The California-based computer and electronics company, best known for their Macintosh computers and iPods, announced today the company will be adopting Verdana as their corporate typeface. The typographic change, Apple’s first since 2001, was spotted on several of the company’s international websites Thursday morning, and will soon be visible on all new packaging and marketing materials.
The news comes only months after Swedish furniture giant IKEA similarly adopted the Verdana typeface. “Verdana is a simple, cost-effective font which works well in all media and languages,” praised IKEA spokeswoman Camilla Meiby. After IKEA’s change, designers and IKEA fans alike were initally shocked to see the company drop Futura (their corporate typeface for 50 years) for the screen optimized Verdana. However, as time passed, people began to embrace the typeface in ways like never before.
One of the biggest reasons for Verdana’s resurgence is its wide multilingual support, which is increasingly becoming important as global companies like Apple enter foreign markets. Apple’s recently announced iPad will soon be available for order in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland. “This is largely due to Verdana,” said CEO Steve Jobs.
Verdana visible on Apple’s website, April 2010
Verdana was designed by Matthew Carter for Microsoft in the mid-90s, specifically to improve on-screen readability. The font first shipped with Microsoft Internet Explorer 3 in 1996. Being one of the ‘Core fonts for the web’—a set of fonts which also includes Arial, Comic Sans, and Times New Roman—Verdana has become one of the most widely used fonts on the web.
In 2010, it appears Verdana may also become one of the most widely used fonts offline as well. “It’s true,” says Apple’s Senior VP of Industrial Design, Jonathan Ive, “when something [like Verdana] exceeds your ability to understand how it works, it sort of becomes magical.”
Bill Davis of Ascender Corporation (the font’s publisher) predicts many more companies will follow the trend, recently announcing some improvements to the typeface. “We are busy working on creating condensed weights, and also extending the family from light to black (with italics). We are also working on small caps, additional figure styles, and programming these additional glyphs as OpenType features…”
Prior to the first Macintosh, Apple used a typeface called Motter Tektura, designed by Othmar Motterof Austria’s Vorarlberger Graphik in 1975. With the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984, Apple adopted a narrow variation of the classic Garamond typeface. The typeface became synonymous with Apple for almost two decades, used memorably in the 1997 “Think different” campaign. In 2001, as the company launched the first iPod, Apple slowly began to implement a variation of Adobe’s Myriad typeface in all new packaging and marketing materials.
Apple’s most recent product, the highly anticipated iPad, is one of the company’s first products to use the new corporate typeface. Coincidently, the iPad will be released April 3rd, only days after this announcement.
We were asked to communicate that Burger King stays open until the wee hours of the morning. Thomas and Kris came up with the following campaign showing the villains of the night that we know all to well, enjoying their favourite meal after a umm night out. The ads were shot in South Africa and Dubai by French photographer Ben Dauchez and retouched by Thomas himself. A job well done! The series comprises of four ads which will run in press and outdoor.
“Open late. Now open until 4AM every night. Burger King. Have it your way.”
Advertising Agency: Tonic, Dubai, UAE
Creative Director: Vincent Raffray
Art Director: Thomas Derouault
Copywriter: Kris Richardson
Car with GPS system for the confused from Nissan. This print campaign announcing the GPS facility of the car is features some junctions and boards In Egypt with contradictory and confusing road/street signs. The campaign, developed by TBWA, Cairo, is based on the factual presentation and hence manages to bring home the message. In one place The Arabic sign reads: Abdallah Fekry Street
The English sign reads: Abd El Salam Zaki Street
Guerrilla Marketing, the concept coined by Jay Conrad Levinson, is no different from the Guerrilla Warfare. It’s war against traditional thinking and big budget by the use of creative force. The only rule here is that there is no rule. If anyone still wants to define the guiding principles then those would be Identify, Innovate, Interact and Impress. Identifying the target audience is the most important part in conceptualizing any guerrila campaign as the placement of the advertisements depends on it. Guerrilla marketing is more about matching wits than matching budgets and this demands innovation. What separates it from normal marketing techniques is it’s interaction with people. This makes them think which results in longer brand recall. And if you can impress them during the brief interaction then you have the winner. Here are some tools which can be used for Guerrilla campaigns. Humor Humor when understood is the greatest way of getting attention, but can be risky too as it might offend certain section of people. Here is an example where humor is used to convey the selling point of Axe in a fun filled way.
