BL:ND News http://www.blind.com news en-us http://www.blind.com Sat, 4 Jul 2009 13:37:22 -0700 Median CMS Whenweland.com <![CDATA[Jelly Represents Blind in UK]]> noreply@blind.com http://www.blind.com/news/random/jelly-represents-blind-in-uk Jelly, London. For all UK inquiries or if you want to hear a cool British accent, please contact Barney Richard. Spot o’ tea governor?]]> <![CDATA[Walgreens Affordable Essentials 2]]> noreply@blind.com http://www.blind.com/work/commercials/walgreens-ae2 In this, the latest installment of the Walgreens Affordable Essentials campaign, we follow a Rube Goldberg-esque chain reaction of household products which create a path leading right to the front door of your neighborhood Walgreens.

]]> <![CDATA[Jesse James is a Dead Man]]> noreply@blind.com http://www.blind.com/work/broadcast-design/jesse-james Each week Jesse James is a Dead Man will feature Jesse James preparing for and then taking place in death-defying events, such as competing in the Baja 500 off-road race, speeding at more than 200 mph on a nitro-charged motorcycle or driving a monster truck over a house.

Check out the 30 second launch promo, the original tease promo and some network ID's featuring Jesse attacking the Spike logo here and then tune into Spike on Sunday, May 31st for the premier of the show.

]]> <![CDATA[Syfy “Equations”]]> noreply@blind.com http://www.blind.com/work/broadcast-design/syfy-equations Take the old SciFi. Plus something unexpected. Add it all up and what do you get? Our Syfy “Equations” campaign of course. As a part of the Syfy launch, Blind created this series of IDs to convey the spirit of the new network. Iconic characters and elements transform and transition the Sci Fi logo to the new Syfy, demonstrating the concept of “Imagine Greater” in unexpected and engaging ways.

]]> <![CDATA[Bright House Network “Bundles” Campaign]]> noreply@blind.com http://www.blind.com/work/commercials/bright-house-network-bundles-campaign Orlando based Ad Agency, Fry Hammond Barr had returned to Blind with a four-spot campaign for Bright House Networks. The campaign was designed to promote the Bright House “bundle” services of HD digital cable, high-speed internet and digital phone. Our challenge was to depict these bundles in a unique and visually engaging way.

]]> <![CDATA[Walgreens]]> noreply@blind.com http://www.blind.com/work/commercials/blind-brings-it-all-together-for-walgreens
Check them out!

]]> <![CDATA[We’ve Moved!]]> noreply@blind.com http://www.blind.com/news/uncategorized/weve-moved
Stop by to say hi or if you’re just curious. Please note the new address when coming by to visit or when you’re dropping off a reel or package. When the dust clears, look for new photos of the studio. Here are a few pics of the space (still a work in progress).]]> <![CDATA[Nip/Tuck]]> noreply@blind.com http://www.blind.com/news/random/niptuck
Be sure to clear your cache from time to time so that you can see the updates.
]]> <![CDATA[Speaking Eng]]> noreply@blind.com http://www.blind.com/news/uncategorized/speaking-eng We’re stoked to welcome Richard Eng to our New York office, where he will serve as Creative Director. ‘Smart, elegant and playful’ are words used to describe Richard’s body of work in commercials and broadcast, which has brought in impressive awards including: IGA, Creativity, BDA, Promax, Telly Awards and The One Show honors.

]]> <![CDATA[DIRECTV]]> noreply@blind.com http://www.blind.com/work/commercials/directv-mix-channel DIRECTV's In-house creative team approached Blind with a unique opportunity to help develop and conceptualize a series of TV spots to promote DTV's Channel Mix. Their ultimate task…come up with a unique visual metaphor to demonstrate the difference between watching television with and without DIRECTV's Channel Mix.

