Carl Razazi

Company

Brooks Running

Campaign

Caldera 7

Assigned Ads

36+ units

Role

Design, Asset Selects

In Campaign Memoriam

It wasn't every day that a project in your Workfront queue arrived with lifestyle imagery so full of such grit and teeming with such texture and such unvarnished want for journey. No.

Regardless of your corporeal form the Caldera 7 always made itself available to all who longed for Nitro-infused comfort on their long haul throughout those uncommon trails and uncharted journeys to be experienced.

Measures of focus and effort were found agreeable to ensure that very sense of journey was communicated through the proficient use of masking and that the inclusion of those confidently peaked silhouettes also complimented my unified structuring of campaign messaging allowing for that certain absolute visual distinction.

Purposeful and abrupt clipping throughout the background visual treatment helped to articulate the surreal variety of terrain along the journey in relation to texture as no single masked section truly encroaches into another. This formed distinct individual snapshots of texture therein akin to more surreal singular moments complimenting the overall totality of the long haul experience.

Although I remain clumsy with my words I will strive to always cherish and celebrate what the Caldera 7 brought to those who did find Nitro-infused comfort on their long hauls.

May this brief yet effective sampling of campaign creative serve as but some attempt of some measure of solemn tribute to the essence of what was the Caldera 7 as its numerical lineage will no doubt add upwards unknown to us yet.

What an uncommon compendium of words you might be asking yourself at this point, but I say, if not in memoriam, then in what? Should these purposed efforts not be remembered with some blush of reverence unique to the designer?

Heh, yes, dear reader, this campaign has happened, been purposed, and it is no longer among the immediacy of now and so these have been given kindly to the tomes of experience as they ebb further beyond the horizon of completion. Yes.

300x600 - Womens

300x600 - Mens

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300x250 - Mens

1940x500 - Womens

1940x500 - Mens

Company

Brooks Running

Campaign

It's Your Run

Assigned Ads

52+ units

Role

Design, Asset Selects

In Campaign Memoriam

It's quite true that campaigns are often different in scope. Some are of altogether nimble effort and there are some that truly run longer inspiring a certain level of endurance and focus all their own.

The It's Your Run campaign did quite well at inspiring a deep understanding of what it means to truly have an appreciation of that endurance as its bold yet hopeful message blossomed across countless dozens of artboards and display ads throughout a Phase 1, Phase 2, and yes, a Phase 3.

As is the custom here, I will focus a memory or two on but a few of those display units. These unique ads graced the platform of Spotify with a quiet sort of encouragement. They cared not for the bluster and clutter of a call to action.

These companion banners stood still, stout, and bold in tone. These very unsung companions to countless many who browsed, listened, and discovered music and such whether they were sharing a moment together or apart from others owing to circumstance or virtue.

Gaining an understanding between the moment captured visually and how that communicates our shared humanity by way of cropping and placement appropriate to the space of the display ad unit became something second nature as I carried forward the intent of the campaign tone and voice with due diligence.

As we the find the will to stand up to the challenges of the hour should we not ask ourselves if there are none who have also looked just beyond as they held their head and stood fast and confident in the moment waiting for the remnants of the day to catch up to their wits? (a)

Can one not find any common analogues to be had as one finds jolly in ones folly as one tumbles atop the mound of green as one does? Owie. (b)

Are there not friendly wagers to be fulfilled between a pair of peers as the fellow sheepishly grins in acknowledgement of his blunder collecting his hat as the lady alongside beams in the triumph of the moment? (c)

Should she not celebrate new beginnings or belated conclusions of the mundane or profound with that run of joy through that endless asphalt covered Xanadu? (d)

At a distance, further from Companion Banners, my digital display focus helped this campaign to also dazzle throughout larger screens as It's Your Run graced the backdrop of countless selfies among the unknown density of pleasantries exchanged between moments as the full-motion campaign messaging was seen throughout the synchronized large format screens of 2nd & PCH across the idyllic glow of Long Beach Marina. (e)

What can be provided now is but a stoic nod of acknowledgement for the broadened horizons of interpretation that It's Your Run boldly left gifted to us all who endeavored towards endurance as we have now found that ethereal meaning previously very much absent among those ordinarily tepid jogs of yore.

Spotify Companion Banner - Phase 1 (a)

Spotify Companion Banner - Phase 3 (c)

Spotify Companion Banner - Phase 2 (b)

Spotify Companion Banner - Phase 1 (d)

Kevani Digital Outdoor Motion Billboard - Phase 1.5 (e)

Company

CDK Global

Campaign

Dream Machine

Assigned Ads

6 units

Role

Design, Animation

In Campaign Memoriam

There was a time when there were a few less clouds. One did not always have to sing the sweet laurels of intricate sign-ons for clouds as we do now and will and should.

There was a time where one could animate using keyframes in a funny little program called Adobe Animate. My better manners within implied to me that I never need to truly fuss around with no deep complexities of ActionScript and I'm glad I never did, to this day. Heh. Yes. Heheh.

I choose to keep this fabulous piece of creative around to keep on inspiring oneself that there will always be a time when apt implementation of creativity, asset optimization, and a thoughtful cadence for what thrills never truly fades away.

And by Golly, still looks damn cool, just look at them stadium lights flashing all in some fantastic sequence and those fairy sprinkles, animated by frame-craft and asset duplication to save on file size.

All that going on in there from a duo of images properly masked, as one does. Yes, this one yet gets a faint chuckle when this plays. Uh-huh.

Company

Forex Capital Markets

Campaign

Desktop Launch

Assigned Ads

6 units

Role

Design, Animation

In Campaign Memoriam

Why keep this?

What an interesting and exotic keepsake you might say. Heh.

It was with this type of creative content that I learned to keyframe in the financial district in my early days where I learned to sync with the project managers, stakeholders, the approval, etc, so whatever creative is aptly designed actually launches on time.

It's building that parallel synchronicity with media strategy teams that makes it all so dynamic and kinda fun. It's probably something that I still find kind of interesting. Design is fun but so is launching within scope and launching on time, thats even more fun, that totality of the process.

It's never just really fabulous design or some lucid animation, and its never really the most intricate media spend pivot table, it helps; but its a cross-team effort that has the best chance of ad engagement.

Foreign currency exchange (forex) is still kickin' but nowadays its made space for those endlessly interesting decentralized coins that have picked up the ethereal momentum of the financial zeitgeist.

I also find it kind of interesting how the web banner has evolved as the consumer responds with an ever sophisticated sense of the moment. In the modern sense, animated banners they really are not the movers and shakers of the pillars of e-commerce they had been, as their moment of relevant engagement has largely diminished.

In some ways statics will continue to be the most cost-effective delivery method for an ad in my pleb opinion. What worked a few years ago with animated ads and their HTML5 equivalents has pretty much stepped aside for the glory that is personalized DCO ads that work the cookie jar like none other based on relevant site cart history with legacy statics filling the little spend voids.

But who wants to look at a portfolio full of visually stimulating and oh so intricately thought-out fashionable inventory sell shot geometry of clothing and such? Heh not me.. No. I will just keep those triumphs along the measure of the distant periphery, as one does.

I would be more inclined to media strategize with well thought-out statics in the most belligerent sizes made available than any sort of animated banner ad spend could hope to engage in this day. Because as is known, paid social is now the main arena where most of the animated fun happens.

Yes, there was a moment when consumers primarily engaged with animation found within banners such as this and I remain grateful for learning and remaining part of this human process as the consumer continues to delight and surprise us all.

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