D&AD Workshops Review

This year the D&AD Workshops are 45 years old. Our longest running education programme, they've prepared thousands of young creatives for their first job in the creative industries.

The world has been changing around the workshops for a while now so this year we are giving them a well earned rest while we redesign them, call it a gap year if you like. They'll be back soon refreshed, revitalised and full of new experiences to help us give aspiring creatives the best leg-up possible. Here's to another 45 years....coming soon.

Here, here!

AKcreates had the privilege of being asked by D&AD to take part in the Workshop review sessions. It all took place recently in a studio at Fallon where we were bundled together with Creative Directors who had either hosted or took part in workshops over the past 45years and for the following 5 hours we threw around ideas, wrote a load of post-its and basically had one big brainstorm. It was great to see some of the CDs we met on our workshops last October (a couple of our favourites were there) but more importantly it was yet another chance to hear inspiring people talk of their experiences, opinions and insights into the industry which left us feeling motivated once again.

On a purely selfish note the night provided us with the opportunity to secure another couple of placements, a few after work catchup-beer dates and a meeting with The Talent Business.

D&AD has definitely been an invaluable stepping stone into the industry for akcreates, we would still be stumbling around in the dark if it wasn't for the workshops, networking events and opportunities that has arisen since we first met. If we had any advice so far to give other junior creative teams starting out it would be enthusiasm, networking, be interesting.. & get in there with D&AD!

Stella Launch Filming Part 2

The time came for part deux of the Stella filming. We received the time and place of where we were to meet, no other details other than it may involve less people this time! Slightly concerned, some might say naive but ultimately intrigued we made our way to the pay phones in the underpass at Old Street. There we met a lady with a clipboard, were introduced to 2 other participants and asked to remember their names as "it's just you four for the next couple of hours"!

Our first task was to have a look at the newspaper resting on the pay-phone while we waited. Each of us were sure there were hidden clues so we took snap shots incase we needed to refer back. Then just as we were getting comfortable and having a laugh with our new friends the phone rang, we looked to the woman with the clipboard but she had disappeared. Kate promptly picked up the phone and heard a deep, stern voice guide her to the change compartment to find a folded note, on which were our next instructions.

It was all very serious so obviously the four of us (mature adults) could not help giggling like school kids! As we were walking out of the subway, chatting, 2 of the 4 were carted off by a stranger and another person was upon us, the remaining 2, hands firmly on our shoulders, pushing us forward and simply demanding we keep walking and not look back.. a whirlwind of drama proceeded in the following hours, like we were lost in a movie. We were in and out of warehouses filled with stolen cars and violence, taxis with romantic encounters, quaint parisian members bars where we were served beer and asked to write farewell love notes on behalf of blind men, pitch black houses to steel "the key", setting off burglar alarms & being chased. The whole experience from start to finish was cleverly choreographed, timed, organised and executed. Not once did the actors slip up or make a mistake.

We kept waiting for a camera crew to show themselves or one of us to bump into a boom mic but nothing, we were very much alone and in the hands of the actors. The evening ended as we walked from a barber shop on a cobbled street just near Liverpool St Station, the couple who was with us walked off with balloons, holding hands and the original 4 were left, slightly confused but cleverly standing in line with another pay phone.. it rang, once again we picked it up and the phone went dead, we looked in the change compartment to find one last note.

Beef Carpaccio!

Since starting Cooking Tuesdays one of the main highlights has been getting to know the local fish mongers and the local butchers very well, they are cheery and so willing to help if you have a question or would like advice on what is the best option for a particular recipe. Last nights attempt was a classic example of when the advice from your local butcher can be a key part to making your dish a success. He gave us some lovely, fresh, melt in your mouth meat for us to use for this recipe and it paid off. It is very simple to make and a real crowd pleaser, to give it a go yourself check out the recipe here

Baking Tuesdays

This Tuesday we decided to have a tea party themed Cooking Tuesday and have some friends around to celebrate as one of them just got engaged. We got some Pimms into teapots and baked a scrumptious lemon drizzle cake and in keeping with the theme of love we attempted some heart shaped scones, with jam and fresh whipped cream.. it all went down super well!

