Joys of a Lunatic

4.29am. Working on unappealing advertising. I have this thought in mind where once I am done with all the executions for advertising, the real fun can begin. Portfolio book. Self promo items. Exhibition's on 24 November. I figure if I really focus and give in ten day's worth of good solid work, things don't necessarily have to end in disaster. Minimal sleep. Productive days... and mostly nights.

I am so afraid. I think it's even affecting my appetite. Lunches and dinners are the time of the day which I look forward to. A couple of hours away from the computer, comforted by good food.

As much as I am buoyed by this uncertain feeling if I could even finish it all, I find this so exciting. I will work and be weighed down by all these crazy amount of work! I will also revel because these are actually things I derive joy from. Bringing beautiful concepts to life, drawing, creating, designing. I love it all. These final days will be hard, they will be tough. As they are gonna be the last days of my life as a student, I know I will make them worth my while. It's going to be superb.

I already have... four items nailed down from the five promo items that we have to come out with. From the picture above, you can see the stack of empty coasters that I bought. Empty. Fifty pieces. Hahahahaha... as if I didn't have enough work. Any idea on how I can use them? To draw? Mosaic pieces that can form a big picture? As business cards? As ninja shuriken?

I love my life as it is. This is gonna be the most exciting time for a while. Hee.

The Job Hunt

Today is a perfect example of how some times fear gets the best of you and the best way to tackle any fear, is to simply focus on what you want. Just in case if you were wondering something horrible happened to me today, well no, on the contrary, it couldn't have been any better. Well, it could, but still, no complains.

We are all supposed to be looking for internships now. If you know me, you'll realize how I often drag my feet when it comes to official matters such as these. Making formal phone calls, enquiries and actually planning for something, put fluttering bugs in my stomach. It's a situation where I know I will have to do it sooner or later, but I was just too lazy to get started. Fine, I was scared. *blek* Cut me some slack.

Anyway, what motivated me was the uncertainties that were going around. What to do with my current hostel unit, where to live when I come back for final year, where to work, penang or KL, if in KL, do I need to rent a house, then what about transportation? Little details that were quickly unsettling me. But the greatest motivator of all, I need to have already done something before going home. I seriously don't need my mom nagging into my ears.

Therefore, I set out to make the perfect resume! I referenced how to make a good one from three different sources. Thank you Adrienne for fixing some phrasing for me. Then next, I went and look for a whole list of different companies in which to apply to. Even registered to jobstreet.com. This is my list of priorities:

1. Ad agency
2. Web company
3. Graphic design company
4. Balik Penang

I simply bombarded every single company I found with an email. Hee... there was a moment of panic as well, as I didn't know how to start the enquiry. Once again, thanks to the Australian llama, who perfected a good opening for me: Dear Sir/Madam ......

It was nerve wrecking checking up on the emails after the bombardment. The waiting game ensued. After one day, I got a reply. It was a request to view my port. Thus, I scrambled to assemble some of my better works into InDesign, saved it in PDF, and sent it! (Adrienne: Use PDF, more professional)

And thus, the waiting continues... (This was after sending a few copies of my port out to total strangers.)

And then the interviews came. I got myself scheduled to three different interviews. Even got a call today from a company that I was having some pretty high hopes for confirming my placement. It was pretty high, being accepted, but at the same time, that web company is like located in the middle of no-where rich man's land. And I could have slapped myself over and over for not remembering the allowance advertised!

A bit long winded here. But I'd like to record down all these fine details. My memory is giving up on me when it comes to little things like these. I don't want to forget, therefore I write. More on this in future posts.

Anyway, I went for an ad agency interview today, therefore the last minute printing of my port. I went on the KL transit for the first time! So cool lo, I tell you... if only all Malaysian public transportation was like that! Yea right.. I wouldn't mind giving the extra ringgit for such a comfortable speedy ride again. I good choice apart from going to Serdang KTM. Will keep that in mind for future reference.

Aiyo! I seemed to be deterred from my main point in every turn of this post. So, there I was, pretty tired after changing so many rounds of different trains and taxi, I finally got to the company. Truth be told, I was not bearing any hopes. In fact, I did think about canceling this interview when I got an offer from the web company. But like a wise guy used to say, choice is power. Nothing wrong with having more to choose from.

