Antidote likes:

FASHION SHOW PEEP SHOW

2011-03-25T05:00:00.001-07:00

This new ad from Target is incredible. The collision of fashion show, musical-drama and mega-scale light-show. Using an iconic building and windows as a multi-screen stage. And then you film it reportage style not ad style. It’s had 200,000 views so far. It’s the talk of the town on the fashion bloggersphere and twittersphere. Fantastic too that it comes from a brand that is a value retailer not a couture brand. What a great way to show that you are a cutting edge brand and that you are about fashion, not just cheap. Mother New York we salute you. The look on the faces of the lucky folk in the crowd says it all. Reminds me what it felt like when I saw Fuerza Bruta for the first time.

STICKY IDEAS

2011-01-04T03:28:00.000-08:00

It’s never been easier to come up with creative ideas. However there are so many bad ideas out there; whizzy ideas that use new technology, that look beautiful, that employ new production techniques, that live across platforms….but ideas that no one really cares about. So it’s worth reminding ourselves about some of the fundamentals of good ideas.
There’s a book I read a couple of years ago that I think still offers some useful guidance. It’s called Made to Stick: Why some ideas take hold and others come unstuck’. It is written by two brothers. Chip Heath is a professor of education who has been trying to find out how good teachers get their ideas across so that they ‘stick’ with children. Dan Heath is a sociologist who is an expert in understanding why urban myths ‘stick’.

Their definition of a sticky idea is one that people care about, that people act upon and that have longevity. They reckoned there were six things that made ideas sticky:

1. Simplicity*
The Heaths remind us less is more with great ideas. “A successful defence lawyer says; “If you argue ten points, even if each is a good point, when they get back to the jury room they won’t remember any”. But they also go on to say that saying something more important than this - short is not the mission – sound-bites are not the ideal. The Heaths say that the greatest ideas are summed up as “simple proverbs; one sentence statements that are so profound that an individual could spend a lifetime learning to follow it”. You don’t have to go far to find examples of these types of ‘Brand Proverbs’. Never Underestimate the Importance of Local Knowledge, The Power of Dreams, Every Little Helps, Impossible is Nothing, Reassuringly Expensive, No Nonsense beer for No Nonsense blokes. Some of these are brand slogans, others campaign lines others are ‘organising thoughts’ for the brand/business…but all of these are BOTH simple to grasp and ideas that represent a point of view on the world, a way of approaching things or a strongly held belief.
*I don’t think this is the best title for this point. Maybe it should be ‘Profound Simplicity’?

2. Unexpectedness
Chip and Dan say that to get attention you need to “violate people’s expectations and be counter-intuitive. But surprise doesn’t last. For an idea to endure, you must generate interest and curiosity. To engage people’s curiosity over a long period of time we need to systematically “open gaps” in their knowledge – and then fill those gaps”. In our world that means give them an idea that connects paradoxical concepts and keeps people wanting to ask or know more of the idea. Our Creatology idea for Sony is one of those. As a brand that collides creativity and technology Sony does what no other player in their market is doing, and, the idea/word makes you wonder more about what Creatology might lead to. It is more than a slogan it is a methodology for the business.

The gang at Crispin Porter also think this kind of concept is critical. In their briefs they have a section headed TENSION which asks “What is the psychological, social or cultural tension associated with this idea? What makes our target tense about this idea?”

3. Concreteness
Chip and Dan talk about how “mission statements, strategies and visions are too often ambiguous to the point of being meaningless”. However they remind us that naturally sticky ideas are full of concrete images because “our brains are wired to remember concrete data”. This means that for our ideas to be truly sticky they need to be “underpinned by human actions and sensory information”. They talk mainly about how this means that stories filled with concrete images are the most powerful (like the famous kidney heist urban myth).

But I also wonder whether this craving for concreteness is why creating real experiences, products and services (instead of one way messaging) is often more effective. The Asics Support Your Marathoner was one such initiative we spotted recently that does this beautifully. It’s that thinking that lies behind most of our work – from Rapha’s Cycle Clubs to Change the World for a Fiver.