Stella Launch Filming Part 1

So.. we came across a link asking us whether we wanted to take part in the filming of a new Stella Artois campaign, naturally we said yes and were intrigued to learn more but found there was little to no information apart from the dates we were to attend and that we must wait for further instructions. We went along to the first location, on the specified date 05.07.11, knowing only the address and title of the evening 'The Party'..

On arrival we received Jacques business card which gave us free drinks to enjoy whilst walking around exploring the set. The venue was completely furnished and decorated like a house with draws to look in and rooms to find. The crowd consisted of actors and completely confused bewildered members of the public like us! A little while after first arriving Jacques had us all hide and jump out and say surprise to girlfriend/ character Cecile, then the party continued with loud music, interaction from the actors and more exploring on our part..

The evening was all quite bizarre but highly entertaining, we left wanting more and feeling apart of something exciting. We are now completely intrigued with what is in store for us at the next evening.

To be continued...

The best excuse ever

We are big advocates of doing good with our advertising. If you can make someones life better while doing what you love, hurrah! We thought we would share this video showing an idea from the Argentinian beer company Norte who have made drinking their beer a really good thing!

Men from the North of Argentina needed a good excuse to go to the bar to drink beer with their friends. They needed the best excuse ever. For each Norte beer a man drank at the bar, the brand allotted one minute of good deeds. A Norte team was in charge of the work. They put counters in the street with the accrued minutes, and the good deeds could be followed on the Internet.

This explains it all...

We should definitely get something like this over here. With the amount of alcohol the design industries alone drink we could transform London!! Awesome idea :)

D&AD New Blood

A few weeks back we helped out at D&AD New Blood.

Our role was to 'transport' people from the venue site on Brick Lane to an agency who was hosting an event. Our two agencies were The Partners and AKQA (where we were on placement at the time). We were meant to walk the groups but as both agencies were are in Farringdon (a 45 min walk) and the groups were 25 and 50+ people, we opted for the tube. However, this was still an epic mission and one we would not be rushing to do again. How primary teachers take a group of 35, 6-11 year old on a day trip is beyond us. Anyway, we digress, The events were both great and we learnt a lot from some very interesting Creative Directors. D&AD asked us to do a write up of each event so if you want to learn more read on...

So you’ve completed your degree, partied away the last of your student loan and pulled together a portfolio.. what the hell do you do next?

Luckily Jack Renwick, creative director at The Partners, is here to help.

After hunting down enough seats for the 50+ attendees, she began her enthusiastic, inspirational and truthful talk entitled ‘Help. I’m a designer’. There was no glossing over what would be involved on your path to becoming a designer. She told it straight: “If you love design, go for it, it is amazing. But if design isn’t your main passion, don’t get into this industry”.

This may sound a little cutthroat and heartless but it was far from that. From experience it is exactly what you need to hear in the crossover from university into the industry. It is hard and there will be times when you feel like giving up. However as Jack pointed out, everyone has these thoughts (you are not alone!) but when you see your work published or made, all those feelings are worth it.

Jack also talked through her personal loves and hates, thrills and fears and this gave a human insight rather than the usual agency stance. It was great to hear someone in her position rationalizing the hard times in a grounded way. “Of course I still get scared and panic.. everyone does”. Another nice point she touched on was the need to find an agency that you feel you fit into. “Don’t just focus on a name, choose somewhere you feel you can grow and somewhere where you get on with the people. A placement is not just a case of an agency testing you, you are testing out the agency”.

The talk then progressed to describing some of The Partners work before a Q&A session with two recent graduates who had been employed at the agency. With two completely different routes into their roles, it was another nod to the fact that if you really want this, you can do it. It was a great opportunity for the group to ask those burning questions and get three different points of view. The atmosphere between the team was great and Jack well and truly squashed the intimidating and unapproachable creative director stereotype. It was clear The Partners nurture their staff and always push for more and that this, in turn, helps them produce their outstanding work.

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AKQA’s underlying message is ‘The future inspires us. We work to inspire’. Staying true to this, Chris May, associate creative director, delivered a sharp, visual and stimulating talk. He began by taking the intimate group of twenty through the agency’s approach to work. He explained how they “specialize in anything with a screen”, producing work within ecommerce, service design, interactive, content and interface.

