Diver & Aguilar’s explosive campaign for Magnum Ice Cream has won gold at the 2011 Epica Awards. The annual awards show honors outstanding creativity in advertising and aims to develop the reputations of communication agencies, film production companies, media consultancies, photographers and design studios across Europe. Entrants are judged based on originality of the creative idea and the quality of its execution. Diver & Aguilar shares their gold award with Lola Madrid, the agency behind the campaign to launch the Magnum Temptation ice cream bar.

Diver & Aguilar’s photographs for Magnum launched the campaign earlier this year. The ice cream was developed using a special technology that puts liquid-filled chocolates in the bar. Diver & Aguilar captured the ice cream by working with detonators, small explosives, a high-speed trigger and flash photography at speeds up to 1/200 of a second. The calculations were fed into a computer to predict the exact moment, and therefore depth, of the desired explosion or effect. The visuals ran as an all-media print and digital motion campaign in over twenty countries.

The 25^th annual Epica Awards will be held January 20^th, 2012 in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Visit their website for more information.

See more of Diver & Aguilar’s photography here.

Agency: Lola Madrid
Creative Directors: Pablo Monzón
Copywriters: Pablo Monzón/Martín Feijóo
Art Directors: Gustavo Marioni/ Esteban Franco
Photographers: Mike Diver/Pedro Aguilar

Erwin Olaf is the 2011 recipient of the Johannes Vermeer Award. The award is a state prize for the arts and was set up in 2008 by the Dutch government. It is awarded for outstanding artistic talent working in the Netherlands in disciplines that range from design to dance, fashion to music, and writing to painting. Boekmanstichting, an intersectional study for arts, culture, and policy, oversees judging and organization for the award and ceremony.

Olaf is the third recipient of the award. The jury praised him for the continuous high quality of his extensive and unique work. According to the jury, Olaf, “has become an artist that exudes passion for the job, whose work is exceptionally rich in its image quality, and who is animated in his development.”

Olaf will receive the award at a ceremony on October 31^st.

See more of Olaf’s photography here.

Emir Haveric’s dark landscape photograph won in the Non-Commissioned Environment Single category at the 28^th Annual AOP Photographers Awards. The awards honor professional photographers and their exceptional work. Haveric’s photograph will be included in the awards’ exhibition and book as well.

Haveric captured his landscape image near Las Vegas. He was tech scouting near Las Vegas, saw the billboard, and had to stop. Haveric considers it a sign of the world we live in, a billboard in the middle of nowhere that just a few years before would have had advertising on it. He says, “as always with the non-commercial work, the shot found me and not the other way around.”

See more of Emir Haveric’s photography here.

Diver & Aguilar’s Caravaggio-inspired photography series “Chiaroscuro” won in the Commissioned Editorial Series category at the 28^th Annual AOP Photographers Awards. The awards honor professional photographers and their exceptional work. Diver & Aguilar’s photographs will be included in an exhibition and book for the awards as well.

Diver & Aguilar’s “Chiaroscuro” originally appeared in Riders Moda magazine in October 2010. The shoot was inspired by Caravaggio’s famous use of light and dark in his paintings. The photography duo married photography and painting, past and present, with modern day styling and props set against Caravaggio’s subjects and lighting.

See more of Diver & Aguilar’s photography here.

John Hendrix won gold in the ‘Best Print’ category at this month’s Ads of the World Awards for his Creative Calendar illustration.  Commissioned by Leo Burnett France and tasked with depicting the often humorous steps of the creative process that an ad takes en route to the esteemed advertising awards each year in Cannes. Spanning from ‘The Brief’ through numerous judgements and ‘Alea Jactae Est’ (the Die is Cast) and then finally to ‘The Elevation’ of winning a coveted Cannes Lion award, the idea behind the piece was to stress the importance of the Cannes Lions Festival to those in the advertising world. Some say it’s the start and end to the advertising world’s calendar year…

The illustration concept was to tell a narrative story while still operating as a functioning calendar. “Finding the balance between calendar and illustration was one of the most difficult challenges,” according to John.

The intricate piece was created by hand using a combination of pen and ink as well as fluid acrylics, then digitally assembled.

Please join us in offering a congratulations to John!

See more of John’s work here.

