Roxanne Boucher - words and ideas

PERSO - Places I’ve been – Manchester

2010-06-28T16:53:00.004+01:00

(June 2010)

Blossom at the Cathedral.

You have to look for rivers and canals, they are hidden...

At the Royal Exchange Theatre, you have the strange feeling they landed a lunar module under the glass domes.

PRO - Places I’ve been – Berlin

2010-06-28T16:31:00.006+01:00

(A week-end in May 2010)

A disturbing walk through the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe.

Memorial for the Victims of War and Tyranny (this one has a long story).

The twins cathedral of Gendarmenmarkt.

A better use of the Berlin Wall: art. (West Side Gallery)

Looking for the Berliner Philharmoniker (in the back), I found a Haring. What's not to like?

PRO - Recently read

2010-06-16T15:56:00.012+01:00

Over the last months, I’ve been reading a couple of trade books recommended by teachers and colleagues. Here are my reviews.

Just finished:

The Guardian Book of English Language ++

A small book containing extracts form Guardian Style, edited by David Marsh (2007)

A useful reference as how to write things right, such as titles and dates, which expressions to avoid, or to get to know a bit of Polari (basically a British gay slang). The more you know, the more you realise how little you know…

A Duo by Paul Arden:

It’s not how good you are, it’s how good you want to be +

Whatever you think, think the opposite ++

The first is the famous one; the later is the interesting one. Maybe it’s because I read Whatever first, sometime last year, and I thought it was a witty book, that was in accordance with all the things you don’t really know how to justify. Not to mention the beautiful layout of the book. Then, I read It’s not how good. The same type of layout, but the magic didn’t work. A bit too patronizing, maybe?

Read in small bits:

The Big Moo by Seth Godin & 32 of world's best business minds +

This is a follow-up of Purple Cow, where dozen of stories help you to understand how you can be truly remarkable (a purple cow in a field of brown cows) and make sure people hear you too. Easy reading on the tube, inspiring stories to give you the guts to challenge everything.

And, last but not least:

D&AD Annual +++

Until this year, only a privileged few could get their hands on the bible of creative excellence in design and advertising of the year, according to the D&AD. For the first time, Taschen makes it available to the public. Marvellous! I like to think of it as my year book… Well, let’s say that I’ve studied some of the featured work during my Master. The only bad thing about this book is that I will have to buy it every year now!

Coming up:

Conversational Capital (I’m reading it now)
Jokes and their relation to the unconscious (when I’ll feel psycho-enabled)
A Smile in the Mind (I just ordered it)

PRO – MAC – Design Project 2

2010-05-13T18:28:00.007+01:00

And here is project number 2. This one was produced in the class of Ruth Sykes, from the same design business as Emily (project 1). The brief was to design a poster to convince people to act or adopt a new behaviour. We had to come up with everything: the idea itself, logo, copy, illustration/photography, and a supporting object.

I came up with the “Dance with you umbrella” initiative, which I fantasized to be sponsored by the Mayor of London (explaining the use of the ultimate British typeface, gill sans). The first poster is the general one, to create awareness. The other one, a bit more complex, would fit in the tube or any other place you wait for a couple of minutes, so you can actually figure it out.

As for colour, I chose a blue sky blue and a sunny orange. Yes, because when you dance, there are no grey skies. I started with an existing illustration I bought from Carlos Benigno then changed pretty much everything, created the partner, etc.

My supporting object was, of course, an umbrella, featuring the official colour and logo.

The launch of campaign would also include one or many “forgot your umbrella day”, where a promotional team would walk with people without umbrella on a rainy day. While they get them from the tube entrance to the local coffee or from the bus to work, they would chat about the umbrella etiquette and introduce them to the dance.

PRO – MAC – Design Project 1

2010-05-06T18:42:00.005+01:00

We had, for the last 5 months, two design classes. Working with Emily Wood from Reg Design, we had an assignment entitled "Everyone I've ever known". It seems ambitious - well, it is. We had to collect data about the people we had encounter in our life (some made a list of 2000, I stopped at 150), then categorise and finally illustrate the information about them.

