This Mercedes Benz Sprinter Passenger Van has been given the royal treatment by Lexani Motorcars who specializes in outfitting coaches and appointing them with custom amenities and materials that rival the finest luxury jets and yachts. All the fancy schmancy items you can think of from wireless Apple iPad integration to a platinum grille are available options. Orthopedic mattresses, Bose Home theater system, a full bar, 46" 3D tv, a Playstation 3 (blu-ray) can all be wrapped up in this van complete with secure armor on the perimeter if someone is out to shoot you.
Using a portrait of Russian Mathematician Grigori Perelman by artist Jules Julian, designers Alan Temiraev and Volodenka Zotov created a beautifully designed pencil set.
The beautifully designed pencil box has a die-cut window in the shape of the portrait's head and foil stamping. The interior of the box has a color printed image of the universe.
Each graphite pencil is a different degree of lead (2H, H, F, HB, B, 2B, 3B, 4B) and individually packaged in multi-colored four-sided boxes so that, when properly aligned, they make up the graphic portrait of Perelman seen through the die-cut window.
Branding and design company Konnect Design, took the bride and groom's backgrounds and the the event venue into consideration when designing these beautiful and unique wedding invitations which include letter-pressing, elegant typography, loteria cards, reply cards and vintage stamps, packaged in a cedar box.
Union at the Union
She’s from East LA. He’s a gringo from the South Bay. When their worlds united it was truly meant to be, which made for an appropriate theme surrounding this couple’s big day.
Her Latin roots inspired the use of Loteria (Spanish Bingo) cards, as well as cedar boxes that Konnect Design of Santa Monica had custom made and shipped from the Dominican Republic. The boxes housed the letterpress invitation and reply cards (complete with vintage postage stamps) and also served as a nod to the cigar roller who would be entertaining the guests at the wedding reception.
Reply Cards:
The letter-pressed menus at the wedding were also designed by Konnect in keeping with the look of the invitations:
Since the couple was to be wed at the historic Union Station in downtown Los Angeles, it seemed more than fitting to title the piece, Union at the Union.
all original images (they have been composited for this post) and descriptions courtesy of konnectdesign.com
The bride and groom are as beautiful as their invitations. Here they are in Argentina on their Honeymoon: above image from Facebook
konnect design
710 Wilshire Blvd
Suite 404
Santa Monica, CA 90401
310.394.1247
One of the most memorable spots on yesterday's Super Bowl - and one that has made it on most reviewers "Best Spots of the Super Bowl" lists - is also one which has been stirring up some controversy, at least amongst the ad community. Frankly, anyone outside of the advertising business could not care less, so I won't be surprised if you've stopped reading this already. But back to the subject at hand.
You may think the uproar is because of the numerous mentions of "God" or because of the the fact that some feel Farming has radically changed since Paul Harvey gave the speech used as the voice over at the National FFA Convention in 1978, but it's actually the spots' originality which has been questioned. I wanted to clear up a few things regarding that as well bring some credit the well-deserving photographers whose work was used in the ad.
Created by the Richards Group, the two minute spot with the Paul Harvey voiceover is an updated version of a concept originally seen in a video for Farms.com.
The Dodge Ram Truck "Farmer" Super Bowl commercial:
The Farms.com video:
But let it be known that Farms. com has made a point of publicly supporting the ad with both tweets and this new description under their own video on You Tube:
As well as including this info in a hovering window atop the You Tube video:
While it's not the first Super Bowl commercial to have been inspired by a previous one, nor the first to take an already produced idea and make it far superior in terms of production quality, both The Richards Group and Farms.com - as well as the Chrysler brand - are to be commended for creating and running an ad that was powerful in its quietude and a refreshing change from the fast-paced, noisy, special effects ads that dominated most of the broadcast.
Whether or not you feel the ad was derivative, one thing that is not debatable is the incredibly stunning imagery in the ad and it is those photographers whose work I want to bring to your attention.
Creatives from The Richards Group who worked on the spot include Creative Directors Jimmy Bonner and Rob Baker and Freelance art buyer/ producer Deb Grisham.
Addendum: If it wasn't already clear, the Dodge Ram Farmer ad by The Richards Group also stands as a testament to the importance of production values and having people in charge with taste. Creatives, Account Staff, Producers and most importantly, a client, that understand the impact of visuals in addition to the content and copy (and sometimes the need to spend a little more) can make all the difference. Imagine if they'd simply run the Farms.com version.
UPDATE: For every view, download or share of “Farmer” located on the brand’s website at www.ramtrucks.com/keepplowing, Ram will make a donation to FFA. Funds raised will go to local FFA chapters for student programs geared toward fighting hunger in communities across the country.
