It’s been a very clever campaign so far, great soundtracks with a nice sense of freedom and this advert looks to continue that trend.

Also wanted to post a couple of the other Visa adverts from this campaign.

- Jason

Flickr was a site that I’d always heard about, sort of tried but never really used. I’d upload a few ‘test’ pieces, found that it connected well to my social media and mobile devices but really had no great use for it. I then stumbled upon the Thingaweek group.

Thingaweek which is now running into its 34th week (join the fun now!) is inspired by an annual photographic event in Cardiff, UK called the Photomarathon:

A Photomarathon is a photograph competition with a twist: You receive a 12 picture film. Over 12 hours you have to take pictures on 12 given topics. It’s not your physical condition, but your sense of improvisation, fun and creativity that is stressed throughout the Photomarathon.

Thingaweek was created by a few members that took part in the Photomarathon using a similar concept and started a group on Flickr of which there are currently over 140 members. The rules are fairly simple:

One theme. One week. One photo. (Repeat)

There are a few other details that should be followed as in no digital manipulation and a deadline of midnight on a Sunday each week but other than that it’s wherever your imagination can lead you!

What brings this all together for me and what makes Flickr such an ideal platform is the community that has been created and the work that is inspired by that same group of people. The strength comes from the group itself as it boasts photographers of all skills; anyone is invited to join in no matter how much practice you’ve had behind a camera. The task set each week creates a challenge to be creative, it keeps your mind working and in my case breaks me away from my usual work within the design field. The photographs that come through each week are always inspiring, always come with discussion and always vary. A range of ideas and concepts come through that not only inspire but provide the other members with new and exciting ways to look at a particular theme.

My own Thingaweek collection

I feel obliged to get my next shot up for the week and to also see what others have contributed. I enjoy discussing the photographs and always appreciate any feedback that I receive (good or bad) about my work. If you’re the type that strive for awards then Thingaweek also gives out ‘Badges‘ to those photographs that really inspire. Anyone can create a badge and are encouraged to do so to show recognition for a great shot.

A few Thingaweek Badges

It’s an environment that’s built to grow. Foomandoonian (the ring leader as I’d like to dub him) has been at the forefront when it comes to getting Thingaweek running like a well-oiled machine. Twitter enables the group to stay connected instantly while users are invited to contribute ideas for upcoming themes using Flickr’s discussion posts. A tumblelog has also been setup creating a live feed and countdown of all things ‘thingaweek’ and even an arranged meet-up is planned for the near future.

Join in the fun and get you’re next Thingaweek submitted today!

If you’re still a little curious as to what its all about I’ve decided to include some of my favorite shots over the last 30 weeks:

Flipped – By Thiefree

#thingaweek 25 – Word Art – By pjmowbs

Windy Woo – By Kathryn Parker

Gabalfa / A48 – mark.stevenson1983

Park Leaf – By Foomandoonian

Fly big can! Fly! – By Renato Pequito

And one of my shots that I had the most fun trying to figure out without completely embarrassing myself!

A Tragic Discovery- By Jason W Stanley

- Jason

Star Wars never gets old for me as I grew up watching all the originals many many times and a new advertising campaign by adidas is making sure that Star Wars will be around for a while longer with a new collection of shoes and apparel completely inspired by the films. The advert is brilliantly made and with the obvious inclusion of many of adidas’ celebrity stars it brings a contemporary feel to the Star Wars image. An awesome remixed song to boot!

Also posted up a selected few items that I’d have on my wishlist:

adidas X-Wing

adidas Luke

adida atat

adidas saga

The pieces begin to hit all adidas Originals stores and other select retailers in January 2010 while a closer look into the lineup will soon be made available.

A common strategy (especially with television advertising) can be aggressive with your promotion. Car insurance adverts and claims adverts tend to do these the most with intrusive memorable phrases or songs that will stick in your head for the rest of the day. This spreads word of mouth and if its ‘catchy’ enough it may become viral. An advertising dream for the internet age!

I apologise for this by the way.

Another style that I believe can be far more rewarding is the interactive advertising campaign. One that involves the public and forces them into direct contact with a brand. Usually it can be a very simple idea engaging the viewers curiosity.

A few examples can be shown here:

Pedigree using a touchscreen method of interaction.

Realisation that you

Another way of involving the person indirectly through advertising. This advert in particular has become a viral success.

Coca-Cola have started a new campaign in France to advertise their new ‘grip bottle’. Info from Direct Daily:

Let people know about how the new Coca-Cola Grip Bottle has a better grip for holding. Posters printed on Velcro were placed in bus shelters in Paris to make people interact with the grip. People literally hooked to the campaign.

Click to view larger image

I love how it captures the attention of the people at the bus stop. It forces the user to get involved with the advert but in an interestingly unique manner.

Have you seen any interesting ‘interactive’ advertising and how did it get you involved?

