Spring 2008 Ads

love the ads .but that is me and that pic totally represents my "style"
if i were new or no customer of hermès a lot of their previous ads with neutral clothing or colors would have not made me go into H but this on absolutely
so i think it is all about different persons and talking to a different clientele what in the end h is all about too "beauty comes in all forms and colors"
 
Ditto Sarah! I totally agree with your composition comments. Now, just my HO, but if the background was a lovely, firey sunset with only one elephant (perhaps with some lighting), the white outfit would *pop* more. :shrugs:

I want the outfit to stand out more because I think it's stunning!! Even though I agree that it looks colonial and out of place in that ad. :s From a global marketing perspective, they may possibly offend some... :sad:
 
It's the colors in my opinion (and I'm a graphic designer working in the ad business). The color of her clothing shouldn't be white; it's diminutive in the skyblue background becase it fades to white, and you sort of lose her upper half, kwim? While the perspective is right, the color balance is off because her white suit just doesn't really work; half the battle in ads is making sure the eye goes all 'round the ad if you're not doing something simple like a product shot on a white background. It just kind of doesn't seem like they have a real focal point here because her white suit isn't eye-catching and bleeds into the background at her shoulders. Not their best work, IMO.
Quoted for truth! Seems like her face is floating! Maybe if they made it into a late sunset. THen the sky could catch the colours from the painted elephants as well. :yes:
 
Painting animals seems so unnecessary to me. It makes me feel ill at ease to see animals being "done up" for ads. Hermes could showcase their line without the use of decorated animals.
 
It's the colors in my opinion (and I'm a graphic designer working in the ad business). The color of her clothing shouldn't be white; it's diminutive in the skyblue background becase it fades to white, and you sort of lose her upper half, kwim? While the perspective is right, the color balance is off because her white suit just doesn't really work; half the battle in ads is making sure the eye goes all 'round the ad if you're not doing something simple like a product shot on a white background. It just kind of doesn't seem like they have a real focal point here because her white suit isn't eye-catching and bleeds into the background at her shoulders. Not their best work, IMO.

The Kelly Caleche ad is one of the best of theirs I've ever seen. See below:

KellyCaleche_Ad.jpg


The colors work WITH each other, not against each other, and your eye is drawn around the entire ad; you notice the foreground, the background, the girl, what she's wearing; the bottle wrapped in the whip, which is subtle but is one of the last things your eye is drawn to; everything. It's more well put together and more well thought out IMO than the elephant ad. Just my .02!


TOTALLY AGREE:tup:. When I saw this ad I wanted to run to Hermes and buy the entire outfit (and the whip:P). The elephant ad is interesting to look at but it doesn't really inspire me to run out and spend more money at H!
 
Painting animals seems so unnecessary to me. It makes me feel ill at ease to see animals being "done up" for ads. Hermes could showcase their line without the use of decorated animals.

See, that's the point. To me it seems that H totally 'got it' on some points and didn't on others. (This is totally my opinion, though). In South Asia elephants and horses are decorated for ceremonial occasions. They're actually not painted, but colorful drapes are thrown on them.

I'd think of this as designer's license...H is not looking to duplicate authenticity here, they have a theme to market/sell their stuff to people from US, Europe and maybe East Asia.
 
It's the colors in my opinion (and I'm a graphic designer working in the ad business). The color of her clothing shouldn't be white; it's diminutive in the skyblue background becase it fades to white, and you sort of lose her upper half, kwim? While the perspective is right, the color balance is off because her white suit just doesn't really work; half the battle in ads is making sure the eye goes all 'round the ad if you're not doing something simple like a product shot on a white background. It just kind of doesn't seem like they have a real focal point here because her white suit isn't eye-catching and bleeds into the background at her shoulders. Not their best work, IMO.


All great points. As devil's advocate, I would say this:

(1) this ad was deliberately composed, to the very last detail (like a Jeff Wall piece of art!) - so it is not accidental that the pale indian sky "fades" down into her white suit. A different spin is that the H products are materializing out of the air and elements - a natural reflection, or embodiment, of the Indian landscape. It flows directly out of nature - is drawn entirely from nature, and is organic (not jarring, contrasting).

(2) there is symmetry here that draws the eye to the whole ad: the colours on the elephant eyes is the colour on and under their feet - the eye is drawn to all of these colours. The trunks and her legs draw the eye vertically, and the orangey eye - H logo - orangey eye move it laterally.

(3) the warmth and darkness of her skin tone pop against the white sky/clothes, creating an analogy to the elephant (eye/feet).

(4) the real message to me (what POPS out of this ad) is: COLOUR!! Compare and contrast to Kelly caleche. This ad campaign is about India, and the glorious, vibrant colours it is known for. This ad messages to me that 2008 is a year about bright, bold colours. In a sense, the white RTW is a really secondary piece. It's as if they don't want to draw attention away from the colour. The white is not bold white - again, it is more muted (off whites?) and blended almost naturally into the landscape, creating a canvas for the colour, the artistry. (And those flower petals!! new H scents, anyone?? The ad is almost fragrant!)

(5) - ok, I'll stop... :shame:
 
^ i agree more so with you, even though both views are correct. its art...its speculative. When i first looked at this I saw the girl as kind of coming out of the sky and like landing on the earth. like an angel or something. the way her bottom half is so opposite of the colors around her, but her top fades into the sky. Then I really looked at the elephants eyes, and did not even notice the color on their feet, but I wanted to see more of that brilliant color so it drew my eyes down. I like it :smile:
 
^ i agree more so with you, even though both views are correct. its art...its speculative. When i first looked at this I saw the girl as kind of coming out of the sky and like landing on the earth. like an angel or something. the way her bottom half is so opposite of the colors around her, but her top fades into the sky. Then I really looked at the elephants eyes, and did not even notice the color on their feet, but I wanted to see more of that brilliant color so it drew my eyes down. I like it :smile:

Funnily enough, I *didn't* like it at first - first impression. I totally adore the Kelly caleche ad (translation: I wish that were me, walking on that beach, looking like that, wearing that, etc.).

It was the challenge of thinking through the ad that made me appreciate it. You are right about it being speculative. It's speculative, subjective. I guess, to my surprise, I have found meaning in it, and I kind of like it now! (Although I still want to be that woman in the Kelly caleche ad...)
 
^^I agree, I like the composition of that one much more. Especially the orange and pink on her arms. It really stands out and draws your eye all around the ad-- just those simple swatches of colour! And the colors of the Indian Dust she's wearing, coupled with the colors of her arms and the decoration on the elephant, just pop so much more. I definitely think this is the better if the two.

H may do their ads in house, I don't know! But either way I'd love to be the one doing 'em!