15/09/2015

Inspiration: Advertisements

Versace Fall/Winter 1998 Audrey Marnay by Steven Meisel:

A year ago I asked in my blog's Facebook what you'd like me to post about. Of course I shall continue sharing the crafts and DT work I do, but I wondered if there's something more that you'd like to know. Like something about the mediums I use, my favorite supplies, about my process or similar. What was suggested was a post about inspiration. So I decided to start a series of post concentrating on something that inspires me.

Here's links to previous posts on the series:

6) Inspiration: Instagram
7) Inspiration: Moodboards
8) My favorite supplies
9) Inspiration: Events, crops, workshops
10) Inspirarion: Photos

Ok - today's topic is adds. First I thought I haven't done any projects with this source of inspiration but luckily it soon dawned to me that that isn't the case. We used an add campaign in one of the "Inspired By" challenges with Marsha. We chose the Versace's autumn/winter 1998 campaign and created crafts based on that. Here's a link to the original Pinterest board Marsha created (link) and links to Marsha's project (link) and to mine (link). Later on I also remembered that Alphonse Mucha was foremost an advertisement artist creating a totally new style to advertise products and events. And yes, we have also been "Inspired by" Mucha with Marsha.

But how then to use the adds as a source of inspiration? What immediately comes in mind are the colors. Depends on the add of course, but usually they have great colors or color combinations. You can also study how the colors make you feel, how they are used to further get the message across. Health products probably have green in some way included to the piece where as cooling or refreshing products are bound to have cool colors and maybe even shades of blues.

140910_MarshaValk_IB_VFW98

What you can also get from advertisements is the composition. You can turn the add into a sketch just by converting the elements correspond the elements you need in your project. Like photo, title and place for journaling if you are scrapbooking, focal point and text if you are making a card an so forth. Just see how the image(s), texts and additional items are positioned. You can also try to analyze how your eyes are moving across the add. Where the main focal point is, what your eyes are drawn to next and where's the biggest contrast in the piece. Some adds also have juxtaposition of different elements. This might give you inspiration or ideas about a topic to your project. 

Another thing you can find from adds is punchy titles for layouts or thoughts for art journal pages or ATCs. There might be a fun word play or an idea you can use in your project or then go with the general theme of the add. What about documenting your favorite hobby in the form of an add or then make an art journal page in the style of an add from the 1900s. 

Moreover what you can find from adds is the way the photos are taken. There might be ideas to new selfies or then ideas how to take photos of your family. Also observe the angle the camera has been, the perceptive as there might be some fun ideas to include to your photos. As most of the photos we take tend to be from the eye height, a shot taken at the floor level or from straight arms might bring just that extra something needed for the project. Adds for different restaurants or food products might also bring ideas how to document your dinner, favorite supplies to prepare a dish or your craft supplies.

 

Here's just a few ideas to get you going:

- Google or leaf through old magazines and see how adds have changed during the years - can you find a similar change in other aesthetics? Redo a layout or a project from years back.

- document your favorite food, drink or other product through an add it has

- "Image is nothing, thirst is everything" - redo a slogan and go from there

- use a color palette of an add for your project

- leaf through a magazine and see adds that interest you - do they have something in common? Use that as a jumping off point

- juxtaposition of old and new, hot and warm... see how the adds take two contrasting things and put them together. Use that as inspiration for an art journal page or ATCs

- use an add for your composition - see where the focal point is and where the text is situated for example

- clip a few adds from magazines and glue them to your art journal - use those as your bottom layer

- use a slogan as your layout topic or a line in your art journal

- make a project in the style of an add

- arrange "a photoshoot" and use different angles and take a great variety of photos - be inspired by your snap shots!

- start an add Pinterest board and see where it takes you

Alphonse Mucha/Art Nouveau:

I hope you found this post interesting or perhaps even inspiring! I think this might be my last inspiration post for now but feel free to leave a comment if you wish otherwise! I also might continue until the new year... Please also remember the "Inspired by" posts as I usually try to open up my process in them.

Thank you for stopping by today!

1 comment:

Kathy Bradley said...

Riikka,
What a wonderful blog post - it was very interesting and quite informative and helpful. I am going to check out your other posts you've liked as well. As always, thank you!

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