Along my collection period, I kept asking myself how to define the people I’ve known. How come I remember them, why are they important to me? So my project became articulated around the values I share with them or those I admire from them.

The tag cloud imposed itself as a representation of importance of the value, the shape of a chain of little men holding hands became a symbol of sharing. There even was a chain coming out of the poster (as shown below). But, I still have an issue with colour. It still doesn’t feel right… Well, it just proves that I’m not an art director (yet). ;-)

PRO – MAC – Symbol Workshop

2010-04-18T19:01:00.005+01:00

Weird assignments give weird results.

"Create a warning sign saying: Beware, bankers drink here". Ah, British eccentricity. Can't wait to see my pictogram on the City's pubs doors.

PRO - Designers of the year

2010-02-28T17:28:00.007Z

On the south bank of the Thames, a small but mighty museum presents the greatest design ideas of the year...

I won't list them all, but I'll gladly share my favorites, so you know what to get me for Christmas in years to come.

Gocycle, UK - Karbon Kinetics Ltd.
Beautiful, strong, handy, clean. I would use it everyday.

The Newspaper Club, UK - Ben Terrett
Who said that print press was endangered?

Sugru, UK - Jane ni Dhulchaointigh
The ultimate ergonomic tool! A plasticine that harden and improve everything you put it on.

GINA Light Visionary Model, Germany - BMW
I am usually not into cars, but this one is made of fabric. Very promising.

Graffiti Taxonomy: Paris, France - Evan Roth
I wished I thought of it. Sounds like a terrific subject for a master thesis in Graphic Design.

Real Time, Netherlands - Maarten Baas
An ever surprising clock. For once, it's awesome to watch time go by.

And so on...
Great ideas, guys.

PRO – MAC – 4 approaches to inspiration

2010-02-27T15:45:00.002Z

Among our many tutors in London, we had a way too short session with Dr Kit Barton about Inspirational Ideas and Thinking. The class usually takes 45 hours, we got 3. Well, just enough to know what to look for in my next readings!

We discussed 4 methods used to get inspired, or as we like to say, to be creative. Here is an overview and some links to know more about each of them.

1. Psychoanalytic Exploration
Thinkers: Freud and Jung
Concept: Creativity lies within you, in the unconscious. This is the part of the mind that we are not aware of, where all instincts and drives reside. So, how can we access the unconscious? Sometimes it manifests itself through Freudian slips. We use a lot of ideas repressed in the unconscious when we tell jokes. Or, if you can remember them, the best way to access the unconscious is dreams.

The principle that creativity lies in the unconscious becomes even more interesting from Jung’s point of view: the collective unconscious. Ah, what a treasure for storytellers! Think of all myths and legends, which address the same issues all over the world. Then we understand how come Star Wars was such a success…

2. Symbolic Systems
Thinker: Ferdinand de Saussure
Concept: From a semiotic point of view, every name is a sign. Concept and sound-image are closely related; they are the signified and the signifier. Considering that the relation between the signifier and the signified is arbitrary, there is an opening for creativity here.

Simply use different signifier(s) for a signified. You can get something new that people will understand if there is an alteration of some elements that makes the concept. This approach is particularly used in design.

Now, how can we alter signifiers enough, but not too much, and therefore become more creative? Sources of inspiration often come from outside your culture of from the micro-cultures you can find in your own.

3. Hermeneutic Analysis
Thinker: Martin Heidegger
Concept: This approach discusses of the interpretation of things. Heidegger developed a quite complex theory, but here is a rude shrink-down of the principles exposed in The Origin of the Work of Art.

We can consider than there are three levels to interpret things.

As an aggregate of qualities under a single term. To interpret a door, you say “door”.
As a description of its natural qualities (a “scientific” approach). The door becomes “a large and thin piece of wood with a handle”, etc.
As “equipment”, i.e. the thing being interpreted by its purposes. The door then is a mean to go through a wall, or a way to cut us from the activity on the other side of the door, therefore intimacy, and so on.