So I went. And was immediately impressed. The company (sounding like a reference to Prison Break) was small in size, but not so small that they deal only with below the line ads. They don't do tv commercials, but they have some pretty big clients under their belt. The woman who interviewed me impressed me a lot. Quoting Ken Goh: She managed to sell herself to me. As in, I'm sold on the impression of her... something like that. The company was what I thought to myself to get even before I started looking for jobs. Best of all, it's in a very convenient location. And opposite the building there's room for rents. AND... it's only RM3 by taxi away from the LRT station. Pay is low, but not about to get greedy here. Money has never been an issue when I thought of this internship, and it shouldn't be now too, even when I do have more choices now.

So, will be going for another internship with a web/ad company on Monday. So, wish me luck!


ps: I feel so incredibly lucky today... so lucky to the point where I am afraid of whatever bad that's going to happen. Nothing bad happened, but just a thought.

Printing my portfolio cost a bomb! A3 pintouts: RM 35, emergency black folder: RM 15.

Twelve Glorious Hours

Twelve glorious hours. I have finished. You may consider it unproductive, but hey, it's done two days ahead of schedule. Can you say that of your own work? Wahah!

Real Ad to Fake Ad

Haven't update the blog in a while. I have done so much in the span that I don't know where to start! (yea rite~)

Here, have a lookie. This is an assignment for illustration class. Take an ad from any magazine, change the layout or maybe just draw a whole new ad. The illustrations are done with acrylic, A4 size. The type and logo are added in digitally. On the left will be the original ad while the one on the right is my work.

My personal favourite is the Digi one. It took me five freaking hours to get the background right. God knows what I was doing. My fav ad though, was the DKNY one. But I think I spoiled the classy bottle. I have no idea how to save it.

I have still a lot to do. But so far things are under control.

To those of you in local unis, it's study week!!! Wee~ have fun!

Feature 006: "When To Take My Name Off The Door"

Brace yourself people, this is another one long post from me.

I am 2/5 through the book '5 Giants of Advertising'. This other advertising giant is Leo Burnett. What I am about to share is something I picked off from a site. This is a speech made by Burnett during those last moments before he gave up on his operations due to health issues and old age.

A very inspiring speech titled, "When To Take My Name Off The Door".

"Somewhere along the line, after I’m finally off the premises, you – or your successors – may want to take my name off the premises, too.

You may want to call yourselves " Twain, Rogers, Sawyer and Finn, Inc."….. or "Ajax Advertising" or something.

That will certainly be OK with me – if it’s good for you.

But let me tell you when I might demand that you take my name off the door.

That will be the day when you spend more time trying to make money and less time making advertising – our kind of advertising.

When you forget that the sheer fun of ad making and the lift you get out of it – the creative climate of the place – should be as important as money to the very special breed of writers and artists and business professionals who compose this company of ours – and make it tick.

When you lose that restless feeling that nothing you do is ever quite good enough.

When you lose your itch to the job well for it’s sake – regardless of the client, or money, or the effort it takes.

When you lose your passion for thoroughness…you hatred of loose ends.

When you stop reaching the manner, the overtones, the marriage of words and pictures that produce the fresh, the memorable and the believable effect.

When you stop rededicating yourselves every day to the idea that better advertising is what the Leo Burnett Company is about.

When you are no longer what Thoreau called "a corporation with a conscience" – which means to me, a corporation of conscientious men and women.

When you begin to compromise your integrity – which has always been the heart’s blood – the very guts of this agency.

When you stoop to convenient expediency and rationalize yourselves into acts of opportunism – for the sake of a fast buck.

When you show the slightest sign of crudeness, inappropriateness or smart –aleckness – and you lose that subtle sense of the fitness of things.

When your main interest becomes a matter of size just to be big - rather that good, hard, wonderful work.

When your outlook narrows down to the number of windows – from zero to five – in the walls of your office.

When you lose your humility and become big-short wisenheimers…. a little bit too big for your boots.

When the apples come down to being just apples for eating (or for polishing) – no longer part of our tone or personality.

When you disprove of something, and start tearing the hell out of the man who did it rather than the work itself.

When you stop building on strong and vital ideas, and start a routine production line.

When you start believing that, in the interest of efficiency, a creative spirit and the urge to create can be delegated and administrated, and forget that they can only be nurtured, stimulated, and inspired.

