And at BFG, we`re continually striving to keep
Transcription
And at BFG, we`re continually striving to keep
What is this business of creativity? Part practice. Part habit. Part serendipity. That flash of inspiration fueled by a desire to create something new, to innovate, to explore new ways of doing things. Inspiration springs from continually being challenged with new adventures. It takes having fun, collaborating, listening, talking, and laughing with the people around you. It’s a balancing act. It’s a lot of work with just enough play. And at BFG, we’re continually striving to keep that balance because when everything is said and done, it’s inspired people that create inspired work. What others see as commonplace and ordinary, skateboarders see as limitless possibility. Spend an afternoon with them and it wouldn’t take you long to understand that there exists an entire other world out there, seen only by the skater, and brought to life by their unrestrained passion for the sport. It’s in this spirit that we challenged the art directors of BFG to reveal to us their own secret worlds; those visions of art and creativity that make each of them distinctly unique, and relentlessly committed to their craft. But instead of a blank canvas, we gave our artists wooden skateboard decks. And the assignment stayed as true to skate culture as you can get … Blank decks just waiting to be worked on Josh Weston’s board in progress Chase Tuberville hugging his board Found Objects—Jason Statts When we got the opportunity to create some giveaways to show who we are, the same thing came out of everyone’s mouth simultaneously, “Let’s have some fun.” We’re a little bit of a three-headed monster here at BFG, with Fieldworks, Interactive and our core creative/strategic arm. So we took that whimsical thought and let loose our “kraken” team of BFGers to make a series of creative monster flash drives in collaboration with Mimobot®. The result, you could say it’s scary good stuff. Messinja Pixilla Juggerthought The world moves faster now than it ever has. The speed at which technology moves—even the pace of our everyday lives—can be no less than extreme at times. And in this business we call advertising, those times are more often than not. Well, there could be no better metaphor more suitable for how our lives move today than the results of a recent USB design challenge. It’s what happens when technological functionality meets the most extreme sports out there: A flash of brilliance. HOW DO YOU SCARE UP A GREAT PUMPKIN AT HALLOWEEN? Give one to every BFG employee and then challenge the imagination. From the administrative and account side of the agency to our creatives and developers, it was all handson deck for this challenge. Creepy, cool, fun, or fantastic, the criteria for a design was left wide open. All that was needed was a pumpkin and some paint. The result was a showing that nobody could say boo to. In fact, geekdom is something we aspire to at BFG. Some geeks go to a technology conference, but we’re such big geeks we created one—Geekend. It’s to celebrate the geektacularity in all of us, and grow and learn at the same time. It started out as a small idea, to share our love of new technology, media, design and a whole host of other interesting topics with a small group in our community. But the idea, plus our passion to make it happen, was bigger than just a few workshops and speakers. So we decided to open it to all of Savannah and bring in people from coast to coast to speak and revel in the wonders of the cutting edge. And now Geekend brings people from all over the world together to discuss everything from computers to kazoos. It’s gotten so successful, we’ve even started taking Geekend on the road for special events in from Boston to California. And the best part is, going forward, there’s no limit to what we can geek out on. Like most people with ears, we get a charge of creative energy from the music around us. Mozart, Elvis, the Beatles, Radiohead, and yes, sometimes even Steely Dan, motivate us to create. There’s not one single type of music that gets our collective motors running. After all, why limit yourself? Like most things at BFG, the Munnys started with the immortal words, “Hey, what if…”. And then the titanic tsunami of imagination took over. Everybody chose a genre of music, from hip-hop to classical (and even included the well-loved Norwegian Black metal), and then interpreted that genre using whatever they could think of to transform their Munny into the visual embodiment of their selection. After weeks of gluing, sculpting, painting, wiring and basically hacking away at their vinyl vessels, we finally had the Munny masterpieces. The best part is, just like the music that inspired them, there’s always room for more. MUSICAL INSPIRATION: PUNK MUSICAL INSPIRATION: EMO MUSICAL INSPIRATION: CLASSICAL MUSICAL INSPIRATION: TECHNO MUSICAL INSPIRATION: PSYCHEDELIC MUSICAL INSPIRATION: GLAM ROCK MUSICAL INSPIRATION: JAM BAND MUSICAL INSPIRATION: ALTERNATIVE MUSICAL INSPIRATION: HIP-HOP MUSICAL INSPIRATION: NORWEGIAN DEATH METAL MUSICAL INSPIRATION: SKA MUSICAL INSPIRATION: FUNK MUSICAL INSPIRATION: HEAVY METAL MUSICAL INSPIRATION: BLUES MUSICAL INSPIRATION: SKA MUSICAL INSPIRATION: JAZZ MUSICAL INSPIRATION: DISCO MUSICAL INSPIRATION: PROG-ROCK MUSICAL INSPIRATION: REGGAE MUSICAL INSPIRATION: EDM While we’re usually not ones to