The creativity would use the third level, or simply the opposite of level 1: let things speak for themselves. Instead of saying door, let the door say something to you. Allow yourself to be spoken to by objects.

Note: The noun hermeneutic comes from Hermes, the messenger of gods, who interpreted messages.

4. Radical Synthesis
Thinker: Nietzsche
Concept: Last but not least, the simplest way to try to be creative (I say try, because it is not a infallible technique). Radical Synthesis can be simplified into the idea of doing the opposite.

Identify what the rules are. Then willingly break them.

According to Nietzsche (Thus Spoke Zarathustra), there is the herd and the others (we can call them creatives). The herd edicts rules to keep you in the herd, mainly using guilt. Being alone or different is guilty.

Then, the others are as a matter of fact lonely and not understood. They choose that state, they are adepts of non-conformism. So, being creative is an ongoing act of will. (I got to admit I agree!)

There is also the Dionysian aspect – where you have to get rid of your inhibitions, commonly with the help of alcohol and drugs. But, not surprisingly at all, the professor did not develop that idea. Shall we discuss that over a drink?

PERSO - Places I’ve been – Scotland

2010-02-15T13:04:00.004Z

Somewhere between Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Perfect moment at Loch Lomond.

View from our Hostel in Edinburgh, on the North Sea.

I just loved the pictograms of the Lighthouse in Glasgow (Center of Design and Architecture).

PERSO - Places I’ve been – Paris

2010-01-19T09:45:00.004Z

(Autumn 2009)
Detailed skyline of the Opera Garnier.

Pyramids over Palace (Louvre).

Medieval ceiling at the Conciergerie.

Angry man at the top of the Arc de Triomphe.

At the top of the hour, it starts running.

PERSO - Places I’ve been – Marseille

2010-01-19T09:41:00.001Z

(Christmas day, 2009)

The famous Chateau d’If (Comte de Monte Cristo), with the city’s “Bonne Mère” in the background (church on top of the hill).

PRO – Case study – Your kids and advertising

2009-12-16T20:50:00.004Z

Here is an overview of the brochure I develop with my team at Egzakt for public information from the government. The objective is to inform parents about the effect of advertising on kids and to gain awareness about the law that prohibits advertising for children under 13 years old.

Client: Consumer Protection Office and Éditions Protégez-Vous

Brief: Inform parents in a fun, accessible and efficient way.

Award: Achievement in Consumer Education - National Association of Consumer Agency Administrators (NACAA), for the “quality of the text and graphic design, the relevance of the message and the usefulness of information for the public.”

The brochure has already been distributed in all Quebec regions, with 275 000 copies in 2009. Reprints are on their way.

PRO - Case Study - Newspaper Signature

2009-12-16T19:54:00.017Z

Here is the case study of the line I found with my team at Egzakt for the Quebec daily newspaper Le Devoir.

Client: Le Devoir (www.ledevoir.com)
An independent daily newspaper, without ideology or politic affiliation. Values: freedom, equality, solidarity, integrity. Mission: to inform readers and nourish societal reflection.

New positioning

What is Le Devoir?
1. It’s a must: This is the only independent newspaper in Quebec and it has the deepest contents.
2. It’s accessible: Thinking is not boring. Everyone can read and enjoy Le Devoir.

What can we do with Le Devoir?
3. Think. Go beyond facts.
4. Share. Exchange point of view and ideas, discuss, react.

New signature: Libre de penser
(It is quite hard to translate a good French line… let’s say: Free to think. Libre de penser is close to the French noun libre-penseur, a person that refuses religious compliance or dogmatic influence.)

Le Devoir is free to think.
Readers are free to think, or aspire to be free to think.

Some more details in French...

