Wednesday 24 April 2013

Grumpy old me - Wrinklies in advertising


So we're all getting older - no kidding - and I myself can feel the 40 closing in. And even if I might not "feel that old" there are some things I can't do anymore. I can't go out with the girls for some cocktails on a Saturday night and not feel it the next day. I can't just shake off the extra pounds I gained on my holidays, I have to work hard to loose them. And sometimes I forget what I came upstairs for.

On the other hand I feel like I finally finished the process of "becoming myself". I know what I want and like (most of the times) and I've got a job and more disposable income. So you'd think that advertisers would be interested in people like me.

But what I found (and there are some exceptions) is that older consumers, and hereby I mean people aged 50+, are all too often ignored. This is hard to believe considering the age structure in the UK for older generations according to the indexmundi United Kingdom Demographics Profile:
25-54 years: 41.2%
55-64 years: 11.6%
65 years and over: 16.9%

And if you see advertising for wrinklies it can be difficult to find something that is not for products such as stair lifts or "unexpected wetness".

But it can go wrong, too, and make my eyes water. I might not be the target market but please…. You wouldn't probably show this with Brangelina on it.


My hope for the future? That when I've reached a certain age there will be advertising that is relevant to me, well designed and nice to look at.

These are completely my personal views and do not represent the manufacturer or advertising agency

Wednesday 17 April 2013

ACS Air Conditioning Services - New Brand

Brief: To produce a bilingual new brand and roll out onto van livery and associated marketing materials.

Mako Creative were commissioned by Anna at ACS to design and produce a new fresh look that had to be bilingual and work across their marketing materials.

We set about our intensive research based on expeditions out into the snow and ice, turning the heating down in the office and consuming quantities of iced drinks to get us in the right frame of mind (we really are method designers!). Once our hands stopped shivering long enough to hold a mouse and a pencil we set to work, our circulation was back to normal and the creative juices were able to flow.

We wanted to create a stop effect and instantly identifiable brand for ACS using strong typography and colours. We produced over 10 designs for our initial presentation (it must have been the ice in the drinks) all of which we thought would work really well, but of course we still had our favourite, which I am glad to say is the one our client picked!
Some of the logo ideas
So here is the new branding shown on the new van livery using a special type of vinyl which "wraps" the rear doors. We think it looks really cool! Editors note: Did you really have to say that?

The finished ACS van



Wednesday 10 April 2013

Red Cross - Anglesey Youth Bus Graphics

The Brief:
To design and produce graphics for a Red Cross community vehicle giving young people in Anglesey the opportunity to meet and discuss any problems in a fun and relaxing environment.
Must have a strong graphic element and raise awareness and Wow factor.

We decided that we would go for a fresh and funky look with a full graphic wrap over the specially built 8m long vehicle. Think we captured the Wow factor!