4. Credibility
They also talk about how sticky ideas “have to carry their own authority”. They talk about how it’s difficult it is to convince people by facts, figures and building a case point by point/by repetition. Oil companies and banks often fall into this trap. Oil companies have tell us ad infinitum that they are as interested in sustainable energy solutions as they are oil. Likewise banks tell us that our needs are their number one concern.

A better approach is to start with an undeniable truth and build from here.
Chip and Dan also suggest an alternative approach; “help people test our ideas for themselves – a ‘try before you buy’ philosophy for the world of ideas”. There was a great campaign for Burger King last year where rather than say We Are #1/the nations favourite burger they filmed an in-market experiment with consumers.

5. Emotions
In some respects this one is obvious. “Make people feel something. We are wired to feel things for people, not for abstractions”. But the thing that Chip and Dan remind us of again is that we need to think cleverly when we think about “what emotion to harness”. They talk about how the best way to get teenagers to quit smoking might not be by instilling a fear of the consequences, but by tapping into their resentment of the duplicity of Big Tobacco. Being clever about how you get your consumer insights is critical here.

6. Stories
Finally Chip and Dan remind us of the importance of stories. They talk about how “stories are strongly associated with entertainment, not instruction, and mean listeners get drawn into the authors world. We can paint a more vivid impression of actions & consequences. Stories provide the context missing from abstract prose and builds in emotion. Stories enable us to communicate in away that is more life-like and more true to our day to day existence. Stories can be more inspiring, memorable and provocative”. But I don’t think this means telling great stories is the only way to engage people and get them on board (although it can be). I think the bigger point is that all great brands have to have a great story behind them. Rapha is about the beauty, pain and glory of road cycling, Sony is about the power of the imagination and Changemakers about the struggle of young people to overcome fear, prejudice and convention.

THE DANGER OF THE THIRD MAN

2010-10-29T02:19:00.000-07:00

There's a very simple reason that the vast majority of ads / communications in the world aren't very good. It's because we remove the market's essential editor, the public, from the process in taking shelter beneath the cosy cashmere blanket of paid-for 3rd party media. As long as we rely on paying a third party to force our ideas upon the public, we'll exist in a bubble that accepts and perpetuates mediocrity. It is only when you take this blanket away, expose our ideas to the harsh elements of the real world that we feel the pressure to produce something brilliant. Because, in the real world, if things aren't brilliant, they tend to wither and die.

This is frightening but it's the same world in which the products and services we promote have to exist.

Paying a 3rd party to host your piece of communication can have many benefits (amplification, reach, targeting etc) but it makes us lazy. We need to start thinking like we don't have a media budget. Only then will we necessarily build things that will have true value in the real world. As technology makes editing the stuff we don't like out of our lives easier and easier this will quickly shift from an ideology to a necessity.

So next brief you get, cast away that cashmere blanket and challenge yourself to create something that could survive in the real world; you might just create something that people will be prepared to queue around the block for.

OUR RAPHA CYCLE CLUB NYC ON PSFK

2010-10-21T08:07:00.000-07:00

Nice write up for our NY Cycle Club on PSFK we've only just noticed....

To see more work we've done for Rapha, visit www.antidote.co.uk

BAKE IN, NOT BOLT ON

2010-08-24T03:36:00.000-07:00

We love this concept. Baked in.

Alex Bogusky and John Winsor have written a book about it - get it here.
It's a simple concept - bake ideas into your product or business, rather than bolting them on.

Ad agencies have long argued that for ideas to really thrive, we need to get involved as up stream as possible. There's no better place than at the genesis of a new product or business.

We often talk to our Clients about Simon Sinek's 'Start with why' - putting the 'why you exist' right at the centre of everything you do. No better place to start than with the product itself.

One of our core principles is 'think like you don't have a media budget' - this often leads us to help our clients create products that market themselves, or even better are communications in and of themselves. Here are a few examples:

1. A BOOK - 'Change the World for a Fiver' - We created a book to launch the social change movement 'We Are What We Do'. The book facilitated people doing small things to change the world, generated global fame (and even paid for itself - to date we've sold over 1.2m copies worldwide).

2. A BAG - 'I'm NOT a plastic bag' - an idea we conceived, a line we wrote and a product that again, encouraged and facilitated the action (in this case 'declining plastic bags'), created global fame and paid for itself. 80,000 sold out worldwide within a couple of days.