Every year Europe’s largest women’s running event takes place in Aarhus, Denmark. This year more than 6,000 women participated in the race and an enormous crowd along the roads was following the event. Immediately after the race begins, a man in an AXE T-shirt jumps over the fence approximately 100 meters after the Starting Line. He begins to spray himself with AXE deodorant and starts to run along the route, when the 6,000 women gets near him. From the point of view of the spectators along the road, they saw a man - wearing an AXE T-shirt - that was being hunted by over 6,000 women. Curiosity I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious. ~Albert Einstein Not everyone is even a distant close to Albert Einstein in regards to physics and science, but most definitely will surpass him in curiosity level about beautiful women. In this guerrilla campaign the agency is banking on curiosity factor.
Napkins with lipstick stains were left on tables in pubs and inside the napkins was an ad for Detective Smith. I wonder how many people would hire Detective Smith but many would like to kick him for the beautiful trap. Shock In India you will find astrologer and god man at every corner. And if you happen to go to them for advice on your future then you will most likely be told about all kind of problems that are coming to hit you unless you perform some rituals as suggested by them. What choice you have when you are scared to death ? You might be wondering what’s this to do with the advertisement of a CCTV system. The common thing between them is “Shock and Fear Factor“.
Polaroid photos were taken outside homes and businesses and a sticker with message “With a CCTV security system you could have seen me outside your house” was placed on the back before dropping them in their respective mailboxes. An innovative and bold idea to demonstrate the disadvantages of not having a CCTV and suggesting to go for one. Simplicity It’s easy to be complex but difficult to be simple. This campaign of business card for a diving instructor strikes precisely with simplicity of thought.
Diving is a very small & niche market. This gave the liberty to manually create the ‘wet’ effect on each card. The recipients instantly got the message about the client’s passion for diving and the fact that he was in the ocean most of the time. As a result the diving class was fully booked up to 4 months in advance. Intelligence Intelligence in advertising is like two-edged sword. It’s foolish to be too intelligent just not to get understood. Yes, it might win you some award but the company doesn’t pay you for that. At the same time it works beautifully if it can make people ask themselves; Why didn’t this idea come to my mind?
Bikers in big cities like Jakarta often suffer from eye irritation (red eye) caused by pollution on the road. The idea demonstrates how fast Visine alleviates the problem. The signage is placed on a traffic light in the city of Jakarta which has a 60 seconds countdown timer. Sexligance Sexual theme presented with elegance always sells. Most of the times sex is abused to sell anything and everything even though there is no connect with the product. This is a nice campaign though for Axe which stays within the line to promote the well-established brand image.
As wrapping the female students’ dormitory in the shape of calendar and using Axe for a month throughout March, they aimed for the expression that a new female can be met on a daily basis, to promote the brand image and preference for Axe. Common Sense They say common sense is not so common, rightly so. But when you need to extract maximum out of limited resources then you don’t have any other choice but to be innovative and use common sense.
This is a campaign for Casinò di Venezia where the conveyor belt in an airport is smartly used to market the casino. It’s impossible for the passengers to escape this campaign.
