BRANDINGCONTENT+

CRAFT EXECUTION IDENTITY

SPRING 2011SOJC CREATIVE STRATEGISTMORRISON // part one

FINE PRINT MATTERS • Don’t cheat or claim work as your own if it is not. • Come to class religiously. Invest. Play well with everyone in the class. • Respect each other. Diverse opinions and ideas count. • Check email all the time. It will be a primary way for me to communicate outside of class. I urge you also to call me or visit me at home if you need help. • Be prepared. No excuses. Great stuff happens to those who play and work hard. • GENEROSITY.

S C H E D U L E Flexible but here’s a plan.march 29 + 30 intro + choosing work for nyc exhibit // first assignments + plan // blog + ideabook plan // volunteer plan april 5 + 7 show first assignment // partnered work plan // plan for volunteer + projectapril 12 +14 workday on tuesday // ma-jor show on thursdayapril 19 +21 in-class assignment // sky-pe speaker april 26 + 28 MINI-REVIEW ON THmay 3 + 5 EXECUTIONmay 10 + 12 new york exhibit + trip// for those at home: skype with new york + assign-ment, those in nyc: assignmentmay 17 + 19 debrief + work Richard Ward visits.may 24 + 26 work sessions we’ll need a bbq about now.may 31 + june 2 identity piece due on THjune 7 + 9 EXECUTION

june 10 tentative date pdx review You will create/refine 3 campaigns / 2 concep-tual pieces and an identity system (resume + website in this class. You will be evaluated on CRAFT + PRODUCED WORK.

S Y L L A B U SBRANDING + CONTENT SPRING 2011 J459

This class will be dedicated to mak-ing work for portfolios. We will focus on CRAFT, EXECUTION, IDENTITY.You will create: • BRAND STORIES Everyone will work on developing ways to tell a brand story. This is vital in all smart agencies at this time and you need to have multiple ways to do this. This might be a campaign or a brand book. • PARTNERED WORK Everyone will have multiple partnered cam-paigns in your book. It matters less and less about job title as you work -- writer and art director, as example -- and more about the chemistry and work ethic you bring. • EXERCISES IN CLASS THAT LEAD TO PORTFOLIO WORK We’ll take time to do a few things in class that lead to possibility and content, using Victors & Spoils briefs. Quan-tity leads to quality. • PRESENTATION + CRITIQUE Bring work in all the time. On days we have something “due” show more than what is expected. I want every-one to have practice presenting their work and critiquing others.

DEB MORRISON @debmorrison 311c TWTh 10-12Ddebmor@uoregon.edu 541.954.4872

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As a creative, your ability to bring ideas from a cloudy pos-sibility to BEAUTIFUL actual conceptualized things (ads, messages, built reality) is based on craftsmanship.

As a writer, it means your absolute best work resides in language. You understand rhythm and per-suasion and the joy of what each word means, how it gal-lops. Your craft comes alive in narrative and story.At this point, you must be more than writer of form. You must lead the conceptual way.

You should be reading:The Idea WritersTeressa Iezzi 2010

books of real writers, crafts-men who understand what a sentence is

and reviewing:

awards annuals (but only to be conversant in trends and agencies)

writing blogsdesign blogsedwardboches.cominfluxinsights.comrusselldavies.combrainspickings.com C

RA

FT

As an art director or design-er, your best work resides in bringing concept to life visu-ally. You must use design, ty-pography, medium to their full potential.

You should be engaged in art and photography and words and movies.

Study film typography.Have a collection of bottle-caps or socks or animal pup-pets or color chips.

You should be studying the palette of places, the found type on street signs, what movie directors do to create mood.

You should have favorites...pens, pencils, windows, colors, cameras, paper, textures, light sources, eras.

You should have a movie in your head.

Read about writing. Read about type.Go watch Helvetica again.

Think about what you would do if you could art direct that radio, design a dream, build a robot dog.

In which I offer a brain spattering of

most everything I believe about being a

great creative in a crazy time.

CRAFT

WRITING

ART DIRECTION + DESIGN

EXECUTION

Part 2 of this opus will be on

IDENTITY.

“BUILD A

COLLECTION

OF THINGS

YOU LOVE

THAT

INSPIRE

YOU.

THEN BE

TRUE

TO THE

CRAFT OF

THAT

COLLECTION.

”

DARCIE BURRELLon writing:

1:: Write for yourself first. It’ll keep you honest.

2:: Self-editing is pointless. Puke it all out onto the page. Great ideas grow like truffles under piles of shitty ones.

3:: When you hit a wall, don’t just stand there beating your head against it. Switch assign-ments. Or do something completely unrelated to advertising. Part of your job is keeping your mind fresh (and safe from blunt force trauma).