Advertising Agency: Leo Burnett, Paris, France
Creative Director: Guillaume-Ulrich Chifflot
Art Director: Marielle Postec
Copywriter: Juliette Novak
Illustrator: John Hendrix

Diver & Aguilar win at this year’s D&AD Awards. The annual award show honors outstanding work in design and advertising from the past year. The photography team shares their award with Wired magazine in the Magazine and Newspaper design category.

Diver & Aguilar’s winning photograph was from the magazine’s April 2010 issue. It featured the imprint of an expensive necklace and accompanied an article on the world’s most ingenious thief, titled “The Art of the Steal.”

See more of Diver & Aguilar’s photography here.

Rod Hunt’s illustrated campaign, “Welcome to the World of Sex” for AIDES, was awarded Silver in the Public Service-Print category at the 2011 Clio Awards. The annual Clio Awards recognizes the best in advertising, design, interactive, and public relations. The awards ceremony was held on May 19^th at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.

Hunt’s illustration for AIDES, the first French HIV/AIDS prevention non-profit organization, depicts a sex theme park with the tagline “The safer you play, the longer you stay.” The illustration replicated the look and style of a real theme park. AIDES wanted the campaign to have a fun, positive message instead of one full of fear. Kelly Grubb of Goodby, Silverstein & Partners says they wanted, “something fresh and interesting that hasn’t been done before” and that the campaign “ embraces the positive aspects of sex with a condom.”

The map was handed out at the Museum of Sex in New York City and appeared in city newspapers. An iPad game is forthcoming as well.

See more of Rod Hunt’s illustration work here.

Award: Silver - Public Service
Client: AIDES
Advertising Agency: Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, San Francisco
Executive Creative Director: Erik Vervroegen
Art Director: Nick Spahr, Chris Valencius
Designer: Chris Valencius
Account Executive: Francois Grouiller
Copywriter: Spencer Riviera
Illustrator: Rod Hunt
Producer/Art Buyer: Kelly Grubb

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.

One of the winning shots for PDN’s Faces Awards

Back to back Men’s Journal covers

Wright almost drowned while shooting Gerard Butler on the beach and had to dodge punches from Bruce Willis for Men’s Journal. Comments Wright on Butler, “We both got pummeled by waves in Malibu.” On shooting with Willis: “I screamed at Bruce Willis to give me more and he yelled right back at me. We both were really going at each other until we got the perfect frame.”

Claire Danes for Access, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Emma Thompson for Good Housekeeping

Wright on shooting Claire Danes: “Claires Danes is just a true beauty.”

Wright on shooting Maggie Gyllenhaal and Emma Thompson: “It was just like hanging out with friends. Emma is just so much fun and you can just tell how much admiration Maggie had for her. There’s a real mutual respect between those two and it shows in the images.”

Wright’s advice for other aspiring photographers is “Learn your craft. Learn how to shoot film without the help of an assistant. You’d be surprised.”

Check out more of his editorial work here and look for two new covers of Men’s Fitness by Jim Wright coming soon!

Links:
PDN Faces Award
Watch behind the scenes of Maggie Gyllenhaal and Emma Thompson shoot for Good Housekeeping
Jim Wright

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.

Recalls Ladefoged, “The trip was nothing like any other corporate/commercial shoot I have ever done, just to go to the areas where they would set up the eye exams was an 8 hour car ride in to the bush on a bumpy dirt road. Then when we arrived at midnight all of a sudden out of the dark a man dressed in green leaves and a painted face holding a machete jumps up in the front of the car, scaring us like crazy. Then music and singing started and the whole village was waiting up for the group to welcome us.”

The rest of the night was spent celebrating the arrival of the group. They were welcomed with food made over an open fire. Says Ladefoged, “People were so happy to be able to get a pair of glasses, and happy to have their portrait taken.”

Links:
Glasses for Africa
Nyt Syn
Joachim Ladefoged

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.

Photographer: Michael Schnabel
Category: Advertising
Client: O2
Campaign: Neue Wege gehen. Damit Sie es einfacher haben.
Agency: VCCP Berlin
Creative Director: Lars Wohlnick
Art Director: Michael Milczarek
Learn more

Photographer: Jamie Chung
Category: Editorial
Publication: ESPN magazine
Photo Editor: Amy McNulty
Learn more

Photographer: Stephen Wilkes
Category: Editorial
Publication: Vanity Fair
Photography Director: Susan White
Assistant Photo Editor: Dana Kravis

Communication Arts juror and design director of ALM Media Joan Ferrell says, “Illustration still has the power to communicate, inspire and, yes, sell in a more innovative and effective way, and I don’t think that’s going to change anytime soon.” Bernstein & Andriulli artists Josh Cochran, Dan Craig, Nathan Fox, John Hendrix, Kristian Olson, and Yuko Shimizu continue to inspire and innovate. Their work appears in the 51st issue of the Communication Arts Illustration Annual.

