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BACK TO THE WORKSHOP
 
AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS
Adidas Originals, the retro lifestyle brand of the Adidas Group, launched its first global marketing campaign in February, thanks to the efforts of the Dutch designers at 180 Amsterdam. The campaign centers around the figure of Adolf “Adi” Dassler, the baker turned sports shoemaker who founded Adidas in Germany in the 1920s. Dassler can’t tell his story himself, of course; he passed away in 1978. Instead, the 180 folks created a highly detailed Claymation miniature of him and a scale model of his workshop for the spots. In keeping with Adidas Originals’ retro feel, the campaign also resurrects a 1971 Adidas logo. Print, TV, movie theater, web ads and a microsite are all included.

SEASONS CHANGE
 
BOSTON, MA
HBO’s annual year-end spot reviews the cable network’s past accomplishments and rolls out upcoming offerings. This winter, HBO tapped Boston’s Viewpoint Creative to create and execute the two-minute on-air branding piece. As Viewpoint gave the finished seasons of The Sopranos, Rome, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Big Love their just due, viewers also gained a sneak peek at upcoming episodes of Entourage, The Wire, Flight of the Conchords and John Adams. “The spot is a celebration of everything HBO,” said Viewpoint CD Joseph Kiely. Creative credits go to Kiely, ECD Michael Middeleer, General Manager and Executive Producer David Shilale and Designer Matt Silbert.

POSTERS PROVIDE RELIEF
 
SAN DIEGO, CA
Graphic designer Josh Higgins was so moved by the wildfires that devastated California last fall that he took action in the best way he knows how. The result is the So-Cal Fire Poster Project, a collection of artful posters from well-known artists, creatives and design firms that Higgins is selling via the web in order to raise money for the Salvation Army’s 2007 California Wildfire Fund. Paul Frank, Modern Dog, Shepard Fairey and Ed Templeton are among those who have donated artwork to the effort. Why undertake such a project? “One doesn’t have to work on the front lines to make a difference,” Higgins explains. “Helping those in need is often as simple as doing something you love. For me, that is art. This project allows artists to express their sentiments regarding the wildfires and create works that will directly help fire victims.” To learn more about the So-Cal Fire Poster Project and view the collection, please visit their website.

PURE&GREEN FOR WILLIAMS-SONOMA
 
SAN FRANCISCO, CA
When Williams-Sonoma tapped New York City’s Raison Pure to help design a new eco-friendly, fragrant-rich collection of home products called Pure&Green, the partners choose the kitchen as a theme for the brand. The concept pops up in several subtle ways. For instance, the containers and bottles borrow common kitchen shapes. In addition, label illustrations evoke the culinary scents of the products, and the their colors match their labels, giving the impression that the product is infused with the ingredient. Finally, the vertical label bands that bear the names of the products resemble the labels on vintage spice jars. Pure&Green rolled out in Williams-Sonoma locations across the nation at the start of the year.

LA ZONA VITA
 
MIAMI, FL
ZONA Design went all-out for a Miami Museum of Contemporary Art fundraiser last month. “POP 8 1/2: La Dolce Vita,” as the event was tagged, brought together 800 artworld movers and shakers for a evening of decadent, Fellini-esque fun in a environment designed by Zoa Martinez and the ZONA team. Museum officials judged the event a success. “Zoa’s concept elevated the POP party to another level with its sophistication and original graphics,” remarked MOCA Executive Director and Chief Curator Bonnie Clearwater. Added Lourdes Jofre-Collett, a co-chair of the event, “Her visual concept and branding materials opened doors and provided entrée to sponsors who had previously eluded us.” ZONA creatives who contributed to the project include Martinez, executive producer Dennis Fluet and designers Mark Lee and Agnes Nowakowska.

RECYCLED RESTAURANT
 
SEATTLE, WA
Hornall Anderson Design created the branding, interiors and furnishings for two new outposts of the Café Yumm! restaurant chain. Since Café Yumm! serves up only wholesome organic dishes, company officials wanted the new locations to reflect that fact through a variety of eco-friendly messages and features. Hence the tabletops, which are made from recycled sunflower seed husks, and hence the lighting, which is low-wattage and energy efficient. Hence also the pressed sorghum wall panels, the re-milled timber menu boards and the flooring made from recycled agricultural waste. Cafe Yumm! VP Ed Gerdes reports, “The feedback we’ve received from our customers has been extremely positive.” Creative credits go to CD Larry Anderson, Designers Anderson, Bruce Branson-Meyer, Jay Hilburn and Kathleen Gibson, retail strategist Ashley Arhart and store planner Greg Arhart.

NEW FACE FOR UGLY MUG
 
INDIANAPOLIS, IN
When Nietzsche wrote that “when you look long into an abyss, the abyss also looks into you,” he must not have had his morning coffee yet; that drained and drooping face in the mirror ain’t a pretty sight. The new brand identity and communications package for Ugly Mug Coffee, brought to you courtesy of Indianapolis’ Young & Laramore advertising agency, is based around photos of people captured in their ugliest pre-coffee moments. Says Ugly Mug COO Tim Burleson, “We’re thrilled with our new look,” adding: “Young & Laramore really captured the essence of the brand and expressed it in a way that will appeal to our target audience.” Creative credits go to CD Charlie Hopper, ACDs Bryan Judkins and Trevor Williams, strategists Tom Denari, Margit Fawbush and Christian Mehall and photographers Harold Lee Miller and Gary Sparks. The letterpress and design company Yee-Haw Industries contributed design work.

CHANGING A LIGHTBULB
 
NEW YORK, NY
Unscrew America is a new campaign by the Austin TX design firm GSD&M’s Idea City that aims to convince consumers of the benefit of energy-efficient alternatives to traditional lightbulbs. GSD&M tapped two New York City agencies, the interactive shop Boom Design Group and the multimedia collective Fluid, to create a website and three public service announcements for the effort. Boom and Fluid, granted creative carte blanche, choose a playful, over-the-top, comedic approach to leveraging the campaign’s message that if every consumer chooses energy-efficient bulbs, “ridiculously good things will happen.” Creative credits go to Boom’s Executive Producer Nathan Heleine, AD Madeline Sturm, Developer Matt Blanchard, Lead Flash Josh Ott, Designer Archie Lee Coates and Illustrator Sabina Hahn, as well as Fluid’s Executive Producers David Shapiro and Marc Schwartz, Composer Judson Crane, Editor Scott Philbrook and Sound Designer Fred Szymanski.