3. A WEBSITE - Historypin.com - a website that gets generations hanging out together by asking them to scan in their old photos and tell the stories behind them (a month old an 5m visitors to date)

4. A SPORTS TEAM - Sky Pro Cycling - a team with an idea 'The Line' baked in and brought to life through every conceivable channel.

5. A SHOP - Rapha Cycle Club - a brand experience (A Gallery / screening room / exhibition space / Cafe) that was the living embodiment of the brand - and on it's busiest day generated just under £60,000 of sales.

To see more of our work visit our site.

Happy baking.

And remember - air is the most important ingredient.

RECLAIMED

2010-08-13T07:29:00.000-07:00

Cineroleum is another example of a well thought-through pop up. It’s a very surprising use of a site previously used for something else. So it earns a lot of creativity (clever idea) brownie points. It has a bigger message than what it literally is – making use of urban waste-land. (A bit like guerrilla gardening ). So it has cultural significance. They have a very clear and focussed audience and proposition. They’ve got the right the right location, name, content (carefully selected films - “off beat classics”) and the right Lo Fi identity and tone of voice (pared back 60’s styling, the seats and the curtains) to appeal to a Clerkenwell market. The whole street revolution vibe and communal experience will be as motivating and exciting as the movies themselves.

This wouldn’t have been easy to make happen pre-digital. The digital channel not only publicises the whole idea and screening times but it enables people to buy tickets. The fusion of communications and transaction.

(Hope they work out how to shut out traffic noise though)

The Railway Children at Waterloo Station is another example of re-appropriated or reclaimed space.

BRANDS THAT ACTUALLY DO THINGS FOR YOU

2010-08-05T02:55:00.000-07:00

We love it when brands actually do things for people rather than talk at them. A number of recent initiatives have caught our attention.

The new London Bike Scheme looks like it will be a win-win for everyone involved.
It’s cheap, congestion friendly, non-polluting and healthy public transport. Zeitgeist stuff. Within a week of the launch more than 12,450 keys have been bought by Londoners to unlock bikes left at 315 docking points across the city.

Barclays Bank have paid £25 million to sponsorship it - a very high profile way to signal a brand that is taking a more active interest in its community at a time when it really needs to.

The Mayor’s office is probably the biggest winner though. It’s a self funding communications program. The scheme will cost the city virtually nothing yet everyone is talking about it.

Another recent example of public service as communications is Ping London. 100 table tennis tables will be placed around London over the next month. They will be everywhere from Trafalgar Square, to the Tate Modern to Heathrow Airport. The project has been developed by a charity arts organisation called Sing London in collaboration with English Table Tennis Association, Sport England and Yahoo (not sure how Yahoo fits). The aim is to triple the number of places to play Table Tennis in London. But more broadly it’s to get more people active and to get them using their public spaces more.

Adidas is also showing it is truly interested in being involved at the grass roots, as well as for elite athletes. After a two-year trial they have now installed over 20 Adizones around the country. These are youth focused multi-purpose outdoor fitness facilities, with a large outdoor gym, basketball and football area, climbing wall, tennis wall and a freestyle area for aerobics, dance, yoga and martial arts. The plan is that by the end of this year there will be 40 Adizones.

Early reports are that not only are these spaces being used by broad cross sections of their communities, but the rate of vandalism is negligible.

In May, more than 250 elephants, painted by artists including Jonathan Yeo, Marc Quinn and Jack Vettriano, popped up throughout central London. The ambition was to create the city's biggest outdoor art event and to be seen by 25 million people. All with the ultimate aim of raising awareness of the threat to the Asian elephant and to raise money for their protection via the auctioning of the statues.

We think these initiatives share a number of important attributes. They all have audacious goals at their heart. They all require people to participate in the idea. They all pay careful attention to design and aesthetic as well as pure functionality. They all involve the partnership between a number of different organisations. They all use digital channels to involve more people and activate and amplify the real world activity.

The benefit to all the brands involved is not just that they are seen to being active in their community but they are all ideas that get picked up by the press and talked about by the blogosphere. They are ideas that generate strong core fans and their own free media.