Can anything overpower The Lynx Effect? This brand new spot answers the question in true Specsavers style. They say the only thing harder than reaching the top is to stay there. The Axe Effect will drive all the hot babes towards you but can it retain them? Probably
not if you are using anything but Specsavers. A nice parody of Axe ad. Axe, also known as Lynx in some markets, has been consistent for years now on its positioning of ‘gets you the girl’. The idea too has stayed fresh with several great executions. The common factor among all the executions is the portrayal of ‘in your face’, physical attraction of girls to the Axe man. The ad seems to have had a teaser with a link to a Twitter and Facebook page. There are two other executions: catch and stretcher. Agency: Specsavers Creative Creative Director: Graham DaldryCreatives: Simon Bougourd, Neil BrushAgency Producer: Sam Lock Production Company: Rattling Stick, LondonDirector: Daniel KleinmanProducer: Johnnie FrankelEditor: Steve Gandolfi/Eve Ashwell @ Cut+Run Post-Production: FramestoreAudio Post-Production: Simon Capes @ ClearcutDigital Production: Infinite Corridor
‘’Death Doesn’t Take No For An Answer.'’ Titanic ‘’Collide With Destiny'’ Phone Booth (2002) ‘’A ringing phone has to be answered'’ Death Proof (2007) ‘’These 8 Women Are About To Meet 1 Diabolical Man!'’ Demons (1985) ‘’>They will make cemeteries their cathedrals and the cities will be your tombs.'’ kill bill-1 ‘’Here comes the bride'’ Forrest Gump (1994) ‘’The world will never be the same once you’ve seen it through the eyes of Forrest Gump.” Adam’s Rib (1949) ‘’It’s The Hilarious Answer To Who Wears The Pants!'’ Dracula (1931) ‘’The story of the strangest passion the world has ever known! ‘’ Out Of The Past (1947) ‘’A MAN - Trying to run away from his past... A WOMAN - Trying to escape her future!'’ Apollo 13 (1995) ‘’Houston, we have a problem'’ Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) “Five good reasons to stay single.” BAD BOYS (1983) “In their world, if you’re 17 and still alive you’re a survivor”. BEACH PARTY (1963) “It’s what happens when 10,000 kids meet on 5,000 beach blankets” The Big Lebowski (1998) “Her life was in their hands. Now her toe is in the mail.” Bonnie and Clyde (1967) “They’re young...they’re in love...and they kill people.” Camille (1936)
“You who are so young–where can you have learned all you know about women like me?” Chopping Mall “Where shopping will cost you an arm and a leg!” Double Indemnity (1944) “From the Moment they met it was Murder!” FINAL DESTINATION-4
‘’Rest in Pieces'’ Ghost (1990) “Before Sam was murdered, he told Molly he’d love and protect her forever.” Gilda (1946) ‘’There NEVER was a woman like Gilda!” Gladiator (2000) ‘’Father of a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife and I shall have my vengeance in this life or the next'’ I Am Legend (2007) “The last man on Earth is not alone. Jaws 2 (1978) ‘’Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water.”
Jaws (1975)
“See it before you go swimming.” The Lady From Shanghai (1948) “I told you... you know nothing about wickedness” The Lift (1983) “Take the stairs. Take the stairs. For God’s sake, take the stairs!!!” Maniac Cop “You have the right to remain silent. Forever.”
Mars Attacks! (1996) “Nice planet. We’ll take it!” There’s Something About Mary (1998) ‘’Love is in the hair.” Night of the Creeps “The good news is your dates are here. The bad news is…they’re dead.”
North by Northwest (1959) “It’s love and murder at first sight!” High Noon (1952) ‘’The story of a man who was too proud to run.” Psycho (1960) ‘’Check in. Relax. Take a shower.” Re-Animator (1985) “Herbert West Has A Very Good Head On His Shoulders... And Another One In A Dish On His Desk” Rosemary’s Baby (1968) ”” Pray for Rosemary’s Baby'’ Sleepless in Seattle (1993) “What if someone you never met, someone you never saw, someone you never knew was the only someone for you?” The Step-Father “Daddy’s coming home and he’s not very happy.” TerrorVision “People of Earth: your planet is about to be destroyed…sorry for the inconvenience.” The Birds (1963) “...and remember, the next scream you hear may be your own!” The Exorcist (1973) “Something beyond comprehension is happening to a little girl on this street, in this house. A man has been called for as a last resort to try and save her. That man is The Exorcist.” The Godfather 3 ‘’All the power on earth can’t change destiny.'’ Thelma & Louise (1991) “Somebody said get a life...so they did.” The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946) “Their Love was a Flame that Destroyed!” The Searchers (1956) ‘’He had to find her...he had to find her.” The Third Man (1949) ‘’Hunted by men...Sought by WOMEN!” Tootsie (1982) “What do you get when you cross a hopelessly straight starving actor with a dynamite red sequined dress? You get America’s hottest new actress.” What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) “Sister, sister, oh so fair, why is there blood all over your hair?” Pulp Fiction (1994) “You won’t know the facts until you’ve seen the fiction.”