SWAPAN SETH IS ON DESICREATIVE

Sonya · Post by **Sonya** » Thu Aug 24, 2006 12:50 pm

did not know people were still doing this kind of great advertising. Swapan, I can see great similarity between you and Neil French. Both love copy based ads. Fantastic. I also like the art direction. Do you guys enter these in awards?

swapanseth · Post by **swapanseth** » Thu Aug 24, 2006 4:56 pm

Awards? In India? Would juries even understand this:). But will do so for Neil's awards. Thanks for your kind words though

swapanseth · Post by **swapanseth** » Thu Aug 24, 2006 5:11 pm

do people read long body copy ads? the jury is out on that. but I'll tell you what.. people read books, people read newspapers. people read anything that engages them and then delights them. But I write for my personal pleasure and am blessed to have clients who believe that it works for their brands. I always suspected that Neil wrote for himself and each of the brands he wrote for he spoke for. I write in my same sardonic manner for all brands. I believe you must write the way you speak. And I invariably visualise what I write. I can see Branagh's reaction to his food, to be theatrical. Writing is visualizing just as I think sometimes visualizing is great writing. The lines are blurred because both are finally about lines.

Dalbir · Post by **Dalbir** » Thu Aug 24, 2006 5:22 pm

Swapan, actually it is really brave that you guys do all these copy heavy ads in a world obsessed with visually driven ideas. It is so much easier to come up with a clever visual based ad, look at all those student award results...infact some of these are better then the lego grand prix winner at Cannes.

What actaully we are interested is how do the consumers react to your ads. Is there any kind of feedback? Ofcourse if the clients keep on coming back to you then they must be doing the job...but do u have any study, client comments etc?

I also think that some of you stuff will definately get in D&AD...Tate gallery ads that won are all copy based.

On the other hand I also like the way you guys integrate body copy in the art, vis-a-vis traditional ads that have seperate bodycopy which I doubt anyone reads.

swapanseth · Post by **swapanseth** » Thu Aug 24, 2006 5:29 pm

Dude: it's that old saying: we sell or else...
Of course, there are instances when the results are finite. The recruitment ad got over 800 responses.
But in other instances, I concede that it is a tad impossible to measure results.
I have nothing against visual based ads. We do some half decent ones there as well.
But somehow, I feel that because most ECDs are not exponents of long copy, they discourage youngsters to pursue the path. It's like the keyboard versus long hand writing. Get the drift?
I always feel that art and copy are bedfellows in a king size bed. You just have to make space for each other rather than believing that you are in two different beds.
Send me some of your stuff Dalbir.

swapanseth · Post by **swapanseth** » Thu Aug 24, 2006 5:32 pm

I mean, are the Asian Age Poetry ads nice art or good copy? I think it's the former.

Dalbir · Post by **Dalbir** » Thu Aug 24, 2006 5:42 pm

If I had a great writer next to me I would a mixer of art and copy, but having worked at places where they do not speak English sometimes I have to rely on my own skills which is Art.

Once Satbir get a little free time we have plans to do some copy only ads.

Here is one for Playboy.com that I did.

Dalbir · Post by **Dalbir** » Thu Aug 24, 2006 5:44 pm

I have fallen in love with the european street art and pictograms. This one for British Council.

swapanseth · Post by **swapanseth** » Thu Aug 24, 2006 5:45 pm

smart! simple!

Dalbir · Post by **Dalbir** » Thu Aug 24, 2006 5:47 pm

Another one for London International, also a language school. This got a One Show in Design.

The one for Britsih Council I quite like. This got a silver at NY festivals and an entry in CA.

swapanseth · Post by **swapanseth** » Thu Aug 24, 2006 5:48 pm

this is fresh art. catch any joker in India looking at art from this perspective. you know what, we've ceased to look or inspiration. we are so frigging busy looking for Canners reel(lol!)

swapanseth · Post by **swapanseth** » Thu Aug 24, 2006 5:50 pm

great stuff. well done!

Dalbir · Post by **Dalbir** » Thu Aug 24, 2006 5:57 pm

Thanks. I believe in work smart. The English for adults took me an hour to make the full execution. Could have used real photography, but that means asking for favours, running after my Art Directors, and not enjoying the sun which we rearely get out here.

The pictogram one, actaully they are all typo dingbats. After chasing my Art Directors I gave up, googled, and there are so many free fonts out there that you can make the whole layout in an hour.

Last year Me and satbir got a D&AD for this Amnesty Piece that we made in 15 min flat, that includes the art work as well.

Here are some more British Council series, I am struglling with the copy, but perhaps you could suggest. Honestly here, the visuals came first. I just wanted to do something with pictograms.

swapanseth · Post by **swapanseth** » Thu Aug 24, 2006 6:00 pm

you really don't need any smart lines for the pictograms. they work the way they are. trust me.

Dalbir · Post by **Dalbir** » Thu Aug 24, 2006 9:44 pm

You are right swapan, our desi culture is so rich, we should look there for inspiration. I am yet to see some great campaign based on our mughal style paintings, our truck art, or the desi kitch like cheap Bollywood style hand painted posters. But what we do is what the west would love to see or perceive India as.