Back in the day, filmmakers used matte paintings, miniature models and trick photography to achieve impossible looking cinematic effects. Today, Hollywood has nearly perfected the art and application of visual effects (VFX) and computer-generated imagery (CGI) in movies and TV shows. In fact, most film scenes that you think are filmed in spectacular locations are actually … [Read more...]
15 Funny Confessions From Designers; Which One Can You Relate To?
Be honest, have you ever used Comic Sans in your designs? Or a copyrighted image from Google Images? Do you really like the 'flat design' trend that's taken over every interface these days? How often do you actually kern? Creative Market has come up with a series of 15 typographic posters filled with funny confessions from designers who want take a load off their chest. Check … [Read more...]
50 Common Words You Use Every Day That Are Actually Trademarked Brand Names
Did you know that Band-Aid, Jacuzzi, Jet Ski, Memory Stick, Post-It, Super Glue, Taser, Vaseline, Velcro and Xerox are all legally protected trademarks? They might be used generically by consumers but cannot be used by their competitors. Here's a list of marks that have been registered as trademarks and are actively enforced by their trademark owners. … [Read more...]
25 Clever Logos Of Common Words You Use Every Day
Using typography and clever symbolism, Spanish graphic designer Lucas Gil-Turner has created a series of impressive logos for the 25 most commonly used nouns in the Oxford English Dictionary. The list was released by Oxford University Press researchers after the analysis of over a billion words. Typographic logos are always fun to look at and Lucas has done a fantastic job … [Read more...]
LOL: 9 Things Clients Say When They Don’t Want To Pay For Work
Mumbai-based creative agency Pixel Fox Studios has come up with a hilarious series of typography posters that show the stuff clients say when they don't want to pay full (or any) price for creative work. If you've been in the business long enough, we bet you've come across at least one of these phrases. If you're just venturing into the industry, think of these as a heads up. … [Read more...]
‘On The Rocks’ Has A Whole New Meaning With These Gorgeous Ice Cubes From Japan
Japanese whiskey maker Suntory and agency TBWA\Hakuhodo just won a Lotus at Adfest, Thailand, for this cool campaign titled 3D on the Rocks. They used blocks of ice, a CNC router chilled at -7° Celsius, and an app called Autodesk 123D to carve miniature versions of a Japanese Zen Temple, the Sphinx, the Statue of Liberty, Batman, Mario, a horse, a diamond ring, a Cannes Lion … [Read more...]
15 Funny Posters About This Generation’s Tech Addiction That Are Unfortunately True
As per a 2011 study released by CourseSmart and Wakefield Research, 38% of college students can't go 10 minutes without checking their email, tablet or smart phone. A 2010 survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation reported that a significant majority of kids and teens spend about 75% of their waking hours attached to a screen of some sort. A Nielsen 2010 study shows that American … [Read more...]
I Show The Secret Life Of Superheroes When They’re Not Saving The World
Superheroes are people too. When they’re not saving the world, they’re pretty much leading normal lives like the rest of us. That includes doing household chores, running errands, hanging out with friends, goofing around and trying to impress the women around them. Based on this crazy idea, Indonesian photographer Edy Hardjo offers a hilarious glimpse into the everyday lives of … [Read more...]
34 CSS Puns That Prove Designers Have A Great Sense Of Humor
Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) is a stylesheet language that defines how the content on a web page is to be displayed with colors, borders, fonts, backgrounds, etc. Inspired by this Reddit thread, today's post showcases 34 CSS puns that'll put a smile on every web designer's face. The interesting bit is that even if you have no clue about the technicalities, you'll still … [Read more...]
Creative Pick Up Lines To Use On Designers And Filmmakers
Conventional pick up lines are for conventional people. We creative types are different. To celebrate Valentine's Day this year, Mumbai-based digital production company Supari Studios came up with "Filmmaker's Pick Up Lines" - a series of five illustrations featuring clever one-liners that can be used on/by directors, cinematographers, graphic designers, editors and animators. … [Read more...]
40 Funny And Creative Bar Signs That’ll Make You Step In And Grab A Drink
Clever advertising doesn’t always originate from fancy agencies hired by Fortune 500 companies. You’ll find the catchiest slogans and wittiest taglines outside small shops and businesses aiming to increase footfalls and sales. Today’s post showcases 40 hilariously creative chalkboards/signboards used by street pubs and bars to entice customers to step in and grab a drink. Check … [Read more...]
