Hasta La Creative!

When JWT Singapore was tapped by the Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE) to create an educational campaign about date rape, the agency decided to go in a different direction.

The result was Guardian Angel, a personal safety accessory line that looks like jewelry but is also designed to get women out of dangerous situations.

The $120 device, which can be worn as a necklace or bracelet, has a button that, hen pushed, automatically triggers a call to the wearer’s cell phone. That method is billed as a way for a woman receiving unwanted attention to create a convenient excuse to leave. If things become more serious (read: dangerous) the wearer can push the button and hold it down, sending a text alert to a designated contact, who will receive the wearer’s GPS coordinates and an automatically generated request for help.

While the idea is interesting and seems to be made with good intentions, there’s something problematic here: If you take a look at Guardian Angel’s website, you’ll notice it’s filled with cloudy backgrounds and waifish young women in white tops and little makeup. The image we’re presented with is one of innocence. While the visuals are probably supposed to look heavenly and angelic in the vein of the product name, the end result is that the Guardian Angel is a device to protect innocence. 

Why is that a bad thing? Because sexual assault isn’t something that just happens to cute, unassuming young women. And sexual assault doesn’t have a gender or sexuality associated with it. (Yes, many sexual assaults do involve young men attacking young women, especially those that are widely reported and picked up by media outlets, but assaults don’t happen to a specific type of person.) Sexual assault is pervasive and upsetting and a huge issue in our culture, so let’s try to keep that in check while creating the visual idea of an assault victim.

On The Verge, Adi Robertson describes a deeper problem with the idea of everyday assault-prevention tools:

“That’s what’s wrong with the Guardian Angel’s gauzy, stereotypical femininity: it ends up normalizing rape as an unremarkable, if unfortunate, part of the female experience. The soothing language—making women ‘feel less vulnerable’ so they can ‘live their lives to the fullest’—smacks of the vagaries in tampon commercials. It’s something everyone knows about but nobody wants to hear about, and certainly nothing that we want to acknowledge is a shamefully common plague in our schools, our prisons, our armed forces, and almost every other social institution.”

Maybe if the Guardian Angel’s creators had more directly acknowledged how awful it is that we need a piece of technology like this to begin with, then maybe the mission could resonate more.

Via Fast Company.

Créée par Studio Banana Things, « Kangaroo Light » est un produit d’éclairage portatif, ludique et flexible conçu pour s’adapter à l’intérieur de votre sac, sur une table, par terre, sur une étagère et dans une multitude d’autres applications. Sa forme flexible, sa petite taille et sa légèreté permettent de faire preuve de créativité.

Voici une table multifonctionnelle créée par le designer allemand Tom Schuster qui dispose d’une surface en bois ondulé. Des éléments technologiques sont intégrés tel un dock d’accueil pour smartphone et tablette, un tiroir sur le côté permet à l’utilisateur de ranger l’ordinateur portable et de profiter de la surface du bureau.

« The Last Memory » est un court-métrage en 3D réalisé par Olivier Latta qui voulait rendre hommage aux marsouins communs de la Mer Baltique qui meurent sous l’eau à cause des filets des bateaux de pêche et de la pollution. Un projet pour son université de design à Dessau et une musique composée par Clemens Ruh.

The Making-Of :

Le studio allemand Design Addicted nous démontre avec Glitch Me sa capacité à modifier, détourner et répéter avec talent différents éléments pour leur donner une seconde vie. Des compositions impressionnantes et visuellement impactantes à découvrir dans une série d’images.

L’artiste Flynn Talbot a créé une installation de lumières appelée « Primary » qui a été exposée à la PSAS, à Perth, en Australie. L’artiste explore les 3 couleurs primaires et les formes triangulaires à travers 3 sources de lumières LED différentes. A découvrir avec les photos de John Madden.

La marque allemande Rotring a récemment dévoilé son outil pour les créatifs avec cet objet Rotring 800+ qui fait à la fois portemine mais aussi stylet pour les appareils tactiles. Un objet au design facilement reconnaissable car reprenant les éléments de la marque à découvrir dans une série d’images et en vidéo.

Tesla Motors just got one hell of an unsolicited endorsement, in the form of a glowing review from Model S owner and massively popular cartoonist Matt "The Oatmeal" Inman.

In a lengthy two-part cartoon, Inman first gushes about his love for the electric car (which he calls his "Intergalactic SpaceBoat of Light and Wonder"), then follows up in Part 2 with a request that Tesla Motors founder Elon Musk help invest in preserving the lab equipment used by the company's namesake, Nikola Tesla.

Skeptics will, quite reasonably, note that the lavish praise of Inman's review could be seen as simply buttering up Musk for Part 2's considerable donation request, a whopping $8 million toward Inman's own goal of building a Tesla Museum. 

But clearly if Inman's only goal were coercing money from Musk, he could have done so without spending nearly so much time describing in detail his love for the Model S.

He dotes on the car's touchscreen controls, its safety features and its all-around stellar performance. He also spends considerable time, as many Tesla Motors fans do, assuaging fears from overhyped concerns about range (260 miles between charges for his 85 kwh battery) and potential for fire (very low, considering lack of gasoline and a software upgrade implemented after a few early, non-injury fires).

And then, of course, he asks Elon Musk for $8 million. 

Obviously, Inman is no journalist, so he's not bound by any sort of perceived conflict of interest. If anything, he deserves points for being rather candid with his two-part Tesla-themed opus. There's also the fact that Inman has been no slouch on the Tesla Museum fundraising front, having generated $1.37 million in donations from fans to save the inventor's lab from destruction.

In the end, Inman's positivity, proven passion and direct appeal have effectively put Musk in quite a bind.

The entrepreneur's beloved vehicle now has a sky-illuminating endorsement from one of the Internet's most popular creative talents, and it comes at a vital moment in Tesla's goal of becoming a mainstream national auto brand.

But will he feel indebted enough to Inman to cough up $8 million and co-found a museum to one of history's greatest inventors? Time will tell. Or as Tesla himself put it, "Let the future tell the truth, and evaluate each one according to his work and accomplishments."

David Lubars is Chief Creative Officer of BBDO in New York.

Therefore, it is safe to conclude BBDO/NY will consistently make beautiful work.

Shot documentary-style by Greenpoint Pictures’ directorial duo The Hudson Dusters, the films capture real, inspirational stories from places around the globe where GE technology is truly making a difference.

The films are running online in GE markets all around the world, and further stories will be rolled out throughout the year.

Previously on AdPulp: Brands Use Instagram to Paint 1000 Words

The post BBDO/NY Rolls Film, Presents GE’s Technology As A Service To Humanity appeared first on AdPulp.

L’artiste urbain d’origine espagnole SpY a récemment mis en place son installation « Moon » à Lausanne en Suisse. Un croissant de Lune artificielle a été suspendue grâce à une grue au-dessus du paysage urbain et s’illumine la nuit. Une installation très poétique à découvrir en images.