]]> <![CDATA[Halo 3 Tourney]]> noreply@blind.com http://www.blind.com/news/random/halo-3-tourney Last Saturday, 5 teams gathered at Blind for their shot at claiming the Halo 3 Championship title. After some intense gameplay, screaming and trash talking, Team Legz (Reza, Casey, Greg and Dylan) fell a little short of their dream of getting a “Perfection”, and instead, was the first team eliminated from round robin play. The bracket was set– it would be Team Blind (Chris D., Thai, Aaron and Anthony) vs. Team Neo (Mitch, Sunni, James and Brian), with Team FTW a.k.a For The Win (Brian, Erik, Riel and Chris P.) vs. Team Born (Matthew, Jiaren, Joseph and Gus). In bracket one, Team Blind took advantage of the newly formed Team Neo and won straight sets to advance into the semi-finals. In bracket two, Team FTW quickly dispatched Team Born, sending them into contention against Team Neo for the Bronze. A crowd formed to watch the ensuing battle. After the smoke cleared, it was Team Neo that snatched 3rd place.

]]> <![CDATA[ADDY Awards]]> noreply@blind.com http://www.blind.com/news/awards/addy-awards Congrats to the Blind team for picking up a Gold and Bronze ADDY Award for their work on Gap: Sound of Color and Oppenheimer in the category of Animation/Special Effects. With over 60,000 entries annually, the ADDY Awards are the world’s largest and arguably toughest advertising competition.

]]> <![CDATA[America’s Next Top Model promo]]> noreply@blind.com http://www.blind.com/work/broadcast-design/top-model-gets-ready-to-walk-the-runway Just before years end, the CW network approached us to create the promos for the new season of their hit show, America’s Next Top Model. The network had come with a photo shoot of the models already complete, looking to see what could be done. This season’s image campaign explored the idea of “folds” as a conceptual hook and aesthetic.

]]> <![CDATA[Jeep Patriot: International Web Campaign]]> noreply@blind.com http://www.blind.com/work/web-content/jeep-international Web Agency, Organic, Inc. approached us with an interesting challenge of creating an interactive web experience for the 2009 Jeep Patriot international campaign. The task was to create eight :10 second animations which could be interchangeably strung together, forming a “choose your own adventure” test drive. But, this wasn’t your typical day behind the wheel. Conceptually, this was drawn from the imagination of one driver’s recollection of the most amazing test drive experience. Ever see Sasquatch, a giant octopus, hundreds of colored frogs, and a cloud of singing locusts while on the road?

]]> <![CDATA[Vagisil: Bring Yourself Back]]> noreply@blind.com http://www.blind.com/work/commercials/wwwblindcomvagisil ]]> <![CDATA[Skate 2]]> noreply@blind.com http://www.blind.com/work/commercials/skate-2 The Skate revolution continues with Skate2. Jump back on the sticks and skate it your way. Bro, you should do some nollie 5-0s.

In this episode of The Take Back Squad, Blind provides titles and character ID's to help the crack team of hoodlumz Eric Koston, Terry Kennedy, and Bob Dyrdek take back the streets of San Vanelona in a retro inspired mash up of old school skate and 70's/80's action shows. Check it out.

See also: Blind's previous work, logo and box art design exploration, for the original EA Skate.

]]> <![CDATA[Crips and Bloods: Made in America]]> noreply@blind.com http://www.blind.com/work/film-titles/crips-and-bloods-made-in-america We’re happy to announce that Crips and Bloods: Made in America opens at the IFC Theater in New York this Friday 23 January and then in Los Angeles at the Laemmle Sunset 5 on February 6. The film has been shortlisted for the Best Documentary Oscar. This marks the third theatrical collaboration between Creative Director, Tom Koh and filmmaker Stacy Peralta (Dogtown and Z-Boys, Riding Giants). It’s been some time since we worked on the film, so we’re excited to see it on the big screen.

]]> <![CDATA[OppenheimerFunds Web]]> noreply@blind.com http://www.blind.com/work/web-content/oppenheimerfunds-web In these challenging economic times, it’s hard to make sense of what’s going on. That’s why, now more than ever, agencies and their clients are looking for new ways to save money on production while not compromising on creative excellence. In light of the looming economic news, no one would fault a company like OppenheimerFunds for panicking. Instead, they did just the opposite. With the help of agency Euro RSCG, OppenheimerFunds proceeded with a bold new campaign that reaffirms audiences about their long-term, disciplined investment approach. However, they needed a prudent way to move forward.

