I've recently had a few new members join my creative team at Serotonin and it was a pleasure to take them all to the latest event in the Common Matters series from Craft.
"How brands can stay culturally relevant and driven by real meaning in a rapidly changing world."
I really enjoyed the 3 different speakers' perspectives on brand storytelling; from large global ad campaigns, all the way down to the nuances that make a lowercase g's descender an iconic part of a brands toolkit.
A few weeks ago I took the Serotonin creative team on a little trip out of the office for an afternoon of culture, creativity and fried chicken with visit to the surreal world of a fading fast-food empire and an interactive adventure that mixes cinema and animation...
Sweet Dreams is an immersive adventure that transports you into the world of the Real Good Chicken Company, created by award-winning artist collective Marshmallow Laser Feast and illustrated by French artist mcbess (big fan).
From factory button pusher to funeral guest, the experience really touches all the senses.
All in, it was nice to get out of the studio for half-a-day and immerse ourselves in brand storytelling, pop-culture, design and cultural satire of the food & advertising industry.
It was an honour to have picked up two awards at The Prolific North Awards last week.
The campaign was meticulously put together, a real labour of love! Hundreds of elements coming together to create our own psychedelic world, across so many touchpoints from OOH, social and even creating our very own bus & route!
Couldn’t be happier to win for both the idea as well as the execution, for Best Advertising Campaign and Most Effective use of Design.
I created some illustrations (which got turned into awesome little animations) for a DOOH campaign located in the terminal at Manchester airport. The four illustrations are were created to welcome home and wave-off passengers as they pass through the terminal building, as well as celebrate the agency, our offering and the fine city we call home.
The ads are running for two weeks.
STORYBOARD/STYLE FRAMES BELOW:
Last weekend i went down to the Spezial F.C. exhibition at Circlesquare. Since 2015, the premium sub-line of adidas – which is curated by Gary Aspden – has become renowned for diving into the Three Stripes’ extensive archives, and reimagining heritage styles through a modern lens for each of its collections.
The exhibition, celebrating the symbolic magnitude Adidas has had, both on and off the football pitch - adidas SPEZIAL has been at the heart of football cultures, especially in the North of England.
Comprising both vintage and reissued styles alongside unreleased samples, working prototypes, and a selection of football boots, the exhibition showcases a deep love of the beautiful game.
Check out the rest of my photos on my photojournal
Friday night art fair launch party action down at Manchester Central. Some great artists on display from across the country and beyond.
Highlights for me were the Orbis Community. A not-for-profit Community based in Gateshead. It was great chatting to one of their board members and learning about their collective. I particularly loved the work of Adam Pointer, Rock and Rose and Helen McClafferty.
A few photos from the fair are below, with some more over on my photojournal.
A couple of weeks ago I visited Chatsworth House. Having not been before or for a very long time I was expecting the standard National Trust type old estate, country house experience. I was very much mistaken... The Devonshire Family and the Duke and Duchess particularly, have curated an engaging and interesting balance of their modern art collection balanced with the rich history and restoration of the original house and its features.
Highlights are a gold stripped back sculpture from Damien Hirst, Hockney's hung casually in the corridor (apparently they saw it hanging in the Whitechapel Gallery and bought it straight from the gallery wall to hang in the their living room!), as well as a walk in wardrobe type room filled works from with Picasso and Matisse.
Some of the other highlights are the painted optical illusions as well as the stories from the knowledgable staff throughtout the house.
The gardens are also great, and with both modern and classic artworks dotted throughout.
Check my photojournal for more images from the visit and weekend in the Peak District.
Originally planned for Art Basel in Miami (until COVID continued to create havoc), the second Reebok x Eames collection launch activation eventually took place earlier this year - connecting the art world and with the sneaker community of NYC. One of my last contributions from my time at IMA-Home.
And check out the wrap-up video snippet...
http://https://vimeo.com/737330777
A couple of weeks I took a visit to the Manchester School of Art to check out the latest graduate showcase. Some great and thought provoking work on show from the across the courses.
The show ran until the 22nd June but you can still see the work online.
Some more photos are on my photojournal.
This was a fun one, creating an in-store running activation and retail experience to launch the latest adidas Solarglide running shoe, in the adidas London Flagship store on Oxford Street.
I created a sprint game where consumers tested themselves (and the shoe) in a race - fastest feet first! Smart phone integration allowed for campaign extensions and friendly rivalries to form across social as well as in-store.
I got the chance to visit the Hockneys Eye exhibition at the Fitzwilliam museum over the Easter weekend whilst down in Cambridge and it's one of the most beautifully curated exhibitions I've been to.
Hockneys work is incredible, as expected, but it's been positioned in and around the Fitzwilliam's existing works, playing on both the technical aspects of the artwork as well as juxtaposing themes. All while highlighted against vibrant green colour blocking. Totally unexpected and totally excellent.
Well worth checking out if you are in the vicinity.
Some more photos will be up soon over on my photo journal.
Head down to the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, 15 March-29 August.
A really cool project to work and lead on... a collaboration between an iconic brand and legendary artist. Below are a couple of the social stories, followed by a couple of key visuals. Each release in the pack has its own narrative relating to each release and the artwork it is inspired by - through the creative concept which turners the consumer into artist and brings the life in front of your eyes, with the shoe becoming part of the process that inspired it.
![Reebok – NBA All Star Event [2022]](https://i0.wp.com/bentopliss.com/assets/2022/03/Project_panel_480x328px__0007_ALLSTAR.jpg?fit=480%2C328)
![Reebok x Jurassic Park [Pitch]](https://i0.wp.com/bentopliss.com/assets/2022/03/Project_panel_480x328px__0006_JP.jpg?fit=480%2C328)