Positionnement
INCONTOURNABLE : Grâce à son indépendance et  à la qualité de ses contenus.
ACCESSIBLE : Ce n’est pas parce que l’on réfléchit que c’est ennuyeux. Tout le monde peut lire et apprécier Le Devoir.
RÉFLÉCHIR : Au-delà des informations et des faits.
ÉCHANGER : Partager des idées, des points de vue, discuter, réagir.

Signature
Libre de penser

Le Devoir l’est.
Le lecteur l’est ou veut l’être. Il est content de lire une publication qui l’est.
Référence directe à l’indépendance de la publication.
Une invitation au lecteur à aller au-delà des faits,  à proscrire l’endoctrinement.
Accessibilité : l’exercice de penser librement est accessible à tous; il est encore plus facile avec Le Devoir.
Empowerment : le lecteur peut s’approprier les idées, les contenus, les faire siens, réfléchir, réagir, y prendre plaisir.

Quelques jours après le lancement du nouveau site web et de la signature, nous recevons ce courriel de Jean-Jacques Stréliski, maître-penseur de la publicité au Québec :

Mon coup de coeur va à cette nouvelle signature « Libre de penser » que j'aurais humblement aimé trouver moi-même, donc mes félicitations à l'auteur de cette trouvaille. Si vraie et si simple à la fois, comme toutes les bonnes signatures.

PRO – Case study - Fashionable green

2009-12-04T14:15:00.000Z

Here is the case study of the concept I develop with my team at Egzakt for the "green" campaign of the local shopping center.

Client: Les Rivières Shopping Center (www.lesrivieres.com)
Brief: Find a way to show ecological or “green” initiatives.
Insight: Use the purpose of the shopping center – fashion – to communicate the green side of center.

Baseline: Vert, une couleur qui ne passe pas de mode = Green, a colour that will never goes out of style.
Visual: Created by David Gélinas, Art Director at Egzakt.
Award: Silver Maxi at the International Council of Shopping Centers Awards.

See full campain and case study in French.

PERSO - SaveTheWords.org

2009-12-02T17:43:00.003Z

Being a copywriter, you probably assumed that I love words. Well, you guessed right. Of course, French is my first love, but I am very found of English as well. I discovered this website developed by Oxford Dictionaries, and encourage you to go once in a while.

Which words need to be saved? Old words, wise words, those that has lost their meaning in our lives.

Look around, click, discover, learn, have fun. Some words are even asking for your attention. If you fall in love, you can adopt a word and make a pledge to use it as much as you can.

How can you do “spread the word”? Use it as a name for your pet, or a nickname for your partner; play it at your next Scrabble game; get a tattoo with the word; draw a graffiti, what else?

Mine: hymnicide. Killing of hymns through alteration. So be careful if you sign around me!

PERSO – Music - My voice is officially recorded!

2009-12-01T15:18:00.000Z

I’ve been signing in choirs for more than a decade now. My alma mater group, Vocalys, has finally released its first CD. I was lucky enough to do the recording just before leaving for Europe.

Vocalys is a small choir ensemble (usually 16 voices), specialized in baroque and a cappella music, but always exploring all kinds of repertoire, from Gregorian to Modern.

Our first CD is a new piece of music inspired by ancestral ones. The composer, Marc Langis, is more known for going around the world as one of Celine Dion’s musician, but is also a talented composer. A wrote a cycle of 20 canticles based on Christmas Liturgy.

Excellent for a contemplative moment. Excerpts are available online.

PERSO - Books in French - Comment voyager avec un saumon

2009-11-22T20:24:00.004Z

Umberto Eco - Comment voyager avec un saumon, Nouveaux pastiches et postiches
[pastiche : imiter la manière ou le style d'un autre auteur, parodie]
[postiche : fait et ajouté après coup; pour remplacer artificiellement quelque chose de naturel; mélange]

Comment voyager avec un saumon regroupe une cinquantaine de chroniques du célèbre auteur du Nom de la rose. Écrivain, historien, philosophe et sémiologue accompli, Umberto Eco écrit d'une façon que l'on peut parfois trouver laborieuse dans ses grands romans. Mais ce petit recueil nous réconcilie avec l'homme, puisque ses savoureux textes présentent essentiellement des modes d'emploi pour le commun des mortels, voire des indications pour aider ces pauvres gens dits intellectuels.