]]> <![CDATA[Want to know what’s on Chris Do’s mind?]]> noreply@blind.com http://www.blind.com/news/uncategorized/want-to-know-whats-on-chris-dos-mind  insight, Communication Arts “weekly dialog with a visual communications professional, filled with thought-provoking ideas about creativity, work and life”.]]> <![CDATA[Whopper Virgins]]> noreply@blind.com http://www.blind.com/work/commercials/blind-joins-the-journey-with-crispins-whopper-virgins-campaign Adding to the list of projects Blind has joined together with documentary filmmaker Stacy Peralta comes Crispin Porter + Bogusky’s “Whopper Virgins”campaign for Burger King. The filmmaker and agency scoured the world, seeking out those who had no knowledge of a burger’s existence and conducted the ultimate taste test between the Whopper and McDonald’s Big Mac. Could it be possible? After traveling through exotic and outlying regions, running burgers from cities to villages and hauling a broiler by helicopter, they found their answer.

]]> <![CDATA[End Gun Violence: Stray Bullets]]> noreply@blind.com http://www.blind.com/work/commercials/end-gun-violence EndGunViolence.com to find out how you can help to make our world a safer place!

Download Shoot “The Best Work You May Never See” article.
Read the Communication Arts exhibit article. Exhibit is CommArts daily showcase of outstanding examples of graphic design and advertising including packaging, print ads, television commercials, direct mail, catalogs, CD covers, books and posters.
]]> <![CDATA[Create Awards]]> noreply@blind.com http://www.blind.com/news/awards/createawards Never comfortable resting on their laurels, the Blind team has done it again with accolades from the 2008 Create Awards! Congratulations to Chris, Tom, Erik and Vanessa, who each won honors for their creative work.

]]> <![CDATA[OppenheimerFunds Print]]> noreply@blind.com http://www.blind.com/work/print-branding/oppenheimerfunds-print In addition to producing the breakthrough TV campaign for Oppenheimer Funds, Blind was challenged with translating the visual language of “Numbers” into 2 print ads for the Wall Street Journal and Barron’s.

]]> <![CDATA[UFC Vote]]> noreply@blind.com http://www.blind.com/work/broadcast-design/ufc-vote Spike in collaboration with the UFC urges people to get out and vote.

]]> <![CDATA[Honda Fit is Go!]]> noreply@blind.com http://www.blind.com/work/web-content/fit-is-go It’s metro-fierce, but don’t let its clean, sultry lines fool you: this car packs a punch, proving that good things really do come in small packages. It’s the all new Honda Fit: the hero of Blind’s latest interactive endeavor with RPA. CD Chris Do and AD Sakona Kong drew on their passion for comic books, manga and anime to create a dark and dramatic world for the Fit to exercise its superpowers. Go to www.honda.com and click on “Fit” to see it in action!

]]> <![CDATA[Dunkin’ Coffee]]> noreply@blind.com http://www.blind.com/work/commercials/dunkin-coffee ]]> <![CDATA[Oppenheimer Funds]]> noreply@blind.com http://www.blind.com/work/commercials/oppenheimertv Blind breathes life into the financial pages, navigating investors through uncertain terrain in a new campaign for OppenheimerFunds, out of Euro RSCG, New York. The Blind team produced, designed, directed and edited the integrated campaign that includes three spots, “Escalator,” “Balloon,” and “Train,” as well as print, web banners and a micro-site. The inventive, VFX-heavy spots feature investors thoughtfully navigating a world plucked right from the earnings pages of The Wall Street Journal: stock ticker-covered trains, pie chart-shaped balloons and jagged, graphical peaks; symbolically illustrating how OppenheimerFunds brings clarity to daunting financial landscapes.

]]> <![CDATA[Better Place]]> noreply@blind.com http://www.blind.com/work/web-content/betterplace opening animation for the Better Place web site to help spread the vision of sustainable, zero-emission transportation as a service.

To learn more about the Better Place plan, check out the Wired magazine cover story this month, or to get directly involved in the ongoing effort to help people live free from oil, visit the web site at: http://www.betterplace.com/.

From Engadget, read more about the billion dollar plan to bring a city-wide electrical grid and battery exchange service to the Bay Area. 