We've approached a few projects like this with great results, to have a look visit www.antidote.co.uk

RAPHA POP-UP NY OPENS

2010-07-07T02:22:00.000-07:00

Following the launch of the first Rapha Cycle Club in London, we have just launched no.2 in the East Village, New York. More than just a store, the space has been designed to celebrate the glory and suffering of road racing and includes a gallery and cafe - the perfect place to watch the Tour de France this summer.

Pop in if you're in the area (352 Bowery, New York, NY 10012), or if in London visit its counterpart on 146-148 Clerkenwell Road.

To see more on Rapha visit our our website.

RAPHA POP-UP NEW YORK

2010-06-25T07:28:00.000-07:00

Our Rapha pop-up store number two opens in New York July 1st (352 Bowery St).

These are the opening night VIP invites we created, featuring the iconic 'broom wagon' which has become a strong part of the Rapha Brand.

The real Rapha Citroen HVan has just arrived, and has been delicately inserted into the store.

To see more Rapha projects visit our website.

NICE INFORMATION GRAPHICS

2010-06-24T14:49:00.000-07:00

Seven films from 'This is Real Art' for the satellite operator Astra, covering everything you need to know about the operation of a satellite.

Click here to view

MONEY IS NOT ALWAYS THE MOTIVATION

2010-06-22T01:34:00.000-07:00

Very interesting comment on what actually motivates great work.

Great animation/illustration as well from RSA, bringing to life the original talk from Dan Pink.

Found on www.jonathanpease.com.au

ARE YOU HUMAN

2010-05-24T06:40:00.000-07:00

A random string of awkwardly placed numbers and characters, to be recognized and entered to verify you really are human. Architect Aram Bartholl (DE) places CAPTCHA codes as tags in the public space. Their strange art of writing makes sure the codes blend in the street view unnoticed.

GREAT ILLUSTRATION

2010-05-19T07:07:00.000-07:00

Loverly work from Jan Feliks Kallwejt – freelance graphic designer and illustrator currently based in Barcelona and Warsaw.

www.kallwejt.com

SHELL HELIX PRINT SHOOT

2010-05-14T09:21:00.000-07:00

We were at Park Royal Studios today shooting the glass car with the talented Dan Tobin Smith. To make sure that the car was lit properly we installed a massive 30ft by 25ft lightbox which the 1 tonne car sat on. It made all the difference and Dan and his team did a great job of making sure that every particle of light bounced and refracted around the cars body. Watch this space for the final shots.

To find out more visit our website, www.antidote.co.uk

STEP INTO THE SENSORY BOX

2010-04-12T01:22:00.000-07:00

Amazing experience-based video mapping projection for Alcatel-Lucent, designed by New Media Agency SUPERBIEN.

PINEWOOD SHOOT

2010-02-17T19:38:00.000-08:00

Finished shooting at Pinewood Studios this afternoon after three very exciting days. The set was designed and created by John Ebdon's team which had done a fantastic job in creating the feel of a Mercedes Mclaren garage. In the commercial, directed by Ivan Bird, we will see the glass car in its final stage of assembly having Shell Helix Ultra engine oil added, the engine being started up and finally the car driving away.

To find out more visit our website, www.antidote.co.uk

VISIT TO ASYLUM

2010-01-06T07:05:00.000-08:00

Today we went to visit Asylum, the company we commissioned to take on the mammoth job of creating a whole Nissan 370z out high grade acrylic. This meant buying a normal functioning 370z and taking it apart piece by piece, all 2000 pieces to be exact, then using different processes from vacuum forming to hand milling to recreate the car life size, we can't wait to see it finished.

To find out more visit our website, www.antidote.co.uk

CREASE IT

2009-06-04T06:22:00.001-07:00

Simon Schuberts paper folded images are tasty!

http://www.simonschubert.de/papierarbeiten.html

INTERN WANTED

2009-05-27T07:49:00.000-07:00

The Bloody Apprentice from cassetteboy on Vimeo.

Antidote are looking for an intern. Mail sanda(at)antidote.co.uk and if she likes you we'll call.