LOL: 21 Things That Demanding Clients Say When They’re In Bed
Ever wondered how your typical clients would be in atypical situations? Mumbai-based marketing agency Chimp&z Inc has come up with #ClientsInBed - a series of humorous illustrations that imagine what hard-to-please clients would say when they're "doing it". What kind of feedback would they give before, during and after their performance. Check it out below. … [Read more...]
22 Clever Posters That Show The Differences Between Copywriters And Art Directors
In the late 1950s, advertising legend Bill Bernbach came up with the idea of pairing art directors and copywriters into teams. The strategy worked and DDB ended up creating some of the most iconic work of that era. Since then, the art-copy team structure came into existence at most, if not all, agencies. … [Read more...]
Canada’s Passport Is The Coolest In The World, Just Look At These Ultraviolet Artworks
The Canadian passport has a series of hidden artworks embedded in its pages since the past few years but most Canadians don't know about it. The truth came to light (pun intended) when this Imgur user posted pictures of his friend's Canadian passport. Apparently, the pages consist of beautiful national icons and images created with optically variable ink that glows when placed … [Read more...]
27 Funny Posters And Charts That Graphic Designers Will Relate To
We at DS come across a lot of memes, comics and artworks that offer a hilarious look into the life and mind of a graphic designer. So we thought, why not collate a few good ones into one cool post? Who knows, it might even drive some sense into an unreasonable client and make him/her change his/her attitude? Wishful thinking, we guess. Enough talk, check them out below. … [Read more...]
These Clever Photos Of Miniature Figures Take You Through Life In An Agency
Every agency is unique in its own way but certain aspects remain the same. A buzzing work environment, difficult clients, weekend brainstormings, deadlines, booze-heavy parties and the endless debates between creative and accounts are just a few elements that can be found in most, if not all agencies. Seattle-based digital strategist Derrick Lin captures the daily moments of … [Read more...]
30 Powerful Artworks In Response To The Charlie Hebdo Shootings In Paris
After the brutal massacre of ten members of Charlie Hebdo staff and two police officers in Paris, cartoonists from all over the world reacted with powerful but heartbreaking artwork to show solidarity with the victims. Here are 30 thought-provoking tweets with translations (where required). … [Read more...]
If Santa Was An Agency And People Were His Clients, This Is What Would Happen
What if Santa was an agency? What kind of feedback would he get after distributing presents? What kind of demands would people (his clients) make? Watercrab, a Bangalore-based integrated advertising agency, has come up with 6 clever illustrations that depict this hilarious scenario. Needless to say, these can also be titled "What if Santa was a designer or a freelancer?". Check … [Read more...]
32 Brilliant Illustrations That Will Make You Stop And Think
Imagine being able to connect two different eras through one visual medium. That's what makes the work of British illustrator John Holcroft so special. Drawing inspiration from 1950s screen print posters, he creates retro style illustrations that depict what's wrong with the world today. Holcraft's quirky, satirical works of art cover contemporary issues like society's … [Read more...]
The Meanings Of 35 Famous Brand Names
Did you know that Durex is an abbreviation of Durable Reliable Excellence? Or that Nike is the ancient Greek goddess of victory? You hear these brand names almost every day but have you ever wondered what they mean? This interesting infographic by 7Brands aims to answer the question and more. … [Read more...]
21 Hilarious Comic Strips That Sum Up The World Of Advertising
Life in an advertising agency can get hilariously frustrating, specially for creatives. One such anonymous creative chose to depict the funny scenarios he faced every day by creating short comic-strips and sharing them on his Tumblr blog titled The Awesome World of Advertising. Here are the best ones. … [Read more...]
35 Genius Packaging Designs
In today's competitive business environment, product packaging is as crucial as the product itself. Apart from being visually appealing, your package design needs to be practical, usable, and make the consumer prefer your product over the competitor's. Brands like Apple, who get it right, pay a lot of attention to the minutest details and create an experience around … [Read more...]
19 Amazing Photoshop Manipulations
Buenos Aires-based art director and digital artist Martin De Pasquale uses Photoshop to create crazy photo manipulations that show impossible realities with himself as the subject. Some of them are visual metaphors while the others are just wild or funny. Check out 19 of De Pasquale's best works followed by a behind-the-scenes video that shows how he goes about creating … [Read more...]
