A quick reminder that Class of 09 closes for entries at the end of this month. We’ll start looking through all the work on Monday (and there’s been a lot this year), so if your CV and pdf haven’t been sent to class (at) lovecreative (dot) com by then you’ll have to wait until we run the next placement scheme later in the year.

When we’ve finished looking at all the work, we’ll try our best to get in touch with you all as soon as possible, but please bear with us. (By this I mean that if you haven’t heard anything from us by 330 on Monday afternoon, there’s no need to start worrying.)

If you’re wondering what this is all about, you can find all the details here.

Here’s a new regular feature that involves 2 things:

1) A random picture of a Chairman taken from the internet.

2) Some wise words from our own Chairman.

This might not be a long-lasting regular feature – it just depends on how many wise words we can create.

This week’s random picture of a Chairman is Edwin Dawes, Chairman of the Philip Larkin Society. Note: The Philip Larkin Society is not connected with the Estate of Philip Larkin, and is unable to deal with copyright and permissions.

And this week’s quote from LOVE’s Chairman:

“When you look out of the window, make sure that you don’t just see your own reflection.”

You may have already seen Music’s cover and feature in August’s Creative Review. If you haven’t, and you have £5.70 to spare I recommend picking up a copy. If you haven’t, and you don’t have £5.70 to spare, you could perhaps either borrow the money, or borrow the copy. You can see a preview for free here.

Well they’ve also finally updated their website, which, as you’d expect, is very good, and also filled with some great work. (I have to say this, not just because we’re good friends with lots of the people who work there, but also because I need to borrow Season 4 of The Wire off Dave . But I’d still be saying it, even if we weren’t good friend with lots of people who work there, and I’d already seen Season 4 of The Wire.)

It’s well worth taking a look at what they’ve been up to in the last year or so. Here is the direct link. My only slight grumble is their complete disregard for full stops at the end of sentences. Whilst my own grammar is sometimes a little wayward, I definitely know that full stops come at the end of sentences. What’s wrong you you? ARE YOU TOO COOL TO USE FULL STOPS? Designers, eh? Sheeeesh.

(Can I borrow Season 4 of The Wire now please Dave?)

We generally don’t do hate posts on this blog. Hating is neither big nor clever, so I’m going to try and put some positive spin on this advert that I saw in the Metro this morning. I have never attempted to do positive spin before, so the chances are it will not work. Please accept my apologies in advance.

Now a quick look at The Drum website will reveal more than a fair share of bitter comments and anonymous remarks regarding the creative talent of various regional agencies and individuals, and there’s always the ongoing chip-on-our-shoulders about London vs. the regions. So I’d like to kick off this rainy monday morning with this happy thought:

“At least you didn’t have to sit on a sweaty tube* this morning, come into work and do this piece of arse.”

*This may not be factually correct, the person(s) responsible may well have walked into work, or used some form of scooter.

Why have Visa wasted their money making an advert about the Olympic games three years before the Olympic Games? (“Visa – the faster way to pay at London 2012″) I know they’re testing the transport links today, and it’s exactly three years today or something that the games will begin, but it’s three years away. THREE YEARS, not three days. There’s a strong possiblity that one, if not all of us will be dead in three years’ time, depending on who you listen to. My life isn’t going to flow any f**king better if I’m dead, will it? Couldn’t you have done something related to the Ashes? Here – I’ll do it for you:

HEADLINE: “VISA – the faster way to pay at the Ashes 2009.”

IMAGE: A batsman is running his bat into a cricket crease, but instead of holding a bat, he’s holding a giant Visa card.

Oooooo, wait. Let’s change the headline to “OWZAT for a faster way to pay at the Ashes 2009.” Yeeeeeeeeeessss…

(Please read the next post – above – for a more positive reflection of the regions’ creativity. Although the chances are you’ve either already read it, or I haven’t written it yet. And sorry for swearing. Swearing is also neither big nor clever. But it is funny.)