Papa Bears Accident

2009-05-22T01:47:00.000-07:00

After his long journey, Papa Bear was found flat and crushed on the streets of London by our friend Anna. We are not sure how the incident took place, but we hope to find the bastard that did this to our pulp friend...

ANTIDOTE-A-LIKE PART 2

2009-05-15T07:36:00.000-07:00

You’ve got to speed it up, then you’ve got to slow it down... As it’s Eurovision weekend, we had a look at 1981’s winner from Buck’s Fizz. And who should we see ripping Cheryl Bakers skirt off? Our very own John Weir. Uncanny.

PANIC ON THE STREETS OF LONDON

2009-05-11T07:49:00.001-07:00

Just the usual Saturday night outside Antidote’s office – Spurs player Ledley King caused a kerfuffle and got himself arrested.

NUCLEAR CALCULATOR

2009-05-05T06:00:00.001-07:00

These rather lovely devices calculate things like radiation dosage, nuclear bomb effects and the like. More can be seen here.

FRENCH 10 POUND CHALLENGE

2009-04-30T09:00:00.001-07:00

Some unpleasant tasting bubble gum that gives you jaw-ache. Scarey green sweeties. Marbles. And an awesome lumberjack toy with his own plastic bagel. No wonder Henry's girlfriend was worried about his purchases.

Papa Bears Travels Further

2009-04-28T07:50:00.001-07:00

WHEN IN DOUBT...

2009-04-27T03:38:00.000-07:00

Musical difficulties in the Antidote office this morning. We've tried Queens Of The Stone Age, Johnny Cash, Franz Ferdinand and Portishead. But none of them are right. So when in doubt, listen to Sonic Youth – it works every time.

RECHARGE YOUR DESIGN BATTERIES

2009-04-22T04:24:00.000-07:00

Antidote is featured in a new book – “Recharge Your Design Batteries” by John O’Reilly and Tony Linkson. Billed as a one-stop tome for techniques to stimulate original thinking – it’s rather good.

You can buy a copy here.

PLEASE MISTER POSTMAN

2009-04-21T06:54:00.000-07:00

For the month of April, our Big Lunch logo is being used as a frank on all UK mail.

Send someone you love a postcard and they can see it too.

Papa Bears Travels

2009-04-17T05:46:00.000-07:00

During Easter, Papa Bear decided to leave us, which was very sad and unexpected.
I guess he got bored perching on Jim's stack of graphic design books.
He is now in Paris, exploring art, culture and frogs-legs.
Bon Voyage Papa Bear.

Tomalike

2009-04-16T08:37:00.000-07:00

We were very surprised when we found out about Toms acting skills...

TI PUND UTFORDRINGEN!!

2009-04-15T05:51:00.000-07:00

This time, the £10 challenge goes to the cold land of NORWAY.
For this amount you get 90 Melkeruller and 90 Menthos.
Making them 5p per piece.
So if anyone fancies a cheap holiday this year...don't go to Norway.

RODCHENKO

2009-04-06T01:49:00.000-07:00

It was the launch party for The Big Lunch last week. Here’s Sanda reprising her modelling role from The Big Lunch book. In other Big Lunch related news we were in The Sun last week.

SCORCHER.

Lights out

2009-04-02T02:41:00.000-07:00

Started in Sydney, Australia in 2007, Earth Hour quickly grew into a global observance. More than 1,000 cities in over 80 countries observed Earth Hour 2009 on Saturday March 28th, as homes, office towers and landmarks turned off their lights for an hour starting at 8.30 pm local time to raise awareness about climate change and the threat from rising greenhouse gas emissions. Collected here are a series of before-and-after photographs - which will fade between “on” and “off” when clicked.

KEEP CALM...

2009-03-31T09:10:00.000-07:00

...and carry on. I like the original poster. I like its simplicity and the message. The story behind it is interesting too. But I am sick of seeing it and seeing the same design applied to loads of other things. It’s like hearing that favourite tune of yours coming out of every shop on Oxford Street. Kind of dispiriting. Anyway, these guys think the same.

More here.

FRUIT AND VEG

2009-03-30T06:25:00.000-07:00

Artist Clare Patey filled 900 boxes with an assortment of fruit and vegetables which when viewed from above formed the logo for ‘The Big Lunch’ – a project we are currently working on. Afterwards the food was divided up and given to local soup kitchens and charities.