Comment ne pas utiliser le fax; comment manger en avion; comment reconnaître un film porno; comment user du chauffeur de taxi (ponctuer le discours de quelques «Non, c'est pas possible, des gens pareils, on n'a pas idée » afin de tirer le chauffeur de son autisme fabulatoire); comment justifier une bibliothèque privée (« Que de livres ! Vous les avez tous lus ? »); sans oublier mon passage préféré, comment mettre des points de suspensions.

À vous de découvrir l'histoire qui se cache derrière le titre.
Petits délices rigolos fort agréables à lire.

Disponible auprès des Éditions Grasset.

PRO – MAC – 8 values of creativity

2009-11-22T20:18:00.008Z

We had the chance to have a class with an ex-creative in advertising agencies, who became an even-more-creative with his new business IQudo (IQ – you – do?) in Germany. Since I like to share simple theories, I can’t resist telling you about what Robert Gerlach presents as the 8 values of creativity.

1. Talent: Skills, development, competition and synergy
2. Autonomy:Freedom, trust, responsibility
3. Recognition: Appreciation, incentives, respect
4. Identification: Security, loyalty, purpose, affiliation
5. Fun: Enthusiasm, challenge, play
6. Tolerance: Openness, understanding, diversity
7. Environment: Equipment, technology, interior design, fitness and relaxation
8. Transparency: Communication clarity and speed

Do you find this in your life and job? I am lucky to say that I have most of them. Or at least that I aspire to these values.

And by the way, to my (ex)bosses at Egzakt, two thumbs up. It looks like you based the company culture on those values. Not bad for an advertising agency… Keep it up!

PERSO - Books in French - Les Thanatonautes

2009-11-14T15:05:00.002Z

Thanatonaute, du grec thanatos (mort) et nautês (navigateur) : Explorateur de la mort.

La vie après la mort a été le sujet de bien des réflexions, mais de peu d'explorations, encore moins d'une démarche scientifique.

Une petite équipe de chercheurs se lance à la découverte du continent des morts en utilisant des techniques de médecine et d’astronautique. Les textes sacrés sont les seuls repères laissés par les explorateurs spirituels précédents. La carte géographique du paradis prend peu à peu forme, avec tous les bouleversements qu’une telle découverte peut entraîner.

Science, spiritualité, philosophie, humour, inattendu : des armes que l’auteur manie à merveille.

Le livre m'a réconciliée avec le plaisir de la lecture.

Les Thanatonautes
Bernard Werber
Éditions Albin Michel 1994

PERSO – My favorite campaign : Words Matter

2009-11-14T14:43:00.006Z

Once in a while, you see something and wish you'd been the one behind it. The Gazette (Montreal's English daily) is one of them for me. My favorite in the last couple of years. Chapeau bleublancrouge!

Many executions, many prizes. I'll show you two of my favorites: the video about Paris (since I’m here!) and the daring no words front page. The back of the front page featured the slogan “Words matter”, and the real front page, with articles, appeared on page three.

PERSO - Big meal for Ad Eaters

2009-11-14T14:01:00.005Z

A couple of hours ago, I was still sitting in the Grand Rex movie theatre. I spent the night (23:00 to 7:00) with hundreds of people who share one great passion: advertising.

The opening of the evening was dedicated to music in advertising, with a (too) long medley of songs created for ads or used in ads, with a live band. The idea was interesting (especially I have an assignment on that subject coming up), but the performance was average. When the lights went out – of course, there has to be something going wrong! – the crowd took over the ambiance, and it was probably more fun!