Pictured above: Nathan Fox
Art Director: Brian Anstey
Designer: Jackie Blum
Client: Entertainment Weekly
“Heroes and Villains” debates whether the effect of pop icons are positive, negative, or somewhere in between.

Illustrator: Yuko Shimizu
Art Director: SooJin Buzelli
Client: Asset International

Shimizu created a series of illustrations for the covers and interiors of PlanSponsor and PlanAdviser investment magazines. Shimizu’s wrap-around cover illustration for Ryunosuke Akutagawa’s The Beautiful and the Grotesque is also honored in the “Unpublished” category. The novel will be published July 2010.

Illustrator: Kristian Olson
Art Director: Jay Dea
Design Director: Joan Ferrell
Client: The American Lawyer/ALM Media

Olson’s series looks at five emerging legal markets – Abu Dhabi, Brazil, India, Russia, and Singapore.

Illustrator: John Hendrix
Art Director: Matthew Lenning
Client: American Illustration

Hendrix’s drawing appears on the front and back cover of American Illustration 28, a publication containing winning works from a jury selection.

Illustrator: Dan Craig
Art Director: Colin Jones
Ad Agency: BBDO London
Client: Birdseye

Craig gave fish a posh life in an advertisement, poster, and bus stop image promoting a high-end line of frozen fish. The tagline reads “A Better Class of Fish.” His advertisement for the Grand Victoria Casino “You Rule” also appears.

Illustrator: Josh Cochran
Art Director: Sonia Chaghaztbanian, Lauren Rille
Client: Simon & Schuster

Cochran captures unicorns and zombies at war for the cover of a young adult book of short stories that will be released September 2010.

Stuart Hall has been selected for the shortlist of the Professional Fine Art Conceptual and Constructed category in the Sony World Photography Awards. The competition includes photographers from over 48 countries and received over 80,000 submissions. A shortlist of photographers in each of the 12 categories were announced February, 2010. The annual awards gala and exhibitions will be held April 22-27, 2010 at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, France. Congratulations to Stuart!

The March/April 2010 Communication Arts Interactive Annual is for sale on newsstands now. Featured in the magazine is Capri Sun’s “Disrespectoids.” The tagline for the campaign is “Respect the pouch” and the Disrespectoids are “a motley crew of kids who innocently but foolishly ‘disrespected’ the pouch and were transformed into physical representations of their disrespect.” Working with Ogilvy & Mather, Tristan Eaton designed the 10 Disrespectoid characters that are the center of the campaign.

The “Respect the Pouch” campaign is a collaboration between Razorfish, Fuel Industries, and Ogilvy & Mather. It consists of print, broadcast, and online components. The impressive interactive Disrespectoids site features character profiles and animations, games, and a “Disadventure” where players may take on Disrespectoid characters in a team, explore multiple levels of game play, and compare their scores to other players online.

When it came to designing the characters, Tristan explains “Each character was based on a different stereotype of how kids pop, squash or pierce the Capri Sun pouches. Leaky Louie for example – who stabs the pouch with a straw, turns into a cartoon with a serious case of leaks spouting from all over his body. Basically, if you disrespect the pouch, there are consequences! In general, I wanted the characters to be very likable and awkward looking with bizarre proportions and funny mutations.”

Judges agree that the character design and illustrations were an integral part of making the campaign attractive and eye-catching. Interactive Communication Arts judge Glen Sheehan wrote, “Great character design and gaming structures of powerups and reward.” Fellow judge Nikolai Cornell agreed, saying “Nicely illustrated with a wide variety of enjoyable game play.”

Of the whole experience, Tristan concludes: “The best part of this project was working with Ogilvy’s Arturo Gigante. As an Art Director, he gave me a lot of creative freedom and when he had direction it was on point and insightful. That kind of process really makes the artist want to go above and beyond for the client. Thanks Arturo!”