(The black and white shapes from our previous post were templates for inside the boxes.)

BIKE/CART MAN

2009-03-27T08:27:00.000-07:00

“It does not corner well”. Really?

More here.

IT’S BLACK, IT’S WHITE.

2009-03-27T03:11:00.000-07:00

Here’s something mysterious we are working on. Cows? Roadmaps? Personality tests? All will be revealed very soon.

NEW CHAIRS

2009-03-19T08:40:00.000-07:00

We’ve got some new green chairs and we LOVE them. So much so that we celebrated with some party rings, which seemed to go perfectly.

ZEHN PFUND HERAUSFORDERUNG

2009-03-17T04:51:00.000-07:00

Ich Liebe dich.

The Berlin Ten Pound Challenge. Obviously not as much as Sri Lanka, but it’s pleasing to see beer represented – and roadsigns.

THE BEAR NECESSITIES

2009-03-03T04:41:00.000-08:00

Two cups of coffee equals one VERY cute bear. Sanda is clever.

WOOF WOOF

2009-03-02T06:14:00.000-08:00

Lassie, Hooch, K9, Snoopy, Scooby Doo, Bolt, Santa’s Little Helper, Digby, Shep and Snoop Doggy Dogg – you dogs have taken one hell of a beating. Here is the greatest dog in the world. Really.

For more awesomness go to: http://www.pinkcoyote.net/creativegrooming.html

Bowling champion among our midst

2009-02-13T08:34:00.000-08:00

Last night saw an Antidote bowling night out, needless to say who won on lane one

Desktop...

2009-02-12T08:13:00.000-08:00

I like my current desktop image so much I have decided to share it... Just click for high res version.
More opening title screen goodness here...

Whole lotta goodness

2009-01-06T03:10:00.001-08:00

Jim recently returned with the £10 challenge from Sri Lanka.
Certainly more than you get in New York

New Work

2008-11-19T06:34:00.001-08:00

The first wave of our Shell campaign (with JWT) has just hit the papers this morning. They were illustrated by the legendary Peter Grundy.

1000 Days Mailer

2008-11-17T09:39:00.000-08:00

Today saw our new mailer sent out, if you would like one please contact us by email or telephone.

Balloon Bowl

2008-11-13T06:43:00.000-08:00

Nice flow.

Executive Decision

2008-11-12T04:32:00.000-08:00

There is nothing better than having a game of Executive decision around the board room table...

Beer Face

2008-10-09T10:10:00.000-07:00

Morrissey Fox Blonde Ale launched officially last night! Now available from most Tesco stores nationwide!

Bling bikes

2008-10-03T09:08:00.000-07:00

Cool bike, beautiful photographs by Satoshi Minakawa.

Click here to see more.

Geometrifying

2008-10-03T05:10:00.001-07:00

Esther Stocker's 'Geometrifying' installations with patterns in reduced black and white.

Click here to see more.

Nothing to see here

2008-10-02T13:11:00.000-07:00

Airport Security has become a dreaded part of traveling, but for artist Evan Roth, the experience has become an opportunity for expression. The project is a communication system called Carry On where thin sheets of metal are cut out with messages or pictures. During travel, simply put the sheet into your bag and the message appears when X-Rayed.

Found on QBN. click here to see more.

Morrissey Fox...

2008-09-22T03:47:00.000-07:00

draught now on sale across London. Here seen in the Museum Tavern...

Wooden mirror

2008-09-15T07:40:00.000-07:00

Interactive artist daniel rozin works in a very particular artistic milieu, making mirrors from unreflective surfaces.

Found on Design boom, click here to see more.

80's iPod

2008-09-10T01:48:00.000-07:00

Apple has admitted it did not invent the iPod, which was in fact the brainchild of a British man who patented his prototype 30 years ago.

Click here for full article.

Lego wall

2008-09-09T06:17:00.001-07:00

This work was done in Bocchignano, Italy, a village close to Rome, as part of the group project "20 Eventi". The group of artists developed projects for 4 villages of the Sabina region and decided to create a compilation of drawings, for collectors to purchase, and to support this project.

