with plans to more than double its stores in the next five years. Ad agency Propaganda drives Republic into the forefront of its audience, the free-spirited 16-24 year olds, with a print and digital campaign that uses various social media channels. The “YOUR RULES YOUR REPUBLIC” campaign features lithe, young party-goers with shiny hair and glowing skin shimmying through the night.
Who better to capture the campaign’s carefree attitude than Kareem Black? His New York nightlife chronicles can be seen on his website /life. For the Republic campaign, he turned his attention to the London scene. Says Black, “I wanted the Republic campaign to look like the characters were having the time of their lives.” Models clad in the latest Republic looks danced all day and night to music picks by Black, listening to music by Girl Talk and Lord Easy and mixes by DJs Valissa Yoe, Atrak, and The Rub.
The O’Hare International Airport in Chicago is one of the busiest airports in the world, serving tens of thousands of passengers a day with flights to over 60 international destinations. Nearly half of the traffic in O’Hare International is operated by United Airlines, whose hub is stationed at O’Hare. For the fall fashion issue of Chicago magazine, photographer Brian Doben and Fashion Director Stacey Jones took advantage of O’Hare’s expansive architectural features to shoot the video and fashion story “Arrivals and Departures,” spending a full 12 hour day exploring the United Airlines terminal.
The story came to Jones as she was attending fashion shows in New York and Paris. Says Jones, “The concept was that the model embodied different characters – one being the harder, minimalistic bad girl and the opposite, more feminine, retro softer version. I wanted to shoot at O’Hare because of its clean lines, open spaces and tons of light and glass that would become an integral part of the story.”
Poor vision continues to plague undeveloped areas of the world where finding an optician is costly and time-consuming. Danish optometry chain Nyt Syn, or “New Vision,” strives to make a difference with their “Glasses for Africa” program. Nyt Syn collected eyeglasses from more than 70,000 people in Denmark. Six opticians and a nurse then traveled to low-income areas of Gambia and Senegal to administer eye exams and fit them with the collected glasses. Joachim Ladefoged accompanied them on their journey to villages around Africa, shooting video and reportage-style images to document the trip.
As people finished their exam and were given a pair of donated glasses, Ladefoged was there to take each person’s picture. The portraits are featured on Nyt Syn’s website, in store displays, and the corporate magazine. The print campaign has been shortlisted for a Creative Circle Award. While the portraits show people sitting still and refined, their visible reactions of the joy and awe of being able to see clearly are captured in Ladefoged’s video footage.
Sara Hayward, Am I Collective, and Ben Wachenje all contributed to the latest issue of SIGnature magazine, published by Pace Communications. Sara Hayword’s collage graces the cover, with portraits by Ben Wachenje and animated features and illustrations by Am I Collective. The publication targets Bluetooth SIG members, a large and diverse international group of companies that work together to further the use of Bluetooth short-range wireless technology. For the first time ever, the magazine is publishing a digital version that can be viewed online, greatly increasing its readership and providing accessibility to people everywhere.
Says Art Director Larry Williams, “When we initiated this project, I was looking for multiple illustrations and animations that would work best across multiple platforms. With the variety of talented illustrators in Bernstein & Andriulli’s arsenal, I knew I was going to find the perfect match.” For the cover, Sara Hayward’s work was “a clear winner” after Williams presented several options to the client.
Stuart Hall photographs the unmistakable look of Amsterdam for Amstel, drawing on the brewery’s Dutch heritage. The new Amstel campaign can be seen all over cities in out of home ads and in publications. Even though the advertisements hit the streets in the summer, Hall shot on location in Amsterdam during a snowstorm. Remembers Hall, “The canals were frozen over and all the trees were in a winter state. We composed the images to show little or no trees, shot additional water, and used additional lighting for the warm sun look.”
With creative lighting solutions and careful scouting, the Amstel advertisements retain the warm, glowing feel of Amsterdam.
Nathan Fox designed a custom 10 x 40 foot installation for a vehicle display at the Horton Plaza Mall during Comic-Con in collaboration with WIRED and Subaru. Says Lindsay Speros, Senior Integrated Marketing Manager at WIRED and WIRED.COM, “The display at the Horton Plaza Mall was a HUGE success and attracted thousands of people.” WIRED also hosted the VIP WIRED Cafe in the Omni Palm Terrace that featured Nathan’s custom mural and a contest to win an original 16 x 20″ Nathan Fox work of art. Fox signed posters of his mural for guests and fans at the VIP WIRED cafe.
Fox also had a table in artist’s alley, debuting the new Fluorescent Black graphic novel through Heavy Metal magazine. He signed copies at his booth as well as Heavy Metal’s. An exclusive hardcover version was available through pre-order that sold out quickly. This is Fox’s 3rd year exhibiting at Comic Con. Says Fox, “It’s always a pleasure to meet fans and critics alike and this year there were more than ever so I am glad for the great turnout.”
J. Crew’s sister brand Madewell 1937 debuted its online store this spring to eager shoppers. Justin Hollar captures the latest styles for the retailer in its new online look book. Soft layered tees, lightweight cardigans, and effortless blazers are among the new arrivals to pique excitement for fall. Hollar has worked with Madewell on multiple projects, shooting in various locations such as a factory in the Bronx, in studio, and on Coney Island. No matter the place, Hollar’s photographs continue to bring out the essence of Madewell.
The Selby has spent years looking inside the quirky homes of people around the planet and interviewing them for his website, theselby.com. Subjects range from the virtually unknown to high profile figures such as designer Karl Lagerfeld and model Helena Christensen. The New York Times visited The Selby’s studio in New York for a feature in the Sunday Styles section. William Van Meter reports that “theselby.com is a window into the private realms of those Mr. Selby deems ‘cool.’”
The article follows The Selby’s ascent from a photographer working on a personal project to a bona fide phenomena. Commercial success followed his cult status as an ethnographer of the homes of unique individuals, shooting campaigns for Cole Haan and Nike and working on a special project with Louis Vuitton. The Selby talks about his unusual path to success that is becoming the norm: “When I started in 2001, it was very clear. You start working for magazines, work your way up to the best magazines, the art buyers and art directors see those great magazines and hire you to shoot an ad campaign. Now it’s a totally different game. People who are making decisions about ad campaigns aren’t looking at magazines for inspiration. They’re looking at the Internet.”
LG Electronics recently launched the LG Optimus, an Android-powdered smartphone that synchronizes with all Google mobile services. The LG Optimus aims to be less intimidating and more user-friendly to first-time smartphone users. Says Dr. Skott Ahn, President and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company, “This is a device that was designed for regular people who want to jump into the smartphone experience but have been hesitant to do so because of the learning curve.”
Serial Cut demonstrates the features of the LG Optimus with a 3D illustration in the international campaign by BBH Singapore. A pop-up accordion unfolds behind the phone, each panel representing a different capability. The phone is G-mail and social networking friendly, and perhaps the most unique feature is Wikitude: a mobile application that uses Augmented Reality.
The 51st Communication Arts Photography Annual looks at the best photography of the year, choosing 147 winning projects from the 6,075 entries. Among those to catch the jurors’ eyes are Jamie Chung, Michael Schnabel, and Stephen Wilkes. Says juror Jane Perovich of Getty Images, “Original, authentically inspiring images that are emotionally accessible will continue to be the foundation for what informs us, makes us think and ultimately captivates us.”
Pictured above: Michael Schnabel’s advertising campaign for O2, one of the largest leading mobile telecommunications provider.
