Advert of the Week 9: I can't believe I'm saying this.....The Beatles

I've kind of shocked myself since this advert has been on with liking it (I'm not a huge fan of The Beatles...ok I really don't like them, please don't hate me)! Recently, the band's entire back catalogue have finally been uploaded and made available on iTunes, something which I automatically assumed has been done ages ago. Anyway, I've ended up really enjoying the set of four adverts, each to a different and notable Beatles song, promoting this. The one above to 'Let It Be', the song I can stand the most of the four (and end up singing along to but shhh), is played against the same slideshow of images of the band in their prime. The black and white photos are stunning and the content of each is real and raw, much like the music making of the band themselves. The simplicity of this also struck me, with no fancy use of CGI or special effects, just a nicely timed reel of images to an iconic track. Another thing which I really liked about these adverts is the lack of need to even mention the band's name, with the photographs of the members being instantly recognisable without plastering logos and writing around. Merely a strap line at the end states 'Now on iTunes', allowing the viewer to discover the point of the advertisement whilst leaving you with a sense of curiosity to go on there and find out more (something which would have been diminished should tracks and albums have been reeled off). The piece closes on an image of John and Paul during their happy period (as I've been told my boyfriend who adores them), with the Apple logo hovering over the top. All in all, despite my preferences in music, no one can doubt the influence of The Beatles and their recognisable tracks and I feel this ad has been beautifully done in a poignant and sophisticated manner to honour their memory and long-lasting reign in the music world.

Advert of the Week 8: Florence and the Machine/Littlewoods

Well, it's not really an advert to be honest but a really cute way to expose a bit of Dog Days!



In the meantime, here's a real advert what I've been really enjoying during this festive season (although the film which the song comes from is petrifying!)



I absolutely LOVE the scene in this extended version where the shadow hand lifts up the woman (watch it to see what I mean hehe)

Designer of the Week 3: Jasper Goodall

It's that time of the week again guys and today, to distract me from pasta, I've had some of my fave band on full blast. Nothing like some Muse to cheer up your day. And it got me thinking, especially when flicking through their single and album artwork on my iTunes; I haven't showcased one of my fave Muse single artwork designers yet!

Jasper Goodall

You might have seen my own interpretation of Jasper's Muse cover on my website (if not, I wouldn't suggest looking at it after viewing his, it puts mine to shame!). His cover art for the CD/DVD/Vinyl version of Muse's single 'Invincible' brought Goodall to my attention (I love how music influences you sometimes) and then I realised he'd done most of the single artwork for the Black Holes and Revelations album!

Example of Goodall's smoke imagery which Muse used for their Wembley tour dates in 2008

Starlight single cover, sticking with the recognisable Goodall style

Invincible single artwork. I adore Goodall's smoke imagery and I understand how time consuming it must have been after recreating my own (see liannamaydesign.co.uk, personal work section)

Supermassive Black Hole single artwork

Knights of Cydonia single artwork, another example of Goodall's smoke imagery

Obviously the guy does more than just work for Muse! Quite alot of his work is dominated by the female form (on many occasions, a naked form) which he believes is influenced by his father's photography work of the 70s of the feminist movement. The illustrations are so intricate and delicate, something which drew me further into the work of Jasper and the vivid colours contrasting his theme of strong black and white create a dramatic and eye-catching effect. Below are a few more examples (which aren't to do with Muse ha):

Don't know about you guys but I get a real Bond Girl/Bond Titles theme from this. Think Goodall would make an amazing job creating the next Bond film titles. Made from pieces that weren't use during his Muse brief

Love the limited use of bright colours on this piece, contrasting the stark black and white

Have a look at the dude, his work is amazing! It's pj time and potentially pasta for me now!

Friendly Friday 2

Here's something a little different for you guys this week. I know I said I'm going to recommend a fellow designer friend of mine each Friday, well, that's going to be hard. I haven't got a huge amount of designer friends...yet. Anyway, seeing as today has been dominated by music news (I'm not going to take this opportunity to gloat about which tickets I successfully managed to purchased today...I've been using Facebook for that!) I'm here to recommend to you lovely readers a great music blog!

Insight Music

I urge you to have a look if you're into a little bit of alternative, up-and-coming music. Insight Music is full of album reviews, gig reviews and recommended artists so if you're looking for a new listen, start your research here!

I'll be back on Sunday to let you all know whether I've calmed down from the Take That mania, how my final pasta pieces have come along and any other general news about my design work (the photographer I told you all about has been contacting me again, he must like me quite a bit!). Have a good weekend chucks!