I’m not sure why, but when people have a good idea, it’s referred to as ‘coming out of the top drawer’. This seems a little odd to me. Generally top drawers are for staplers, pens, pencils, business cards, selotape, and those sticky page marker things that come in different colours that you think you need but you never actually use. I’m by no means saying that the way I arrange my drawers is industry standard – people are entitled to use their drawers for whatever purpose they seem fit, but a quick look through the top drawers of our creative department revealed a worrying lack of ideas.

Stephen Owen: darts, scissors, pens, erm… wet ones.

Simon Griffin: padlock, business cards, superglue, handcream (?).

Adam Rix: envelopes, wristband, can of tuna, old kiwi fruit.

We could go on, but fortunately for you we won’t. The point of all this is that on the whole, people in the agency tended to keep their ideas in their bottom drawers, not the top, and that’s where this idea for an invitation to a fashion show lunch & dinner has been until we recently found a client who wanted to use it.

Dinner:

Lunch:

They’re currently being made, so when they’re back we’ll post up some real pictures of them, rather than these rather dodgy pieces of photoshop. If you have any questions about drawers or plates, or would like to know why Ste has a pack of wet wipes in his drawer, then please feel free to ask.

Prior to today I could count the number of times I’ve clicked on a banner ad on one hand. And two of them were accidents. And I’m missing half a finger on my left hand. But that was yesterday, and today I found this on the blog of Mr John Goddard, and it’s really rather good.

There’s so much that’s right about this ad, so much we can learn – it’s honest, it understands its medium, and it doesn’t take itself seriously. At all. Now I know a lot of brands like/ need to take themselves seriously, but I must have clicked on that banner at least fifty times, and isn’t that what a banner ad’s meant to be for? Clicking on?

Here is another link to it, in case you missed the first one.

And here’s another.

Or you can use this one here.

But don’t click on this one. This does not link to it.

A little research showed that it was made by Bridge Worldwide and got a Cyber Gold at Cannes this year.  Effective AND Creative? Who’d have thought it? Well done them.

Stephen Owen, not Michael. Although when you watch the video below that Ste filmed for Umbro, I think you’ll agree the similarities are uncanny. Both Ste and Michael look no more than twelve years old.

You can read more about Umbro’s Speciali boot and Stephen’s incredible ability to do keep ups on concrete on the Umbro blog. Camera work was by Ste’s mate Ben, who can be found here.

So, yes, the City gig is tomorrow night.

The big question is: Will JT be there?

The second biggest question is: who won the Umbro competition?

Well we won’t keep you in suspense any longer.

The judges picked three winners.

In no particular order:

Ben Prescott

Richard Connolly:

and Rob Scott:

Congratulations to those three, and commiserations to the others who entered. On the plus side, it seemed that most of the people who entered were City fans, so they’ve got no real reason for being upset at the moment. Also, Richard, if you’re reading this, please check your email. There’s a good fella.

A nice idea for desktop wallpaper from our own Mr Stephen Owen.

1. Move screen out of the way.

2. Take photo.

3. Upload photo to computer.

4. Set as desktop wallpaper.

5. Take photo of computer screen and background.

A bit like sleeveface, but with computers and screens and stuff. It’s actually a little tricky to get everything lined up. Practice is definitely required. As is patience.

If you’d like to do your own version then send it to us at hello (at) lovecreative (dot) com. If we get enough interest we’ll post them up. Obviously it’s a bit more interesting if the person who sits opposite you doesn’t believe in wearing clothes in the office. Well, when I say interesting, I mean interesting if you like naked people. Which is fine. Nothing wrong with that. It’s also fine if you don’t like naked people. There is also nothing wrong with that. Let’s move on.

Writers (or general lovers of stories) out there may enjoy this little lesson, that proves once and for all it genuinely is the way that you tell them. Mind you, Blofeld could probably talk about his cat being run over and I’d enjoy listening to it.

Thanks to my old friend Guy for the link. And well done Paul & Graeme & Jimmy & Monty.