When you start giving lip service to this being a "creative agency" and stop really being one.

Finally, when you lose your respect for the lonely man – the man at his typewriter or his drawing board or behind his camera or just scribbling notes with one of our big pencils – or working all night on a media plan. When you forget that the lonely man – and thank God for him – has made the agency we now have – possible. When you forget he’s the man who, because he is reaching harder, sometimes actually gets hold of for a moment - one of those hot, unreachable stars.

THAT, boys and girls, is when I shall insist you take my name off the door. And by golly, it will be taken off the door. Even if have to materialize long enough some night to rub it out myself - on every one of our floors. And before I DE-materialize again, I will paint out that star-reaching symbol too. And burn all the stationary. Perhaps tear up a few ads in passing.

And throw every god-damned apple down the elevator shafts.

You just won’t know the place, the next morning. You’ll have to find another name."

When will it be, before I find my own belief and total commitment in what I have chosen to do?

Yaris

This was my very first attempt in advertising class. The assignment was to sell Yaris to what my mother would call YUP-pies (Young Urban Professionals) who are either upgrading from their first car or looking for their first car.

Please click on the image to see the larger version.

The idea of the ad was to draw a comparison between your first Yaris and all the other first things you had in life. Remember how carefully you cared for those items and how they were with you at all times. What were the qualities of those items that deserved such devoted care from you? The answer to that question will be the answer to why Yaris deserved to be your first car.

Erm.. Mr Ken commented that it was a good try. Then in class, he commented that the layout was cluttered, and that I was telling and showing too much. I shouldn't have done so much, should have done less to tease the minds of the consumers. And by the end of it all, he said the ads were boring.

I couldn't completely disagree with him. I see where he was coming from with these comments. I will be the first one to say the layout was boring. Anyway, I took it all in and went home to make another series running along a slightly similar concept.


This was my latest attempt. Click for larger view, please.

Instead of going along how you love all those first things in your life, this time I am saying how you can include the Yaris into the things that you already have. For example, if you're a shoe fanatic, a Yaris deserved to be included into your collection. This is because the kind of care that you give to your collectibles, that kind of devotion is what Yaris deserves to get.

Bleh.... ugh... somehow, the concept didn't seem as strong as the previous one. But I like the layout of this one better. It's cleaner, less cluttered, and... teasing, maybe?

Please do tell me what you think. Tell me if you got my idea. Better still, tell me what the ads said to you.

Feature 005: Albert Lasker and Lucky Strikes

I was doing my research on advertising and came across this book, '5 Giants of Advertising.' Being only 1/5 of the way through, I was introduced to the founder of modern advertising, Albert Lasker. Never did I think I will stumble across a text book that will make me laugh out loud.

He was an influential figure because he was the first to put emphasis into copy writing. In fact, he started the first copy writing team in the world within his own ad agency, Lord & Thomas.

Another thing that I wanted to share besides facts on this awesome old guy, was a Lucky Strike ad that was made incredibly famous. Ad like this faced no possibility of getting out to the public at all these days.

The headline was: Light a Lucky and you'll never miss sweets that make you fat. The idea came from a mischievous intent on Lasker's part. Back then, sales of sweets were compromised by cigarettes, therefore the industry allocated a large sum of money for a campaign saying sucking on sweets will curb the need for a smoke. Lasker then retaliated by creating one of the most famous slogan of all time.

Do you see how this ad will not make it to print in today's time? On the ad, it also said, "No Throat Irritation, No Cough."

This was the copy on the ad:

"Instead of eating in between meals... instead of fattening sweets... beautiful women keep youthful slenderness these days by smoking Luckies. The smartest and loveliest women of the modern stage take this means of keeping slender... when others nibble fattening sweets, they light a Lucky!

.....

For years, this has been no secret to those men who keep fit and trim. They know that Lucky steady their nerves and do not harm their physical condition............ They respect the opinions of 20,679 physicians who maintain that Luckies are less irritating to the throat than other cigarettes."

Cigarettes were considered healthy back in those days, about early 1900s. There is nothing keeping us from discoveing something that we might take religiously now because of its health benefits and having it turn its head on us in years to come.

Advertising is a great power. Therefore, I shall conclude this post by stating, "With great power comes great responsibility."


ps: cliche-ish, i know.