announcement

This summer the Swedish Red Cross Youth launched a campaign for human rights influenced by the upcoming olympics in Beijing. We are encouraging people around us to visit our webbsite and discuss such matters as:
• What can You do to promote human rights?
• Is it ever acceptable to violate human rights?
• What can each nation do for human rights?
• Do Sweden ever violate human rights?

We think it is extremely important to educate young people on human rights and to raise the issue whenever it´s possible. Our campaign should not be seen as anti-China, but pro-human rights.

The Swedish Red Cross Youth has chosen to make a campaign on human rights because:
• Human rights is a fundemental part of the Red Cross/Red Crescent society
• It is 60 years since the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
• The Chinese government promised an improved situation for human rights in their Olympic campaign
• There are several documented cases where the Chinese authorities have violated human rights, Amnesty presents four central areas in the Olympic campaign:
- Fair trials for all
- Freedom from censorship
- Respect the rights of activists
- Stop executions

Human rights are, and always has been, a vital part of the Red Cross/Red Crescent philosophy. With that in mind, We see this as the perfect time to manifest the importance of human rights.

BT launch new Home Hub with multi-layered media campaign

BT’s new ad campaign has a twist in store for viewers, with Adam, the character played by Kris Marshall, moving out of the home he shares with his on-screen partner Jane, for his dream job – putting the relationship under pressure and implying the couple’s separation.

I interrupt this Friday to bring you what I was tinkering on most of the night - Researcher DIGG. Researcher is a Swedish advertising/planning/strategy blog that's been around for a long time, but its founder Niclas is finding less and less time to spend there. I suggested that I'd make a Digg-clone + blog, and he (SUCKER) let me have at it. Now, any Swedish net-head (it helps if you know the language) can sign in and post links to the upcoming page - if they get enough votes from other users, they end up on the front page.

I know, it's not the prettiest at the moment, but it works, so bite me. Also, I managed to import every post Niclas has made since 2003 to it, and keep the URL's they were posted to (like this one) intact, so *raspberry*. I was originally working on this dealio to make Adland a digg-clone, but then jesus, this place is so big it gives me a headache already. ;9

London, UK and Helsinki, Finland: Xtract, the leader and innovator in social advertising intelligence today announced that it has closed its series B round of funding with EUR 7,5 Million ($11.74M) from leading early-stage technology investors Creandum, ETF III advised by Eqvitec Partners and InnovationsKapital.

Home insurance company Capital Insurance Group has started an imaginative new “Think Twice” advertising campaign in California magazines. The new creative uses the iconic two-finger cultural symbol to represent CIG’s unique “double coverage” for homeowners.

The two-finger sign is meant to resound with viewers on multiple levels, according to Harvey Kraft, Head of Marketing & Business Development for Capital Insurance Group. “It says peace, love, victory – and now it also represents ‘think twice.’"

Hermione Granger, sorry, Emma Watson - the eighteen year old starlet has been signed as the new face of the Chanel fragrance Coco Mademoiselle. Did the 23 year old Keira Knightley get too old for Coco? Perhaps, her contract ends this summer but Brandrepublic says "Knightley will be given a new role at Chanel when Watson takes over." Oooh, maybe she'll do Allure or Chance ads?
Making Emma Watson fit to be a Chanel icon has been in the works for some time already, and the stylish image on the left is from In Style magazine where Emma looks more lady than teen.:

“Chanel have been dressing Emma for film premieres and parties in recent months to integrate her into the brand”

The previous Coco girl was Kate Moss, who was replaced by Keira in 2007.

Just last month it was reported that Audrey Tautou, star of 'Amelie' and 'The Da Vinci Code', has been signed up to appear in the next Chanel No 5 perfume ad, due to air in 2009 - which makes total sense since she plays Chanel herself in the movie "Coco Before Chanel", directed by Anne Fontain. Expect big bucks four minute short film style advertising when that one comes out.

.. and thin is the new Bold. Hey, I'm on a fontroll today. It's an official word now.

I mentioned the Bold font in passing again when the Bold forum announced its imminent demise (*sob*) - but Kenneth Pilo who founded Bold as an advertising and design forum as well as site in Sweden isn't the lazy type (he's even managed to spawn four times though I hear his missus did a lot of the grunt work, pun intented and seriously bad) so he created the Bold font as well as the now skinny version of it. Pilo thin is what happens if you remove the meat from the bold, yes, it's the line left. I like that. Like the size 0 of famous fonts. Check it.

Twothousand and five (or do you say twohundrend and five? I mean it was nineteenhundred, right?) was when we posted about Pony seen through Simon Wakelin's lens - and I'm here just to point out that two of those images have been updated a tad. Simon made them prettier see, and if I didn't say anything, y'all won't notice that I replaced them. :)

Exemplar Pro is now available - a typeface that took a long time to get here, but good things come to those who wait.... Göran Söderström tells the story:

I had just finished my calligraphic studies when I made the first sketches of Exemplar in 1994. Inspired by the beauty and perfection of several typefaces and the art of calligraphy, I got started on my first attempts to create a new typeface. My goal was to create a typeface that was traditional yet unconventional, a balanced combination that felt both old and new. Respectful of the art of typography, I turned to history for inspiration and placed equal attention towards taking a step into the future. Two years later, the designs for both regular and italic versions were complete. A first attempt to make Exemplar a fully functional font took place in 1997. But years passed and a general lack of time needed forced the project into a deep sleep for about nine years. In the first days of 2006, Exemplar experienced its revival when Psy/Ops signed a distribution deal for the typeface.

take a closer look at it on this pdf. Buy it now at the introductory price as it'll eventually rise somewhat.

DENVER, USA & LUND, SWEDEN, June 12 2008 - Local Matters, Inc. and Apptus, announced the successful completion of a unique solution enabling Quebecor MediaPages, a Quebecor Media subsidiary that publishes print and online directories across Canada, to integrate its print and online directories into one website, Canoe411.ca.