Then, 5 sequences of advertising movies were presented. Mostly award winning advertising from 2008, but also a couple of very old ads, as far as the 50’s. Ads were mainly from France, United Kingdom, Lebanon, Dubai, and a couple extra countries (with some noticed absences like New Zealand). Being used to the Cannes Lions formula, I found these intrusion of “historic” documents or sequence with famous actors very interesting. But there were no guidelines; some sequences could have use a better selection and more logic in the order. However, I made some very interesting discoveries.

For example, I knew the original transformer effect for Citroen, but not the Chevrolet answer. Loved it!

Also, I was very surprised by the “Here today, goo tomorrow” series for Cadbury’s cream eggs. Pure imagination!

After so many hours of advertising, I guess I’ll be able to do some on my own… speaking of which, a quick nap, and back to school projects.

PRO – MAC – Advertising history in 5 points

2009-11-08T15:26:00.003Z

I got to admit, my International Creativity teacher made an impression on me. Filippo Dell’Osso has the typical I-am-a-creative-working-in-a-big-agency look, which is obviously shaved head, glasses and dark shirt. Well, he is not an art director, but can tell a lot about it.

His first class was about people who made advertising history. It turned out to be how we conceived advertising over time. And notice that all of the following are still being used.

1. Unique information
Rosser Reeves (1910-1984)

2. Unique character
Leo Burnett (1891-1971)

3. Unique attitude
Bill Bernbach (1911-1982)

4. Unique surprise
David Ogilvy (1911-1999)

5. Unique insight
Stanley Pollitt (BMP-DDB) and Stephen King (JWT)

What’s next?
Sir John Hegarty came with mind+heart; Dan Wieden sees advertising as creation of popular culture; David Droga motto is don’t say, do.

Advertising is changing. Look up for the next way we'll define it.

PRO – MAC – Classes in Paris

2009-11-08T14:21:00.005Z

After more than 8 years working in the media and advertising, I’ve decided to go back to school. Not any school thought: a specialized school in advertising, offering a master degree in two of the best cities ever: Paris and London. My program is called Master 2 in Advertising Creativity, or MAC.

Chapter one is already started. Class began last week in Paris, in the brand new offices of the Sup de Pub, on Quai de Seine, 19e. There are about 10 of us in the specialized master (MAC). There is also more than 30 students in International Advertising, with whom we share many classes.

From October to December, we have more than 10 different classes adding up to 166 hours, plus competition and exams.

Among our teachers:

Filippo Dell’Osso, Strategic Planning Director for Europe, TBWA
Florence Balducci, Art Director, formally Saatchi & Saatchi and many more
Samuel Cranston, Marketing and Advertising Consultant
Carole Moy and Karen Schekler-Wilson, two Americans in Paris specialized in design.
Robert Gerlach, IQudo - Academy for Creative Intelligence (Germany)
Gilles Nakhle, brand specialist and international trend spotter, former Young & Buricam, BBDO, Dentsu and more
Sonia Ratto, strategic and creative planner at Carré Noir

I’ll post interesting notions, flashes or discussions we had in those classes.

PRO - Places I’ve been – Borealie

2009-11-01T08:39:00.001Z

(Winter 2008)
St-Felicien Zoo, Quebec

PERSO - Places I’ve been - Nicaragua

2009-11-01T08:36:00.000Z

(Winter 2008)

PERSO - Places I’ve been – New York

2009-11-01T08:32:00.000Z

(Summer 2007)
Yellow is the new Black.

Buildings piling up in the Financial District.

My favourite Matisse painting is just a staircase ornament at the MoMA.

One of the first Guttenberg Bible to have cross the ocean is shown at the NY Public Library (you know, the one with the famous lions seen in Ghostbusters).

PERSO - Places I’ve been – Boston

2009-11-01T08:25:00.000Z

(Autumn 2007)

My own version of Magritte’s “Empire des lumières” in Beacon Hill.

Perfect architecture on perfect blue sky (the Stata Center at the MIT).

The Federal Reserve Bank Building, in aluminium.