Creative License

The ATTIK added a kind of magic to Microsoft's Millennium campaign more than a year ago, but that was only the beginning. "Following the success of Windows 98, it was crucial that The ATTIK brand launch team in San Francisco deliver the Windows ME video with maximum impact and affect," says ATTIK US President William Travis. "As a Microsoft preferred vendor, delivering the company's core values to such a wide audience increased the sensitivity of the piece. It was for this reason that approval has to come from the VP level within the company."The Microsoft campaign wasn't the first major advertorial launch for the ATTIK, but it was among the most widely recognized in the realm of print and broadcast branding. Director Mike Dixon explains, "To promote the physical connection between people and their computers, we added a sense of magic to the environments through the power of visual effects. By paring down unnecessary elements, we created a snapshot of everybody's world, regardless of language or location. Our goal was to illustrate the core principles of why consumers would want their software to be better, whether it be promoting better communication between family members or connecting with others across the globe."Since then, the ATTIK has sweat inspiration for many high-profile media campaigns, including NIKE, Ford, Sony and Fox and Adult Channel television networks. In the ATTIK's world, multiple media forms marry. The agency develops print, broadcast and Web designs in offices from New York to London to Sydney to San Francisco—all of which embody Travis' goals to not only interpret products for consumption, but to do so using efficient productivity. Behind the scenes of these theosophies, 10 all-star art directors lay claim to visual candy. James Somerville, an ATTIK alum, contributed to Plazm, a design arts magazine, several years ago—curating an entire issue's aesthetics (from layout to lithography). Accordingly, the directors rely on top-notch software programs and digital imaging. In Plazm, the outstanding insert was produced computer-to-plate using the ATTIK's arsenal of graphic software and output devices—scanners, proofers and printers—in harmony with Macintosh hardware.In fact, the ATTIK developed Sony Playstation's Motoracer World Tour using a variety of design programs. The "Hang on for dear life!" campaign was conceptualized, produced and designed exclusively by the ATTIK—including branding, packaging, printed ads and live action. The packaging itself revealed a live-action 30-second spot with a 15-second cutdown, full-spread and single-page print ad. Distributed by Infogrames New York, a developer of interactive entertainment, the multimedia design hit store shelves simultaneously with a media-wide advertising blitz for the new product. "We designed the print with TV in mind," explains Steve Lucker, ATTIK associate director of client services, "because our objective was to create a synergized look and feel. The result is very colorful and rich, very appropriate for our target demographic—16-to-21 year olds."The Playstation campaign utilized one of the ATTIK's common credos: Make it pop. "We needed a foundation that would really complement the graphics and capture the attention of consumers," describes ATTIK Designer Chris McCrae. "After researching other game packaging, we knew that we needed our design to scream. Using orange and yellow hues allowed us to include reflections and bike textures that sat very well in the overall color scheme and also stands above crowded game shelves." According to McCrae, the ultimate challenge was illustrating the degree of realism that is at the core of the product. He says this difficult task was accomplished using one-part perspiration and the other part technology. ATTIK creatives used Photoshop, AfterEffects, Maya and free-hand drawings for the print ads, packaging and TV commercials. The ATTIK recognizes that communications, advertising and production rely on several factors to make the end-product not only viable in a heavily saturated market, but also top-quality. The company consistently uses the most up-to-date, highly creative software programs on the market today. For a music campaign the ATTIK launched last year, designers fused photography with special effects. ATTIK designer Michael Williams not only courted celebrity photographer Time-Bret Day to do the shot of recording artist Roni Size, but the images were then filtered into digital effects processes to provide a look Williams describes as "futuristic." He says the images were designed to look like production stills from an unmade movie, using props and special effects explosions created in PhotoShop and AfterEffects. "The idea for the campaign was parked by my interest in the production process of modern filmmaking," admits Williams, "the gulf between what the public sees and the reality of creating the images, which is often more interesting visually."-Natalie Hope McDonald

General

Creative License

Publishing Executive Staff

About

Subscriptions

Events

Publications

WORK SMARTER - LEARN, GROW AND BE INSPIRED.

Subscribe today!

Publishing Executive Staff