READ THIS:

http://www.asofterworld.com/

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WRITERS YOU SHOULD KNOW

JEFF KLING DOUG ADKINS JOE ALEXANDER JAMES PATTERSONERIC KALLMAN KATHY HEPINSTALLSALLY HOGSHEAD DAVID BALDWINDAN WIEDEN BILL BERNBACHLUKE SULLIVAN LEO BURNETTKEVIN RODDY CHAPIN CLARKKARA GOODRICH KASH SREETOM MCELLIGOTT BETH RYANSTEVE SIMPSON ICARO DORIA

KATHY HEPINSTALLon writing:

1:: Love your characters.

2:: Listen to different kinds of music and think of writing as a musical genre.

3:: Make each sentence an advertisement for the next.

“IT HASTO BEPOETRY.A CALCULATEDCOMBINATIONOF RHYTHM AND TWISTAND TICKLETO TELL ASTORY.YOUR JOB ISTO BE SMARTAS YOU AREWEAVINGTHENARRATIVE.

”

Write what you want to read. Make someone feel. Don’t tell them to feel. Create situations where the product is needed. Good stuff is built on sto-ries. Everything is an opportunity to tell those stories. You have to believe you can find a great idea. Get out of your comfort zone. Consistency rarely leads to brilliance. Everything is a rhythm. Write as if you could hear that rhythm. Get lost in the words every now and again. You get bet-ter words by reading Keats and Dr Seuss than by reading the awards annuals.

Bill Bernbach We are the shapers of society. We can vulgarize that society. We can brutalize it. Or we can lift it to a higher level.

We are the shapers of society. We can vulgarize that society. We can brutalize it. Or we can lift it to a higher level. Make it

beautiful.

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ART DIRECTORS/DESIGNERS YOU SHOULD KNOW

ANDY AZULA DAVID CARSON WILL MCGINNESS DAVID JENKINSGREG BELL RICHARD WILDEDOUG PEDERSEN PAUL RANDJIM MOUNTJOY PAULA SCHERHAL CURTIS STEVEN HELLERMIRA KOUDOURA BOB GREENBERGGEORGE LOIS BRIAN COLLINSJEFF GOODBY JELLY HELMALEX BOGUSKY MARGARET JOHNSON

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“THE BIGGEST MISTAKE YOUNG DESIGNERS MAKE IS THAT THEY TRY TO MAKE THEIR ADVERTISING LOOK LIKE ADVERTISING.

”Jeff Goodby

JEFF ANDERSON SAYS an art director should:B R E A K T H R O U G HThe first thing I look for is strength and orig-inality of concept.

Then a strong sense of polish and confidence. HAVE A STYLE + POV. OWN YOUR WORK.

Then if the visual look/style makes sense with the concept.

How quickly and cleanly can you communicate an idea?

Type design.

Taste-level “hard one to explain.”

Show me how a strong idea can spread to a lot of mediums.

Show me how a strong idea can live completely in one space.

HUNT ADKINS LONG COPY CAMPAIGN FOR PENTAX

Look at my Pinterest Board on craft:http://pinterest.com/debkmorrison/craft-writing-and-art-direction/A peek above.

And my blog:http://debmorrison.typepad.com/youarehere/

“YOUSHOULD BEDEDICATEDTO CURIOSITY ANDCAREFULOBSERVATIONOF THEGOOD STUFFTHAT SURROUNDSYOU.THAT,MY FRIEND,IS LEARNING.

”

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-I wish I had been told how hard it is out there to get your first gig. I know it’s different for everyone, and there were some very fortunate, very talented people in our class that had great opportunities waiting for them as soon as they walked across that stage, but for most people it took awhile for great things to happen. And for a lot of them, they’re still working towards that opportunity. This stuff takes time, especially in this economy, and I don’t think I was expecting that. Honestly I think I was a little too confident. And for that reason, I’m al-most glad it took a little while for things to happen for me, because it forced me to re-evalu-ate my work. It was, however, one of the hardest times in my life. I never expected people to flat out ignore a simple request for a portfolio review. In fact, Wieden was the only agency to offer me anything, out of 40+ agencies that I sent my work to. I still kind of chuckle to myself about that. Bottom line, it’s tough, so leave your ego at the door.