be joiners— posters, vinyl, and live music are near and dear to the hearts of BFG. So when we got the chance to partner with The Savannah College of Art and Design and The French Paper Company to present the inaugural Bandwagon Poster Art Show + Sale in Savannah, our merry band of hands-on doers took on the challenge. The now annual event includes screen printing workshops, printmaking presentations, film screenings, the Savannah Record Fair and live music. With Bandwagon, we wanted to get down to grassroots. We didn’t aim to be the premier annual expo for music poster art in the Southeast, it just kinda happened that way. And giving art enthusiasts an exclusive opportunity to meet and learn from some of the coolest professionals in the field just seemed like a great idea for everybody. one needn’t scratch too deep to find interesting artists in our ranks. Especially musicians. Music is part of our business and also our joy. Take 12 is a celebration of that fact, with every artist on the album being a part of the BFG family. At any one moment, there’s hundreds of projects pushing through the pipeline at BFG, but between the taglines, dielines and deadlines, we find ample time to Whether it’s a quick trip to a pub, a race around the parking lot or all out war, there’s always some raucous ruckus to keep us on our toes and outside of the proverbial box. Was that was a cocker spaniel you just saw fly by with your spec sheet? Or perhaps it was a dachshund doing your logo design. It’s possible, since canines and all sorts of furry friends frequent the halls at BFG. It’s just one more way to add a few more creature comforts to the workday. Get your motor runnin’ and head out to the parking lot. If you get thirsty on the trip, pop the hood and chug a cold one. It’s pretty common one of our projects requires a little hands-on testing, so when we can we pull out all the stops and make it into an office-wide spectacle of grandiosity. Sometimes you’ve gotta blow off a little steam with a foam projectile launcher . BOWLING FOR HOLLAS Throwing 16 pound spheres down a greased up track to knock down a bunch of penguin-esque wooden things? Count us in! If it’s a sport you can do with a frosty mug in one hand and an onion ring in the other, you bet we’re there— and in droves. No matter if we end up with a 299 or a 29, the takeaway is still a rip-roarin’ good time. BFGoooooool!!!!! From client pitch to footie pitch, team unity is seamless. And even though we’re no premier league strikers, we look striking in our kits. Memories of blistered thumbs and bleary eyes stirred up a hunger that couldn’t be quenched any other way. We needed to stage a 64-bit barrage of button mashing brilliance. So we dusted off the deck, blew into the cartridges and launched into some split screen action. Junk food and ultra-caffeinated beverages accompanied a round-robin clash of the classics to settle all scores… until next time. ly once a year. n rolls around on ge on the gridiro sta spectacle and st lad ge -c big ad e rp Th rate this shoulde leb ce anyway. to r ink th tte be Where ll that’s what we We ? ht rig , rk beverages wo ad festthan at block with frosty amateur f, a fridge chocka of of ok e dr co ca ili r ch ou a With m the bakers in fro s ht stage lig ck de ba r nt ou and decade cond stage to d just per Bowl took se an Su ts e en th m rs, sh re fre te re ca nty of s. Thanks to ple r any losers in in gala festivitie lk, there are neve ta k ac sm of nt the right amou a blowout. this bowlapalooz We’ve got more than our fair share of amateur zymologists (brewers) at BFG, so when smack talk challenges turn into action, watch out. The hop-barley throwdowns let each brew monkey create a brand new recipe and showcase their new potent potable for BFGers to taste. But it’s never just a tasting, the optic nerve has to be titillated as well with a label. And in the end, there’s always great beer, so everyone wins. AND WHEN IT COMES TO CONSUMABLES, WE TAKE OUR GOURMET TENDENCIES PRETTY SERIOUSLY. Our ranks are filled with cooks, brewers, bakers, and most importantly, appreciators of all the above. Be it a competition, tasting or just a reason to share, we’re always flexing our gustatory muscles. From artists and designers, to writers and programmers, here at BFG—as it is at all echelons of the industry—the art of creativity is a constantly evolving process that requires collaboration between disciplines. That’s why, along with Savannah College of Art & Design, we established the Creative Seed Initiative, an ongoing program dedicated to creating opportunities and supporting activities that foster creative growth. From great speakers and some of the leading influencers in the business, to film festivals, and even giving back to the local art community, The Creative Seed aspires to create a prosperous environment for artists and creatives young and old. We believe in making the space fit the purpose, let’s call it “environmental engineering”. Our offices aren’t simply offices, they’re environments. Creative environments. Interactive environments. Stimulating environments. Idea-starter environments. When we need a distraction, the space helps to provide it, and when focus is the thing, there’s another space. Textures, colors, and materials(and lets face it, toys)—from New York to Hilton head, all come together in so many ways, shapes and sizes to make the space we call BFG.