INTRODUCTIONHello. My name is Tim Nolan. I head up BBH Labs and serve as the Interactive Group

Creative Director at BBH New York. I have proudly served the Internet since 1996. I created

this book along with my partner in crime, Jen Lu, a Creative Mutant currently working

at Droga 5. We would like to thank Bernstein & Andriulli for granting us access to their

amazing roster of talented illustrators and designers to make this endeavor come to life.

This book is meant to be used as a point of inspiration through its words and images. It is

also, by design, meant to be a fun piece of interactive media to enjoy.

There is a lesson tucked away in that last sentence.

This book is simply a way to unite those two worlds.

Enjoy.

Today’s contemporary creative not only needs to be a clever storyteller, but also wise to the means that are

available to them to tell such narratives.

tim & jen@Universalscene

FOREWORD 1

What does it mean to be a creative these days? It ’s almost impossible to answer this. The

tasks of a creative are unrecognizable from as little as five years ago. You must decide

whether this is a good thing or a bad thing. Certainly the days of easy three week shoots

in the Caribbean are long gone. But when has an advertising creative ever had the

chance to make a physical product from scratch? To really make something?

Some would argue clients have never been more conservative but some guy just fell

from space for a can of pop with no guarantee that his brains wouldn’t splatter across a

million screens. It seems it ’s wise to be foolish.

One thing a creative does need to be is a hustler. There are no easy briefs any more. You

have to fight for the crazy stuff. But I honestly believe in a more uniform and conservative

world, weird stands out. Look at GaGa.

When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro. Is that what we are, professional weirdos?

I can live with that.

james cooper

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness.”

“Creativity ” is a loaded word like “war ” or “god” or “child.” It has a lot in common with

these words too – for it ’s a mix of heavy burden and a blinding belief in our own potential

to invent.

“Creative” is too often reserved for people who are quirky, strange, tattooed and/or

mustachioed. But in truth, everyone is creative with the way they solve the needs of the

contemporary world – be they juggling numbers, whittling a good spear, or even in the

conjuring of creative design and advertising.

The Contemporary Creative has the ability to excite all of these with ease, telling stories

and inciting action. Those before us molded clay, steel, and wood, but we flex our

power with pixels and clicks, flash frames and light, code strings and sensors. We are

manipulators, hopefully for good.

The one trick pony creative no longer exists; instant death comes to those with narrow-

minds, parochial interests or inflexibility. Inquisitiveness, fearlessness and an insatiable

thirst for The New are the only real mandates for today ’s creative minds.

So feed your inner child. Create something from nothing. It ’s a war of the senses.

david schwarz

What we’re talking about here is indeed creativity in the visual, interactive and social-psychological senses.

FOREWORD 2

FOREWORD 3

There’s also dogs dressed in menswear, men dressed as women spouting phrases women

say, diagrams of famous one-liners and the movies of Wes Anderson that most represent

you, purposefully misquoted inspirational images meant to inspire rage, and of course,

rage comics. There’s also the chest-pounding fear of irrelevance that the Internet, a.k.a.

the greatest unleashing of creativity in the history of our species, gives you as you stare

face-forward into a future that doesn’t necessarily need you, populated by people that

think they don’t want you, while you grapple to steer a brand managed by adults whose

aim it is to remain invisible in their corner office. But mostly, cats on the internet.

Being a “contemporary creative” doesn’t involve as much cats on the internet as one might suspect.

bud caddell

FOREWORD 4

Nice soundbite, that. And like most soundbites, half true, half full of shit.

Why it ’s half shit? You can be and do whatever you want creatively. There is absolutely no

right or wrong, just expression or no expression. That ’s the goddamn beauty of it.

Why it ’s half true? If you want to have an impact, to have other people see or hear or

experience your creativity, it ’s a good idea to understand the times you’re living in, the

mediums and formats that are resonating with people, and understand the tools that

are available to bring your expressions to life. Know those, and all that creativity inside

has a chance to be seen, experienced, and shared. Which makes you a creative person

of your time, a ‘contemporary creative’ so to speak.

You can’t be of your time creatively if you’re behind in how you can express it.

john patroulis

FOREWORD 5Having an idea is often the easy bit. Making it actually happen is almost always the

hard bit. Thomas Edison, who still holds the world record for the most number of patents,

described genius as “one percent inspiration, 99% perspiration.”

To this extent, the contemporary creative has never had it better. From prototyping with

Arduino to 3D printing to launching a business through Kickstarter, technology has made

it much easier to make things happen.

At the same time, it has never been more challenging to be creative. It is no longer

enough just to be curious and to be inspired by your surroundings - the contemporary

creative now needs to become part of those surroundings. Not an observer but a

participant. Not just a writer or art director but a blogger, publisher, writer of code, a

designer and salesperson of your own products. To be creative today, you have to be

versatile. You have to be a hybrid.

daniele fiandaca

However, despite the speed of technological advancement, one thing still holds true – understanding people and how to

move them emotionally is the hardest thing of all.

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

andrew rae

bigshot toyworks

julene harrison

gavin potenza

andrew bannecker

dan craig

rizon parein

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

tristan eaton

ilovedust

gary baseman

debaser

harriet russell

david welker

nomoco

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

adam hayes

rod hunt

am i collective

radio

jeff nishinaka

craig ward

carbon studio

V

W

X

Y

Z

pale horse

vasava

nathan fox

yuko shimizu

shotopop

AAPI

is for

andrew raepen & ink, digital

Application Programming Interface. Applications on the Web provide back doors to a wide range of valuable content

and data. It ’s time now to imagine what the API of a brand would look like. How will you open this API to consumers?

(Application Programming Interface)

BBETA

is for

bigshot toyworksdigital 3D

Love the beta. Embrace launching early and testing in a real world environment. Your consumer base is your best

testing ground.