Click here to see more.

sorcerors magic

2008-08-19T03:56:00.000-07:00

awesome again.

What the cadburys gorilla did next

2008-08-18T09:49:00.000-07:00

awesome.

WORK EXPERIENCE

2008-08-14T09:20:00.000-07:00

We're not sure if our new junior will work out. He may end up sleeping with the fishes.

Google Moon

2008-08-11T08:44:00.000-07:00

Google Uranus next?

All Suffering soon to end...

2008-08-11T08:16:00.000-07:00

John enjoys a spot of illustrated direct mail

Magnetic Fields.

2008-08-01T06:35:00.000-07:00

Nice music video for Magnetic Fields, the track is 100,00 Fireflies.

Air bear

2008-07-28T06:36:00.000-07:00

I met the walrus

2008-07-24T02:55:00.000-07:00

1969, a 14-year-old Beatle fanatic named Jerry Levitan, armed with a reel-to-reel tape deck, snuck into John Lennon's hotel room in Toronto and convinced John to do an interview about peace.

Worlds first album cover

2008-07-24T02:32:00.001-07:00

Alex Steinwess, a then 23 years old designer, convinced Columbia’s suits to create the first true album cover. Until then, 78s were sold in generic sleeves.

Click here to see the full story.

BMW GINA

2008-07-10T10:27:00.000-07:00

Amazing…

Soho nice dinner...

2008-07-09T02:04:00.000-07:00

Fun was had last night with our friends at JWT...

Squirrels

2008-07-04T07:13:00.000-07:00

Jim’s trophy squirrel head arrived safely in the office this week. All the way from the USA. And it is just as cool as the picture. Now everyone wants one.

Planet bubbles

2008-06-30T05:43:00.000-07:00

Photographer Jason Tozer was asked to take some pictures of bubbles by Creative Review magazine, using the new Sony Alpha 350 D-SLR camera. Source July Creative Review.

To have a closer look click here.

Playing the building

2008-06-13T09:48:00.000-07:00

David Byrne has a new project, "Playing The Building," which transforms the 9,000-square foot Great Hall of the 99 year-old Battery Maritime Building (on Whitehall Street, NYC) into a large-scale interactive instrument via a Weaver pump organ and some ingenuity. It'll be up for two and a half months. You can play it.

The boy genius and his amazing equation

2008-06-13T09:15:00.001-07:00

Jim had a paper folding problem, no one could solve it except for John the boy genius and his amazing equation. Paying attention in maths has clearly paid off.

Tastes sweet

2008-06-12T02:08:00.000-07:00

They were among 40 or so people who were tasting under the influence of a small red berry called miracle fruit at a rooftop party in Long Island City, Queens, last Friday night. The berry rewires the way the palate perceives sour flavors for an hour or so, rendering lemons as sweet as candy.

See more on the NY Times

Drawing on fruit

2008-06-09T06:27:00.000-07:00

Another fruit based post. Let’s hope that it doesn't become a habit. Lovely type on various fruits – we’d like to see them have a go at grapes though.

www.eveningtweed.com/sarah/customise

Major Players...

2008-06-05T03:54:00.000-07:00

3 trees & Antidote talking environment at The Rex Club last night

We like fruit

2008-06-04T03:09:00.000-07:00

Rich has outdone himself with the latest fruit display.

Haggling...

2008-05-28T09:10:00.000-07:00

Fresh from a trip to New York goodies were delivered to Rich...

Biscuit Plates.

2008-05-28T02:44:00.000-07:00

Documenting the biscuit plates prepared for meetings in our office.

This is #1 by Rich.

Interesting Flash site

2008-05-27T03:07:00.000-07:00

Spectra merges the news spectrum and the color spectrum into an expansive news viewing experience. Looks great. Link found on Newstoday/QBN.

Click here to view

I'm here!

2008-05-27T02:45:00.000-07:00

After a 3 month wait Rick's custom Orange Five arrives at the office. He is a happy lad today.

Thanks Mr Greenwood.

Doors open

2008-05-21T05:35:00.000-07:00

Our pub Ye Olde Punch Bowl in Marton cum Grafton opens for business. People enjoy glasses of Morrissey Fox blonde ale well into the evening. Check our website soon for more information or go to www.morrisseyfox.co.uk.