- Jason

For me, when I stumbled upon this image I was taken back to when I was younger, looking at images of the planets and our solar system, thinking about how far our galaxy reaches and what other life forms (if any) also exist. I’ve always had a fascination with space and the statistics that we were taught about growing up. How far each planet is, how big each planet is in relation the list goes on.

This image taken from the National Geographic website fascinates me in the same way that I was as a child. I love looking at the detail, following the lines and working out each destination of every mission.

To see the hi-res image click here.

More details from National Geographic:

The first attempts to reach Mars (1960) and Venus (1961) failed, yet triumph followed quickly. Of nearly 200 solar, lunar, and interplanetary missions depicted on this map, most have been Earth’s closet neighbours. As rocketry, navigation, and imaging have become ever more capable and reliable, the planets and many of their moons have been examined in detail. The New Horizons mission to Pluto is under way, as is the MESSENGER mission to Mercury. Others not yet launched, perhaps not yet dreamed, await.

- Jason

Big Head by imaginism

DAREDEVIL fun2 by themico

Dynamo 5 - 21 Page 20 by Cinar

I Smell The Nature Ghost by Themrock

Always Charge, Never Bend by kuroitora

Strange Bat Fellows by kizer180

Get Me to the Church on Time by snapshot80

Eden by zbush

THE EYE by Efra270

Little Bird of Blue by sesfitts

One of the main reasons I do this is to capture what DeviantArt is so good at doing introducing other artists to something they’ve not seen before. I get to see so much work that inspires me everyday and that inspiration can lead to so many other creative ideas.

- Jason

Joe the Faux-Fur Mink by Themrock

Tship-day by Kurunya

Black Baloon by Lora8

Half Minute Horrors by imaginism (one of my personal favourites this week)

Bad Dog by Themrock

beetlebum by nefar007

Venom 17 cvr by Eldelgado (can't resist adding a Spidey picture!)

Orgullosamente Hispano: Zapata by GENZOMAN

swan by dangerousllama

reach me to the sky by Fikrees Projects

Its not the first post I’ve ended with a cat image but this one is just so interesting, a moment in time!

- Jason

I wanted to be able to focus on particluar genres/categories each week so starting today I present to you some of my favourite sci-fi outer space posters!

Sunshine - 2007: Not a critically acclaimed film by any means but I love the sense of heat and solitude that this poster provides.

Alien - 1979: A classic take on the simplistic yet unknown alien threat. Brilliant design can come from a minimal idea.

Aliens - 1986: The classic 80's style illustration poster beautifully capturing a climactic point in the film. Also wanted to note the contrasting styles of the first and second film and how they relate to the actual styles of filmaking in both. Alien being a very cold mysterious thriller while Aliens a gung-ho action flick.

2001 A Space Odyssey - 1968: A classic poster for a classic film. Why not show off some of your best visuals on the poster, after all the film was made pre Star Wars special effects and its just one of the reasons to get you interested in seeing this film.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture - 1979: I'm not the biggest Star Trek fan out there but some of the artwork for the earlier films wee stunning. Unfortunately they seemed to get cheesier and more 'made for tv' as they went on.

Moon - 2009: Ok I cheated a little, haven't even seen this film yet. In fact it isn't even OUT yet.

Zathura - 2005: Space isn't all glood and doom as advertised in "Zathura's" bright, colourful imagery and kids that just want to explore!

Apollo 13 - 1995: They say an image speaks a thousand words. Tom Hanks aptly proves this point in Ron Howard's gripping space flick about the failed mission to the moon.

Forbidden Planet - 1956: I should really have added more than just one of these from the classic days of space horror, but this is one of my favourites.

The Empire Strikes Back - 1980: I had to put a Star Wars film in here somewhere but I was just not sure which one as there's a ton of decent artwork.

So there ya go, and thats just a small handful of posters. I’m sure I’ve missed out quite a few, what others would you recommend?

- Jason

So starting this week I’m putting together a Deviant  showcase of 10 images that I’ve found that have inspired me.

Piranha Plant Problems - by Themrock

The Stand by - imaginism

Baby Alien - by imaginism

X-Men Origins: Wolverine - by patrickbrown

Street Fighter Kids - by imaginism

Goukiki - by nefar007

Mother Anarchy - by Lora8

Tree again - by WyA

banaNIKE - by Lora8

Code Red - by kizer180

- Jason

The following images are some of my favourites that I found around the internet!

moeside.net

by Kuthinks

by ORANGE-DiNO

by jakks004

by Jo-Choa

by Pimmy (one of my favourites!)

Very sharp work!

by MuzzaThePerv

by HazuraSinner

by Phantom-Gurl

by Kristehvampire

by OliveFingers

by inkarnat (nice change from the typical anime ones)

by Spieluhr-13

by miss-teax3 (where there's the internet there's always a cat)

- Jason