New York Times writer, Thomas L. Friedman, writes the op-ed piece “While Detroit Slept” in reaction to the bail out of the big 3 automakers, in lieu of innovative companies like Better Place. Founder, Shai Agassi, recently announced partnerships with the state of Hawaii, Israel, Australia, the San Francisco Bay area and Denmark with plans of electric cars hitting the road in 2011.

Here’s an interview with Shai Agassi as reported by CBS News: Link
]]> <![CDATA[How Does Stuff Work?]]> noreply@blind.com http://www.blind.com/work/commercials/how-stuff-works HowStuffWorks.com is an online resource for millions of people of all ages, providing credible, unbiased, and easy-to-understand explanations of how the world actually works. ]]> <![CDATA[Payless BOGO]]> noreply@blind.com http://www.blind.com/work/commercials/payless-bogo <![CDATA[Blind Gets Ride Ready]]> noreply@blind.com http://www.blind.com/work/web-content/blind-gets-ride-ready Honda Pilot ! Our friends at RPA interactive enlisted the Blind team to bring this rugged ride to life on the web. This solid steel SUV is tricked out with tech gadgets and safety features galore, giving our animators plenty of places to play with typography and animation. The team also created two distinctive 3d introductions to the tour in a short amount of time, proving that they, like the Pilot, are forged of solid stuff. Visit the interactive site to check it out!
]]> <![CDATA[The Ultimate Fighter 7]]> noreply@blind.com http://www.blind.com/work/broadcast-design/the-ultimate-fighter-7 ]]> <![CDATA[Symbicort]]> noreply@blind.com http://www.blind.com/work/commercials/symbicort Early this year Creative Director Tom Koh teamed up with our NY office to launch a fresh new brand spot for Astra Zeneca’s pharmaceutical product, Symbicort. It being the products first broadcast ad campaign, the expectation was for these spots to not only establish a memorable image for the brand but to set them apart from the competition. Expanding on the existing brand element of the human silhouette, Blind created a world rich with color and dimension to bring the spot to life.

]]> <![CDATA[Newport Beach Film Festival 08]]> noreply@blind.com http://www.blind.com/work/commercials/nbff-08-where-movies-come-from Where do movies come from?The Newport Beach Film Festival is back, bringing together a diverse selection of films from all over the globe. Creative Director Tom Koh and the Blind team jumped in for a third year to direct, design and animate the commercial to promote the festival. This years spot focuses on what happens when you dim the lights on a filmmaker and an idea.

]]> <![CDATA[April 2008]]> noreply@blind.com http://www.blind.com/news/uncategorized/april-2008 We are pleased to announce our new East Coast rep, Carolyn Hill! In her life outside of finding crazy cool work for Blind, Carolyn is a respected poet whose work has been published by a number of reputable literary reviews. Carolyn’s poetry was most recently seen in The Mississippi Review, and we are thrilled to have her many talents on our team!

In a move befitting his long history with Blind, Sakona Kong has signed on to provide creative leadership as Art Director. A former Blind intern and student of Chris Do at the Otis College of Art and Design, Sakona spent time freelancing around town, contributing his skills in design, illustration and animation to a number of high profile campaigns including Scion, Spike, Electronic Arts, Apple, Target, Budweiser, Fox and Kyocera. Having come full circle, we are thrilled to have Sakona back in the fold!

It’s standing room only in Blind’s trophy cabinet these days, thanks to a recent influx of little silver and bronze men. The 2007 Telly Awards honored Blind with 11 statues, recognizing our team’s hard work and artistry in a variety of categories.

“Vending Machine,” Blind’s innovative promo package for NFL on Fox, garnered a coveted silver award in the Sports/Sporting Events category and also snagged a bronze for Use of Animation.

Justin Timberlake’s music video “LoveStoned,” Cellular South spot “Bus Club” and the XBox 360 campaign were honored with two Tellys each, bringing home bronze statues in the music video, graphics and animation categories.

Other Blind winners included LA Times “Sunglasses” and Newport Beach Film Festival promo “Elves in Outer Space.” Congratulations to all our winners!

]]> <![CDATA[Russell Athletic]]> noreply@blind.com http://www.blind.com/work/commercials/russell-athletic If you could see and hear an athlete’s intensity, what would it look like? What would it sound like? There are few more dramatic moments in football than fourth and inches. The entire game can turn on this one single play which in turn can hinge on the actions of just one player. All of the training and preparation comes down to this moment, and it’s the perfect setting for these new spots for Russell Athletic.