Be sure to explore the site and check back as more characters and games are unveiled.

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Links:
Capri Sun – Disrespectoids at Communication Arts
Kraft Brands - Capri Sun Disrespectoids
More work by Tristan Eaton

Credits:
Isaac Garcia, Fuel Industries, art director
Benjamin Hawk, Razorfish, writer
Arturo Gigante, Ogilvy & Mather/Mark Semon, Razorfish, associate creative directors
Simon Goodship, Razorfish/Joel Grenier, Fuel Industries/Debbie Kasher, Ogilvy & Mather, creative directors
Glenn Bakie, Fuel Industries/Greg O’Neal, Razorfish, strategic planners
Jon Keon, Fuel Industries, Flash programmer
Tristan Eaton, Ogilvy & Mather, illustrator
Pascal Boraschi, Fuel Industries/ Rosie Rathburn, Razorfish, project managers
Fuel Industries/Razorfish (San Francisco, CA), project design and development
Ogilvy & Mather/Razorfish, ad agencies
Kraft, Capri-Sun, client

The Society of Illustrators was founded in 1901 to promote the art of illustration and to hold exhibitions. Today it continues to uphold this mission, honoring illustrators and showcasing their work in the Society of Illustrators museum and gallery.

On February 5th, 2010, the Society of Illustrators will be hosting an awards presentation and gala for winners in Illustrator 52: Book and Editorial. Josh Cochran will be honored for his “Sleepwalker” illustration in Medical Marvels, written by George Edward Stanley and published by Sterling.

Medical Marvels is the last book in the “Mysteries Unwrapped” series. Targeted at young adults, the six non-fiction books aim to bust myths about ghosts, monsters, medical mysteries, and more.

On March 5th, 2010, the Society of Illustrators will be hosting another awards presentation and gala for winners in Illustrator 52: Advertising and Institutional. Josh Cochran will be honored again for two more of his works, a DVD packaging and an illustration for an annual report.

“Wise Blood” was for the DVD cover of a re-mastered copy of John Huston’s 1979 film Wise Blood, released by the Criterion Collection. The film is based on Flannery O’Connor’s debut novel that follows a veteran’s disenchantment with God, religion, and everything around him.

Cochran’s influences include Japanese printmakers such as Hiroshige and Hokusai, iconic graphic designers such as Milton Glaser and Seymour Chwast, and last but not least – filmmakers such as Wes Anderson and Wong Kar-Wai.

For Cochran, a film-lover, the opportunity to work with Criterion Collection was a longstanding desired collaboration that finally came true. The Criterion Collection is dedicated to gathering great works from cinema and re-releasing them uncut in their original aspect ratio with the highest possible quality.

In the Advertising and Institutional category, Cochran also won an award for “Simultaneous,” an illustration for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. “Simultaneous” appeared online as a scrolling, interactive illustration and also in print publications and promotions such as their annual report.

Josh Cochran grew up in Taiwan and California but has been living in Brooklyn, New York for the past couple of years. Currently, Josh Cochran is finishing up custom wallpaper for a room in the new Ace Hotel in New York City and teaching a class at the Parsons School of Design. His advice for his students and other aspiring illustrators is: “Have good time management and go 110% on everything you can.”

-Helen Shih

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Links:
View Josh Cochran’s Portfolio
Learn more about the Society of Illustrators

With B-Bot iphone App, contacts can be turned into customized cartoons designed by Tristan Eaton, founder of Thunderdog Studios. Users have over 400 shirts, pants, shoes, hats, sunglasses, accessories, hairstyles, eyes, mouths, and more to customize their B-Bot character. Make your own, have friends build their B-Bot, or let shuffle do the work for you – the possibilities are endless. One reviewer stated, “B-bot is one of the most creative and alluring apps on the iPhone.” iPhoneAppsPlus, a site that displays app ranks and reviews from all over the world, awarded B-Bot a “Best” reward.

Credits:
B-BOT was conceived by Tristan and New York creative Peter Cortez while working together on a project for the 2008 Barack Obama Campaign.

B-BOT was developed by Greg Elliott, the creator of SynchStep: the app that automatically matches your music to your pace.

Links:
Buy B-Bot on iTunes
More work by Thunderdog
B-Bot debut on Thunderblog
Add your B-Bot to the B-Bot Gallery
See more on B-Bot at Creativity-Online