Where Does Your Inspiration Come From?

This, my friends, is the cork board I have hanging above the computer in my room. Sure it's messy but it comes in handy when I have creative road blocks . Here's how. I tack up a little of everything, all inspiring. Concert tickets, post cards, business cards, colourful pictures, written ideas and just about anything I think would feel at home on my board of wonder. I am pretty sure this is what my brain looks like if you could see inside my head- a jumble of colours, patterns and random word play I save for the perfect project.

The magnified business card on the right was the first logo assignment I was given. I felt pretty proud looking at my design on a card that was printed for a regional company.

Because It was Worth It.

You'll Wish You Were Carded.

Front

Back

Piece of Cake

I started working on this idea in year one of my creative program-2009. I hadn't found my artistic groove yet, but I knew I wanted to work with a trendy/edgy brand. Skullcandy was the winner. Ok, so I had my brand, but what was I trying to communicate? Well, Skullcandy is known for their various kinds of headphones and ear buds - better yet, the funky array of colours they were available in. The visual had to be clever, brightly coloured and relate to headphones some how,  I also wanted to tie in the name 'Skullcandy,' emphasis on candy. I came up with this cupcake concept myself, I am actually really proud of the idea. The headphone cord wraps around to complete the cherry on top of the cupcake. Creative? Very. An idea involving a cupcake also presented me the opportunity to add colour to the ad. I am still exploring new and different ways to showcase this cupcake in an ad, but I thought I would share my work with you at this point. Gotta give the people what they want.

SEe WHAt aLL ThE buZz Is AbOut.

This Monster.ca print ad was inspired - uniquely- by bees. My inspiration first came from the term 'worker bee'. I knew bees were known for being loyal hard workers, but did they like their jobs? As you may know, Monster.ca is centred around the fact that they help you get the job that you have always wanted. A job that you are proud to have. So I set out to show a different side of the worker bee. A side where they have unique personalities, interests and dream jobs. Is it so wrong if they want more to life than 'worked in honey department'? The visual depicts a bee who is clearly unhappy with his current occupation. The copy goes on the explain how bees have dream jobs just like you and I, some wish to be chocolatiers, some artists. Monster.ca can find anyone the job they want-even if you live in a honey comb.

Behind The Scene Benefits

Truly interested in all aspects of advertising, I decided to explore the 'behind the scenes benefits'. Through arranging my own product photo shoots I am able to create a better visual in the end, resulting in a better ad. Working behind the scenes on a television commercial has always fascinated me and is a future goal.

I have always taken pride in arranging my products neatly together in groups-by category- to achieve a clean, visually pleasing living space. Only in the past year have I  realized that these 'neatly arranged products' could be the beginning of my love for product shots and product photo shoots.

Here are some examples of what I have been talking about, as illustrated by Burt's Bees, The Body Shop and a few from my perfume collection. Like those in the biz, I use small tools like stickers or string to allow products to hold the pose I like long enough for a decent image to be captured. The small round Burt's Bees tin is a good example of a product that is hard to work with. It was held in place with a small sticker that I hid from the shot.

A big part of my love for advertising lies within the photography. I can appriciate a good image based ad not only because I often take my own photos, but because it's a good reason to get together with a fellow artist in the way of the camera. This beautiful image was taken by a good friend of mine, the talented up-and-comer Christine Wilson. As soon as I saw the bold fashion and raw beauty of this particular photograph I knew the product to fit  would need to be of the fashion world. A deep nailpolish was a clean choice, the mysterious purple hue was then selected to drive this visual art home.

In With The Old

Your past defines who you are now. Every project you have ever worked on has offered practise, experience and shows the accomplishment of progress. This first year campaign for MIDAS reflects the beginning of my love for page design. Minor imperfections are now admired for their role in my learning process. 

Print

OOH

Well, this is me on my very own magazine cover! Sure, I created it and it isn't a real publication..but hey, it's a start. The assignment was to reflect the skills and personality that we feel we have, it was only natural I went with a bold, colourful and graphically kissed look. The detail in the title would be my favourite element of this design as it draws the eye closer to the overall detail the cover has to offer.

Natural Talent Never Hurts

Drawing skills are important to have in the creative industry. A natural talent, well that’s just a bonus. Even rough work should look it’s best, I believe starting a project with determination and pride leads to a better finish. A sketch today can be a poster tomorrow.

Tis the season to watch commercials

Holidays are great for spending time with family, baking cookies and most importantly judging the latest and greatest of the advertising world.

There were a number of well written, heart touching and smile sparking ads this holiday season, so if you haven't been able to catch them yet, check out this top 5 list of  Lauren's Holiday Favourites!

Taking the FIVE spot           Jadore perfume by Dior
All for FOUR                      Diet Coke's take on young professionals, 'Stay'
Number THREE                 Visa Canada's, 'The Manatee'
Runner Up at TWO             Healthy Choice Steamers, 'This is Emma'
Looking FRESH at ONE       McDonald's, 'Party with the Bigmac'

As these campaigns have been recently released, not all commercials are available on youtube yet. Check out some of my favourites below.

Coffee Branding Project 2011

The assignment was to create a new brand of coffee to capture the interest of coffee drinkers in Toronto. Late Night Latte was created to capture the interest of trendy, creative young business professionals.