Ta.x.

Next Sony Bravia Ad...

2008-05-21T05:29:00.000-07:00

No it's not really, its just a balloon workshop that I helped out at for Richard Hogg at the Design Museum.

D&AD awards

2008-05-16T04:47:00.001-07:00

Last night was the D&AD AWARDS 2008. 64 yellow pencils, 6 black, and lots of hungry people as there wasn't much food. We made it into the book this year for our 'Plastic ain't my bag' campaign for social change movement 'We Are What We Do'.
Click here to see campaign.

Cool animation.

2008-05-14T09:20:00.000-07:00

Surreal wall painting by Muto, animation by Blu. very nice indeed.

Alison Carmichael

2008-05-13T02:31:00.000-07:00

Our good friend, the wonderfully talented Alison Carmichael has redesigned her website.

We like her a lot. And her lovely hand drawn lettering.

View her site.

Iron Man Titles

2008-05-13T02:18:00.000-07:00

Old school 3-d wireframe titles for Iron Man by Danny Yount at Prologue.

View titles

Speed kills

2008-05-09T07:51:00.000-07:00

His name is Michael Angelo, he's from the band Nitro, and he is going to give you the keys to the lamborghini…

Nitro's first album "OFR" features the longest "scream" in metal history (done by Jim Gillette), in the song "Machine Gunn Eddie" that lasts for 32 seconds and reaches a B6 at its highest. The band themselves have stated repeatedly that no effects were used to enhance the scream.

Awesome, especially at 2:54 mins…

Great movie

2008-05-09T07:11:00.000-07:00

Into the wild is a film based on Jon Krakauer's bestselling non-fiction book about the adventures of Christopher McCandles.

After graduating from Emory University, top student and athlete Christopher McCandless abandons his possessions, gives his entire $24,000 savings account to charity and hitchhikes to Alaska to live in the wilderness.

The sound track is also great, first solo album by Pearl Jam vocalist Eddie Vedder.

Visit site

Banksy pulls a crowd

2008-05-06T02:14:00.000-07:00

Big crowds at the Can festival over the weekend - featured works by artists from around the world, and visitors were invited to join in.

www.thecansfestival.com

Liverpool Street Freeze

2008-05-02T02:01:00.000-07:00

Liberation Nuts participate in London Liverpool Street Freeze Wednesday evening (30/04/08).

London Freeze

2008-04-30T01:17:00.000-07:00

Prepare a pose for the London Freeze
30 April 2008
Liverpool Street station
18.24-18.28
Spread the word
Click here to see more

Rankin shoot

2008-04-23T08:10:00.000-07:00

Antidote is currently launching a brand new Ale with Neil Morrissey and Richard Fox. The trials and tribulations will be documented on Channel 4 later this year. We have just taken another step in the long process and had a photo shoot with acclaimed photographer Rankin. The photography will be used on packaging and other promotional material.

Digital Pecha Kucha last thursday

2008-04-22T04:12:00.000-07:00

Pecha Kucha is the fast and furious Japenese import. Twelve digital creatives showcased 20 slides each with every slide on screen for 20 seconds. The speakers included: Digit, Lean Mean Fighting Machine, Hi-ReS!, playerthree, Poke, de-construct, AllofUs, Mook, Glue, Profero, AKQA, Airside…

More on Pecha Kucha visit http://www.pecha-kucha.org

Apprentice

2008-04-03T04:37:00.000-07:00

Similar?

Rabbit

2008-04-03T03:29:00.000-07:00

talking cats

2008-03-25T10:05:00.001-07:00

Rich is aggressive

2008-03-25T09:32:00.000-07:00

Instead of donating 80's cycling gear to needy countries in Africa, Rich decides it would be better used by him, scaring others while he rides across London…

1000 days

2008-03-25T09:25:00.000-07:00

We're 1000 days old! So we had a party to mark the occasion, as well as launching a book to celebrate those 1000 days of hard graft. If you'd like a copy drop Nicky a line at nicky@antidote.co.uk

Stampede!

2008-03-25T05:15:00.000-07:00

Anya bag creates a stir in Japan