Chris talked through some case studies of AKQA’s most successful and well-known work such as Nike Training Club, the Nigella Lawson App, Heineken Star Player, Fiat Eco-Drive. Each of these was shown through an informative and concise film that showed the idea in all its’ glory.

It was immediately clear that AKQA truly are a digital agency with technology at the heart. Innovation is one of their core values and was a word that popped up frequently in the talk. Unlike the usual use of a so-called ‘buzz word’, there was truth here. They produce world firsts that use emerging technologies in an interesting and original way. And if the technology does not already exist, they create it themselves, in house.

Bridging the gap between the Technological Architects and the Creatives, AKQA have a team called CRD (Creative Research & Development). These developers have an appreciation for design and experience, physics and motion alongside a deep understanding of the technical issues. It is the collaboration and sharing of knowledge between all these teams that keep AKQA at the forefront of the industry. As Chris pointed out they work with high-end clients and have held accounts for over 10 years, so their processes are obviously working.

For those that had just graduated the talk was a great introduction to a digital agency. As most of the group had come from more traditional advertising courses it highlighted many previously unknown differences about the digital industry. A creative at AKQA can mean many things and Laura Bartlett, another host of the event, explained what they look for in a new-employee. “It is very role specific and I recommend you decide your discipline as early as possible”, an important insight for those just starting out.

The group was also given the chance to have a one-on-one portfolio review with an associate creative director. AKQA made this as beneficial as possible by pairing each attendee with an ACD that matched their direction in the industry. The feedback on the review sessions was excellent, with everyone saying they learnt so much in only 15 mins. In fact the entire afternoon at AKQA got a great response and the group left with a positive attitude and a thirst for what the digital industry had to offer them.

Cooking (Birthday) Tuesdays

This was a particularly special cooking Tuesday, in honour of our fabulousy yummy Mum (London mum not Northern mum!). We did some research into recipes we hadn't made before, as usual, which resulted in a 3 course Vietnamese/ Thai Fusion themed birthday dinner! We made friends with the fishmongers who helped with providing the white and brown crabmeat, advising us on the best white fish for a curry, Red Snapper as it doesn't flake or disintegrate and king prawns for the spring rolls.

On arrival we served our guests with strawberry mojitos to cool off in the evening heat, while everyone had a chance to catch up..& gave us an excuse to run around frantically trying to finish wrapping presents as we got far to preoccupied by the menu!

I must say the Vietnamese spring rolls were a definite highlight as we have wanted to make them for a while but kept putting it off thinking they were too complicated. They were in fact super easy and fun to make, especially the plastic rice paper that you melt in warm water - hours of fun! We are thinking they will also be a quick simple idea for lunches to take to work.

The rest of the evening rolled on with a green fish and crab meat curry, a mango, passionfruit, creme fraiche & ice cream smoothie pudding (recipe below) and lots of bubbles to celebrate such a wonderful lady. There was also a cake mainly to accommodate the candles as we thought no one would have room for anymore food.. but we were wrong and this was completely polished off too! All in all it was a very successful evening but most importantly the birthday girl enjoyed it!

Fat Freddy's Drop at Brixton Academy

It was so special to see the boys on stage again, even though not that much time has past since the last show one does forget just how awesome they are live. The only thing that makes a Freddy's gig that much better is it is always one big family affair, you get to catch up with friends you don't usually get to see living in London but somehow everyone finds a common ground within the Freddy's sound and all make it to their show. To find out more click here.

One thing we have learnt in our lives so far is that inspiration comes from anywhere and everywhere. We never know what idea is going to come next or where a brief may take us but we do know that if we don't experience as much and as varied things as we can we will have bland concepts and stale thoughts. From baking a cake to watching live music, everything you do ends up inspiring something else.

Barclaycard Viral Shoot

This campaign was to promote Barclaycards contactless mobile payment service, which allows shoppers to make purchases of up to £15 by swiping their handsets over the card readers at participating stores. Shot in locations around West London, the viral depicts a spoof history of money and features the voice of thespian actor Brian Blessed and includes a short cameo from Amy Childs (The Only Way Is Essex) who we might add was very entertaining and definitely lived up to everyones expectations! Being on a shoot is great as you experience first hand how much work and man power goes into putting together even the shortest of films. This gives perspective during the creative process and helps us think about the logistics of an idea.