]]> <![CDATA[OB]]> noreply@blind.com http://www.blind.com/work/commercials/ob ]]> <![CDATA[Zecco]]> noreply@blind.com http://www.blind.com/work/commercials/zecco ]]> <![CDATA[Gap: Sound of Color]]> noreply@blind.com http://www.blind.com/work/music-video/gap-sound-of-color-bw What do black and white sound like? To promote their colorful spring and summer collections, Gap enlisted Chris Do and the Blind team to create a video for Danish post-punk duo Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo, better known as The Raveonettes. With only three weeks to conceive and complete the project, the team executed an edgy and elegant exploration of the contradictory forces that black and white … www.soundofcolor.com

]]> <![CDATA[EA “Need For Speed” 2007]]> noreply@blind.com http://www.blind.com/work/print-branding/ea-need-for-speed-2007  

]]> <![CDATA[Logo Montage]]> noreply@blind.com http://www.blind.com/work/commercials/logo-montage Montage of various logo animations.

]]> <![CDATA[Cellular South]]> noreply@blind.com http://www.blind.com/work/commercials/cellular-south-bus-club-30 ]]> <![CDATA[First National Bank - Products]]> noreply@blind.com http://www.blind.com/work/commercials/first-national-bank-2 first round of spots celebrating the 150th anniversary of First National Bank, the team at Bozell returned to Blind to extend the look of the campaign in three new ads featuring the products Customer First and Business First.
]]> <![CDATA[EA SKATE: Hardcore Simplicity]]> noreply@blind.com http://www.blind.com/work/print-branding/ea-skate-hardcore-simplicity How do you grab the hard-core skater by the short hairs and still differentiate your new breakout skate-genre IP from the Tony Hawk franchise? That was the gauntlet EA tossed at the feet of the design team at Blind. While not known as a print based design company, Blind proved up to the challenge.

]]> <![CDATA[NFL on FOX 2007]]> noreply@blind.com http://www.blind.com/work/broadcast-design/nfl-vending-machine What better way to kick off the season than by putting together this year’s promo package for the NFL on FOX.

]]> <![CDATA[Kyocera]]> noreply@blind.com http://www.blind.com/work/commercials/kyocera To promote the new line of Kyocera cell phones, VitroRobertson teamed with BL:ND to bring the concept of Eastern Inspiration and Western Innovation to life. Personalizing the connection between East and West, the spot focuses on a young, hip Japanese girl placing a cell-phone call to her cool-dude boyfriend in America. In turn, the call itself is illustrated as an abstraction by a cluster of butterflies making a magical journey from Tokyo to New York City.

]]> <![CDATA[BL:ND NY: New Executive Producer]]> noreply@blind.com http://www.blind.com/news/uncategorized/blind-ny-new-executive-producer Nick Litwinko joins BL:ND NYC as Executive Producer.

]]> <![CDATA[Cellular South]]> noreply@blind.com http://www.blind.com/work/commercials/cell-south-whats-right-30

]]> <![CDATA[The Ultimate Fighter 6]]> noreply@blind.com http://www.blind.com/work/broadcast-design/tuf6 The popularity of the UFC has exploded from it’s underground roots to spread far and wide in this new promo for the 6th season of SpikeTV’s hit show. With the recent partnership between SpikeTV and the UFC, the campaign was expanded to promote not only the show, The Ultimate Fighter, but to help brand Spike as the “Home of the UFC…”

]]> <![CDATA[September 2007]]> noreply@blind.com http://www.blind.com/news/uncategorized/september-2007 New Spots Posted:
"The Ultimate Fighter 6 Promo"
"Cellular South Whats Right"

Congrats to director, Robert Hales of HSI, for creating another award-winning music video for Gnarls Barkley. "Smiley Faces"€ took home Best Editing at this years 2007 MTV VMAs.

Named the best sports game of E3, "Skate" has hit the shelves sporting a fresh and edgy pack, courtesy of Blind. Check out EA's hot new game and download our skate art to your dashboard.

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