CCRAFT

is for

julene harrisonpaper-cut

Ideas and technology do not make for compelling advertising without a level of craft. This is something that

should be considered timeless.

DDATA MINING

is for

gavin potenzadigital

Data mining is at the very core of what the Internet does best. Google revolutionized the process with the launch of

their search engine in March of 1996.

EENGAGEMENT

is for

andrew banneckerdigital

Engagement mapping is a means of assessing the contribution of different media touch-points to an eventual

conversion. It allows advertisers to look beyond the ‘ last click’ model of online measurement and award credit to all other

activity that a consumer encountered before this point.

FFUN

is for

dan craigdigital

Do what you love and love what you do. This will naturally translate into your work.

GGEOLOCATION

is for

rizon pareindigital 3D

The digital space need not be cold and impersonal, content can dynamically be tailored for the consumer

wherever they are located. Fish where the fish are.

HHYBRID

is for

tristan eatondigital

Mashup culture, cross trained professionals, and hactivism are all fine examples of modern day hybrids. Traditional

creatives are being forced to embrace digital or risk becoming irrelevant. On the flip side digital savvy creatives

need to learn how to extend their platforms into the television, print and, at times, radio channels.

IINTEGRATION

is for

ilovedustdigital

Ideas need to be able to live across all channels seamlessly as a cohesive message. They cannot be forced. Each platform has its own nuances and the content that is

created for them needs to feel native to the place where it will live until it reaches the consumer.

JJQUERY

is for

gary basemanacrylic

There are more ways to move elements on the page besides flash. There are a number of JavaScript frameworks

that enable your content to come to life whether it is a desktop, mobile, or tablet based experience. Get familiar.

KK.I.S.S.

is for

debaserdigital

Keep it Simple, Stupid. The idea may be an old one, but it still rings true today. At times the simplest of ideas can

unlock the biggest returns.

LLEARNING

is for

harriet russellpen & ink, collage, digital

“Life moves pretty fast, if you don’t stop and look around sometimes, you might miss it.” - Ferris Bueller

MMOBILE

is for

david welkerscratchboard

This is where most consumers engage with the Internet and this number will continue to grow as more and more devices

become Internet aware. Stay on your feet.

NNARRATIVE

is for

nomocowatercolor

No matter how much the media landscape shifts and changes, and no matter what the current platform may be, the narrative still connects the consumer to the message.

OOPEN SOURCE

is for

adam hayespen & ink

This notion should extend past software and code culture. Your process and your whole methodology should be looked

at as open source. Share and share alike.

PPLATFORM PRODUCTS PROGRAMS

is for

rod huntdigital

Campaigns are inherently built with limited life spans. They are meant to serve as short term engagements. Platforms, products,

and programs tend to live a longer, healthier life by nature.

QQUESTIONS

is for

am i collectivedigital

You should be asking these of everyone every single day. Here is one for you: Did you learn anything from reading this book?

RREAL TIME

is for

radiodigital

When an event or function is processed instantaneously, it is said to occur in real time. Your creative process needs to work in this same way. It is also something to consider when

planning for your audience to interact with your work.

SSOCIAL

is for

jeff nishinakapaper sculpture

Broadcasting nowadays includes some help from the audience. Successful work, if embraced by the public will

naturally be amplified by those that consume it.

TTACTILE

is for

craig wardpaper sculpture

Digital work should lure the user in. Create work that people want to engage with. Understand the platform and make

something that does more than sell a product. Sell the audience an experience, no matter how large or small.

Always ask yourself, “Would I spend time with this?”

UUSER EXPERIENCE

is for

carbon studiodigital

Remember who your work is being crafted to reach. Be conscious of how they will encounter, engage, and

consume your project. Then design that experience accordingly. UX is often the invisible layer of design.

VVERSATILE

is for

pale horsedigital

Be nimble. Never pitch the same idea twice. Continue to innovate in the way you think and continue to innovate in the way you approach problems. Keeping on the notion of versatility, make sure your ideas are versatile enough

to coexist across all media platforms. Fragmentation is a thing of the past.

WWONDER

is for

vasavadigital

Creativity relies on wonder. It gives the audience the ability to associate themselves with your work. It opens the doors to imagination, and creates the connection between the idea

and the consumer.

XXML

is for

nathan foxdigital inks and color

Extensible Markup Language. What is important about XML is that it is a language that both humans and machines understand. Be sure your creative ideas are as flexible as this language, as most brand platforms need to be

understood by both humans and computers alike.

YYOU

is for

yuko shimizupen & ink, digital

It is up to you as a contemporary creative to explore new avenues. It is up to you to learn every day. The media

landscape as we all know is in constant flux. New technologies launch themselves into the world everyday, find a way to

aggregate a personal news feed, and keep learning.

ZZEITGEIST

is for

shotopoppen & ink, digital

Be a spirit of the times. Immerse yourself in all things contemporary. This will give you a wider lens to look through

when conceptualizing creative. Stay in the now.

agents:Howard Bernstein, Louisa St. Pierre, Francine Rosenfeld

Matthew LeBaron, Aaron Barr, Dan Ouyang

designed by shotopop

bernstein & andriulli58 West 40th Street, NYC 10018

BA-REPS.COMINFO@BA-REPS.COM

+1 212 682 1490TWITTER.COM/BAREPSBAREPS.TUMBLR.COM

© 2013 bernstein & andriulli inc.The entire contents of this book are the copyright of Bernstein & Andriulli Inc &

Universalscene. In addition, the copyright of the individual illustrations herein remain with

the artist or client unless otherwise shown. No part of this book may be reproduced, in

whole or in part, in any form whether mechanical or electronic or stored or in a retrieval

system without prior written permission from the copyright holder.

written by tim nolan