17 Famous Ad Slogans That Work For Condom Brands As Well
Here's an interesting observation - almost all famous advertising slogans can be used for a condom brand as well. To prove it, Los Angeles-based designer Max Wright came up with these hilarious condom wrappers that give Nike's "Just Do It" and KFC's "Finger lickin' good" a whole new meaning. Check them out below. … [Read more...]
32 Creative And Unique Business Cards That Stand Out
Looking for an innovative business card to impress prospective clients? Check out these 32 ingenious examples that are sure to leave a lasting impression. It’s interesting to see not just creative businesses like agencies, design firms, and photographers using unconventional cards but also lawyers, doctors, and finance professionals. … [Read more...]
27 Inspiring Quotes Beautifully Illustrated With Minimalist Posters
Get inspired by these famous words of wisdom that have been wonderfully illustrated by Toronto-based artist Ryan McArthur. Using monochromatic design, Ryan manages to create a beautiful visual representation of the quote which is elegantly minimal, yet impactful. The typography is spot on and so are the shades of grey (and in some cases blue). Check out the compilation … [Read more...]
Artist Creates Powerful Illustrations That Will Make You Stop And Think
Polish artist Pawel Kuczynski creates satirical paintings filled with thought-provoking messages about the world today. From politics and war to society and social media, his work covers a wide range of issues. Kuczynski is widely considered to be one of the most influential contemporary artists in his genre and has received more than 100 awards and distinctions. Check out … [Read more...]
60 Powerful Social Issue Ads That’ll Make You Stop And Think
We've seen some great public service announcements recently which made us wonder - why not do a post on the best PSA campaigns in the last couple of years? We scoured the internet, filtered the not-so-great ones and came up with this list of 60 hard-hitting ads that deal with social, environmental, health and other issues. From ad school assignments to Cannes-winners, these … [Read more...]
50 Incredibly Creative Logos With Hidden Meanings
Looking for some logo design inspiration? Here are 50 ingenious examples that carry dual meanings in their design. The hidden symbols explain either the nature of the business or are a clever visual representation of its name. The symbolism is obvious in some cases but skillfully subtle in most. All in all, the designers behind these logos seem to have nailed the art … [Read more...]
It’s “Wine”, Not Dark Red – Here Are The Correct Names Of All Color Shades
It's "lilac", not light purple. Just like it's "magenta", not dark pink. Writer and children’s book illustrator Ingrid Sundberg has created a Color Thesaurus - a collection of 12 color charts that list the correct names of all shades. It's a useful reference tool for artists, designers, firms, make-up professionals and anyone who's planning to get their house painted. Check … [Read more...]
30 Ad Placements That Didn’t Turn Out As Expected
Companies pay millions of dollars a year to get the perfect ad placements on TV, print, radio, outdoor, digital, etc. But sometimes, due to visual and contextual reasons, these placements turn into advertising disasters. While the visual blunders are more common, the contextual ones are funnier. Whatever the reason, these 30 epic fails will make you laugh all day. … [Read more...]
25 Epic Logo Fails
These impeccable works of art are the direct result of what happens when: (1) Clients take design matters into their own hands (2) You want a quick logo on a budget that's less than the price of a hamburger (3) Phallus-loving designers get panicky with a fast approaching deadline around the corner. Whatever the reason, these 25 masterpieces will bring a smile to your face … [Read more...]
This Swedish Artist’s Photoshop Skills Are Pure Awesome
A wild imagination coupled with phenomenal image-editing skills makes for a killer combo. That's the story of Swedish photographer and retouch artist Erik Johansson, who creates surreal images in Photoshop by recombining hundreds of original photographs and raw materials. Erik's work is a benchmark in terms of photo-retouching and he has been a speaker at events like TED and … [Read more...]
“Littering Says A Lot About You” – These Brilliant Ads Use Trash To Call Out People Who Litter
This has got to be right up there with the best PSA campaigns ever. Live Green Toronto came up with a series of print and outdoor ads as part of an anti-littering campaign to help curb the city's current problems with trash and pollution. The ads merge the labels on two items of litter to create words like 'pig', 'lazy', and 'dumb', accompanied by a tagline that reads, … [Read more...]
40 Honest Advertising Slogans
What if brand slogans were brutally honest about the products they represent? That's the question Nashville-based graphic designer Clif Dickens wanted to answer. So he came up with Honest Slogans - a series of tongue-in-cheek taglines of famous brands, most of which, make more sense than the real ones. Check them out below. … [Read more...]