This was a “quickie” in every way.
It’s the mid-2000’s. I was working at The Stone Agency in Raleigh, NC. After weeks of design on an exhibit for the client, Novozymes, for a big biofuels conference (pretty “edgy” for the time), it was on track to meet all the deadlines. A fun and crazy “gift” of a full-size bubble-gum machine with brand graphics was on the way to key B2B clients before the show. [Sorry, I can not find any pictures, and cannot remember why in the world a bubble-gum machine was the chosen idea]. Even t-shirts had been designed and were in production. So, I’m resting easy, feeling good that all materials are wrapped up for this very important conference for a very important client.
Then, the president of the ad agency rushes over to my cubicle in a bit of a panic.
President: “Can you design a teaser, conference packet insert-y thing, to help entice folks to go over to the Novozymes exhibit?”
Me: “Sure. When do your need it?”
President (big, sheepish, begging grin): “In an hour, please. I’ve got to show something to the client at that time! Thank you!”
Me: “But…(?!)”
President: “Thanks, I gotta’ run! E-mail me your design ASAP!”
President (doubling back): “Oh, and talk to the head of production. We want to make it a lenticular post card,* maybe” (*you’ll SEE below what this is, but if you don’t know, it’s a type of a post card with raised, dimensional lines in it that makes more than one image appear when you move the card back and forth.)
Me: “But?… but?..” (where did she go?)
I’m not advocating this kind of deadline, well, ever! But, sometimes a super, hyper rush can bring laser focus, and make you strip away everything except the MVP (minimal viable product) and can lead a simpler, more streamlined solution, mainly as you just don’t have time to get crazy with options.
In this case, three things helped make solution possible despite the rush:
- I knew the briefs for the other materials very well. Novozymes was promoting their bio-science abilities and technology on being on the cutting-edge of taking crops, like corn, snd turning them into bio-fuels in an affordable way that could possibly help to end the USA’s dependance on foreign oil.
- Luck. Finding some stock images that could do demonstrate, “Go, momentum, movement, from energy consumption waste to bio-friendly fuels.”
- A sense of humor over two seemingly disparate things coming together as one
Here’s a quick, video of this quickie, in its final form.
Happy #Throwback Thursday. #TBT is a series of one-off projects worth noting from the past.
Creative Direction / Art Direction / Writer: Jeff Bowman; Production: Jason Barkley; Agency: The Stone Agency, Michele Stone, President, Client: Novozymes