Guy Walks Into An Advertising Agency (Mad Men episode title)

Daunted. Excited. Nervous. Unsure. These are just a handful of emotions I felt as I arrived at Purple Creative, 117 Farringdon Road, London. I was about to embark on an idea I had conjured up around my 19^th birthday, working as a copywriter in advertising.  Whether it was my addiction to Mad Men, or just pure naivety, I believed I could be successful in this industry, and now I had an opportunity to get a real taste of advertising life. As I walked through the doors for a two week placement, I can honestly say I was bricking it… Continue…

Vertigo & volcanoes: when Purple Project Managers go rogue

Travel has always been something I’ve loved. From holidays with my family, to inter-railing around Eastern Europe with friends and a ‘World Challenge’ in Cambodia and Thailand, I’m very lucky that it’s played a part in my up-bringing. Luckier still, I’ve been able to continue visiting new places in my adult life – work has even given me the opportunity to visit clients in Scotland, France and the Czech Republic. But, I’d never satisfied a long-growing urge to take a travel break that would allow me to see different corners of the world all in one thrilling hit.

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Making zombies: a music video

Our multi-talented Marc Crane (see previous graphic novel blog) has just made his first ever music video with new band Muertos. But, as you would expect, it’s not just any music video. Oh no. His music video involves severed limbs, lots of spurting blood and an army of grave-dodging, tendon-tearing, neck-nibbling zombies.

Here’s Marc’s write-up about the band, the shoot and his tips on making fake blood. When you watch the video, look out for Marc’s cameo as a picnicker who comes to a grisly end. Continue…

Flavoured Scotch. Aberration or innovation?

With the launch of Ballantine’s Brasil, Bushmills Irish Honey, Fireball, Jim Beam Red Stag and others, we’ve been talking about flavoured Scotch a lot recently. And blimey, who knew that people would have such strong opinions about it?

It turns out there are two schools of thought in the Purple studio – one firmly in the ‘why are they messing with Scotch’ camp; while the other is in the ‘it’s the future of a traditional drink’ camp. Here, Gary Westlake, our Creative Director on the Glenfiddich Single Malt Scotch Whisky account argues his purist corner, while Steve Bewick, our Creative Director on the Grant’s Blended Scotch Whisky account, argues next generation innovation. Continue…

The People of Purple Interviews: Sam Hewett

Welcome to our series of chats with the highly creative and passionate people of Purple. This month Sam Hewett talks to us about working for barristers, Glastonbury and being a social media stalker. Continue…

Hard craft: creating the Pilsner Urquell Global Workshop

We’ve been organising a Global Workshop for Pilsner Urquell this month, everything from choosing the location and dressing the room to getting creative with the agenda and finding new ways to engage and involve the global audience. Continue…

Kininvie whisky shoot: a blog in pictures

Sometimes art directors are people of few words. So rather than blather on about her shoot in Scotland for Kininvie, an incredibly rare and reclusive 23 year old single malt, Olga has created a pictorial blog of her first ever shoot instead. It comes complete with behind-the-scenes shots of river-leaping photographer Thomas Skovsende and a very official-looking clipboard-holding Jamie. It is a thing of wonder.  Continue…

The People of Purple Interviews: Marc Crane

Welcome to our series of chats with the highly creative and passionate people of Purple. This month Marc Crane talks to us about horror movies, design heroes and channeling his inner noir with his own graphic novel, LIL.

 

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Designing for the future: 2113 Time Capsule

We feel very mortal at the moment. We’ve just finished a Time Capsule design and internal communications project that won’t be looked at for 100 years, when it’s opened in the Grant Family Home in 2113. We’ve never created a time capsule before, so we set about our new Grant’s job with the boundless energy of creatives trying to impress their great great grandchildren.

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When acronyms attack: the A-Z of advertising abbreviations

As designers and advertising creatives, it’s our job to answer client briefs in the clearest way possible – often we have to distil the brand’s proposition to a single sentence or visual. Everyone, from a postman to a President* (*probably), must be able to understand the message.

Yet what makes us laugh is that often the actual written brief we get is an almost incomprehensible mass of acronyms, abbreviations and marketing speak. It drives us batty and can sometimes be slightly intimidating – like a separate language that only marketeers can speak. Continue…