Birth of an Idea: The Ride

Flying cars, exploding brains and how the creative process comes to life.

New year, new idea playing field. So instead of the standard, contrived wishes of prosperity, health and love — who the hell needs those anyway? — we’ll wish you a year full of big ideas that take flight, boldly and blindly and ever so freely.

And because those in the business of ideas know the beautiful chaos of the creative process, some have taken it upon themselves to bring it to life.

Courtesy of Santa-Monica-based motion graphics and design studio King & Country, here’s The Ride: A wonderful animation short that captures the magic of the formation, ripening and fruition of a great idea — from the unrefined roughness of the seed to the polished brilliance of the final product — taking us along for the ride.

(Download the hi-def Quicktime here… it’s worth it.)

Here’s to the life of the mind and a brand new canvas for the art of creative vision.

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In other news…

We interrupt this program to bring you an utterly off-topic, yet utterly amusing message:

I Met The Walrus: Lennon’s Brain Animated

Truth, aged like a good whiskey, from the cellar of a cultural legend.

In 1969, a brave 14-year-old boy named Jerry Levitan armed with a tape-deck snuck into John Lennon’s hotel room in Toronto and charmed the legend into doing an interview about peace, music, the USA, life and the Bee Gees. Thirty-nine years later, Levitan offered the interview to the world.

Only he did it brilliantly.

I Met The Walrus is an animated short, in which Lennon’s original voiceover comes to life through wonderful pen animation by the tremendously talented James Braithwaite.

Listen to Lennon’s detached yet passionate musings on politics, human nature and marijuana. And appreciate the irony of how true some of what he said 39 years ago rings today.

It’s up to the people. You can’t blame it on the government and say, ‘Oh, they’re doing this, they’re doing that, oh, they’re gonna put is us into war.’ We put ’em there. We allow it. And we can change it. If we really wanna change it, we can change it.” ~ John Lennon

And as we throw a hopeful glance of relief towards the President Elect, we can’t help thinking, Amen.

*** UPDATE ***

Levitan’s once-in-a-lifetime Lennon adventure is now available in book form, as the wonderful I Met the Walrus: How One Day with John Lennon Changed My Life Forever — a priceless first-hand recollection of the unusual encounter. It features Jerry’s memorabilia from the day — notes from John and Yoko, the secret code to contact him, drawings, John’s doodles and more — as well as the animated film and the original audio interview. It is, as we certainly don’t need to point out, a cultural treasure and a Lennonphiliac must-have.

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Creative Clockwork

What Flavor Flav, wildlife preservation and Dali have in common.

We love clocks. And we love creative communication that technically falls within the advertising industry, but is actually oh-so-much-more. Today, we look at five supremely creative executions involving clocks.

UNIVERSITY OF GENT: DARE TO THINK

Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi, Brussels
Creative Director: Jan Teulingkx

Brilliantly captures the very point of a liberal arts education: Studying the traditional and universal, then challenging it.

HAMBURG DALI EXHIBITION

Agency: Jung von Matt, Hamburg
Creative Director: Deneke von Weltzien

To bring the great artist to life, Hamburg agency Jung von Matt replaced a number of public clocks with the iconic melted Dali clock for the duration of the exhibition.

WWF: IT’S TIME TO SAVE THEM

Agency: Asatsu Thailand, Bangkok
Art Director: Romerun Chueawongprom

The recognizable WWF logo, reconceived with a new sense of urgency. So simple, but it gets the point across so powerfully

LG TIME MACHINE TV

Agency: Y&R, Dubai
Creative Directors: Shahir Ahmed, Guilherme Rangel

Creative visual translation of the basic product proposition: 24-hour live recording that makes TV run on your own time.

VOLKSWAGEN: CUCKOO CLOCK

Agency: DDB, Berlin
Creative Directors: Bert Peulecke, Amir Kassaei, Stefan Schulte

Knocking down knock-off culture one hum-drum old couple at a time. Winner at the New York Television & Radio Advertising Festival.