-I’ll be the first to admit that I’m a naive person, and sometimes I look at the world through rosey glasses. In school, there is this great collaborative environment where everyone plas-ters the walls with ideas and we all give feedback and the work is better for it. We under-stand that ideas can only be stronger if they are shared. Well, it’s not that simple once you enter the workforce. Ideas are kept between you, your partner, and the CDs until they deem them worthy to open up to criticism and the opinions of the account team. This took a little getting used to, since I was always seeking feedback from others around me in class. On a similar note, don’t expect to be mentored. I’m not sure how it is in other agencies, but with Wieden, they definitely have a sink or swim mentality. There were many times when I seri-ously thought I was drowning, but I learned much faster because of it. From day one, I was an art director. NOT an intern. There is no difference, except that I get paid a lot less and walk around with my eyes a little wider than usual :)

-Finally, if you want to be an art director, you have to learn how to communicate your ideas and vision to someone else. It is really hard letting go and handing the production side off to someone else, but there aren’t enough hours in the day, and designers are there for just that reason. I kept hearing everyone talk about finding your ‘style’. There are some art direc-tors who mock up everything themselves, but I have also found that if I give the designers a sketch, you get some great results back. This also means, though, that the opportunity to get down and dirty with your work and be in the thick of design is not necessarily what art direc-tors do, something that I found great joy in while at school. I’m thinking, however, that small-er agencies give you much more opportunity to do that, so eventually I might look to move to a smaller shop, but who knows?

N I C O L E S C H U L T Z

TWO or THREE PEOPLE WORK TOGETHER AS ENGAGED PARTNERS. This is called teamsmanship and it is a combination of generosity, trust, talent meld, magic.It most often happens with a writer + art director.But it could be two designerly writers or a couple of art directors who love words or a writer/designer/creative technologist team.

It’s less about titles. It is all about the work.

Think of yourselves as problem solvers, not ad makers. Ideally, begin every assignment looking directly at the business problem (or opportunity) and push up against that with media-neutral thinking.

Nancy Vonk, CD at Ogilvy/Torontoin The Idea Writers (Iezzi 2010) 81

YOUR GRADE WILL BE DETERMINED ON WHAT YOU PRODUCE FOR YOUR PORTFOLIO + HOW YOU SOLVE PROBLEMS.

CONCEPT, EXECUTE AND BUILD.

I think an important part of writing anything is to begin.

To not begin is to live in fear.

Once you begin, the fear begins to dissipate.

So if it’s a novel or a screenplay or an essay or a letter, always begin.

Open the document, name the document, write one word on the document.

This is your signal to your subconscious that you have begun.

Everything else is wasting time.

I think an important part of writing anything is to begin.

To not begin is to live in fear.

Once you begin, the fear begins to dissipate.

So if it’s a novel or a screenplay or an essay or a letter, always begin.

Open the document, name the document, write one word on the document.

This is your signal to your subconscious that you have begun.

Everything else is wasting time.

KathyHepinstall

FINE PRINT MATTERS • Don’t cheat or claim work as your own if it is not. • Come to class religiously. Invest. Play well with everyone in the class. • Respect each other. Diverse opinions and ideas count. • Check email all the time. It will be a primary way for me to communicate outside of class. I urge you also to call me or visit me at home if you need help. • Be prepared. No excuses. Great stuff happens to those who play and work hard. • GENEROSITY.

S C H E D U L E Flexible but here’s a plan.march 29 + 30 intro + choosing work for nyc exhibit // first assignments + plan // blog + ideabook plan // volunteer plan april 5 + 7 show first assignment // partnered work plan // plan for volunteer + projectapril 12 +14 workday on tuesday // ma-jor show on thursdayapril 19 +21 in-class assignment // sky-pe speaker april 26 + 28 MINI-REVIEW ON THmay 3 + 5 EXECUTIONmay 10 + 12 new york exhibit + trip// for those at home: skype with new york + assign-ment, those in nyc: assignmentmay 17 + 19 debrief + work Richard Ward visits.may 24 + 26 work sessions we’ll need a bbq about now.may 31 + june 2 identity piece due on THjune 7 + 9 EXECUTION

june 10 tentative date pdx review You will create/refine 3 campaigns / 2 concep-tual pieces and an identity system (resume + website in this class. You will be evaluated on CRAFT + PRODUCED WORK.

S Y L L A B U SBRANDING + CONTENT SPRING 2011 J459

This class will be dedicated to mak-ing work for portfolios. We will focus on CRAFT, EXECUTION, IDENTITY.You will create: • BRAND STORIES Everyone will work on developing ways to tell a brand story. This is vital in all smart agencies at this time and you need to have multiple ways to do this. This might be a campaign or a brand book. • PARTNERED WORK Everyone will have multiple partnered cam-paigns in your book. It matters less and less about job title as you work -- writer and art director, as example -- and more about the chemistry and work ethic you bring. • EXERCISES IN CLASS THAT LEAD TO PORTFOLIO WORK We’ll take time to do a few things in class that lead to possibility and content, using Victors & Spoils briefs. Quan-tity leads to quality. • PRESENTATION + CRITIQUE Bring work in all the time. On days we have something “due” show more than what is expected. I want every-one to have practice presenting their work and critiquing others.

DEB MORRISON @debmorrison 311c TWTh 10-12Ddebmor@uoregon.edu 541.954.4872

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