Best Practice in advertising: when an art director hovers
Every year, only a few projects stand out in particular in the Red Dot Award: Communication Design. The jury awards them with the highest single distinction in the competition, the Red Dot: Grand Prix. In 2017, this prize was granted only five times, among others to Achtung! and Studio Kraftwerk from Amsterdam for the advertising campaign “Hovering Art Director”. This project for US-American software company Adobe Systems was developed under the Creative Direction of Daniel Sytsma.
Daniel Sytsma about his profession
“Keep on searching for alternatives. Nothing is ever perfect” – this is the design philosophy of Daniel Sytsma from the Netherlands. Since 2008, he has been working at Achtung! together with a team of creatives, designers and strategists to develop campaigns with a strong focus on innovation and craft. In 2014, he set up the Studio Kraftwerk to create digital products and services. What he values most about his job is that he got to do something he loves for a living. “When you get to do just that with other individuals who feel the same, then I am happy”, explains Sytsma.
About an “Hovering Art Director”
Together with his team, the creative mind realised the ad campaign “Hovering Art Director”. It thematises the integration of Adobe Stock into Adobe Creative Cloud and highlights its new features and possibilities in a smart and humorous manner. The center of the corresponding advertising video is the “Hovering Art Director”, a stereotypical and overprinted figure who has its head in the clouds. The scene is a parody of an allegedly typical scene in the everyday work life of an ad designer: With the art director standing behind him, he realises an advertising motif for a fictitious ginger beer brand despite time pressure shortly before the deadline. Thanks to Adobe Stock, the ad designer manages to realise the director’s sheer endless stream of absurd ideas in Photoshop and to satisfy him with an outstanding result in the end.
How to stand out from the crowd
With a wink, the campaign creates identification and, at the same time, clearly illustrates the usefulness of the product for the working day of a designer. The Red Dot Jury was convinced: “This advertising campaign for Adobe Stock is well thought-out, skilfully executed and works excellently.” This is how Daniel Sytsma answered the question how one can stand out from the crowd: “I think that if you are trying to stand out from the crowd you are going about it in the wrong way. Being passionate about what you do and following your dreams is what will make you stand out in the end.”
Red Dot Award: Communication Design 2018
In 2018 again, the Red Dot Jury will award the highest single distinction to the respectively best works in 17 categories. Agencies, designers and companies, who want to secure their chance to win the award, can currently apply for the Red Dot: They can enter their projects in the Red Dot Award: Communication Design during the “Early Bird” registration phase until 10 April.
» Further information and registration for the Red Dot Award: Communication Design 2018
