Jul 18, 2008

It's Friday, Just STOP!

I came across this video in YouTube and I think it is the funniest one I have seen, mimicking the process of creating/designing within the advertising industry (just make sure you see it until its real end, after the fade to black).

The premise behind it is:

"What if there were no STOP signs...,




Sadly I don't believe this is related to the size of the corporation. I have lived this same nightmare working for giant corporations but also with very, very small startups. And I have to confess that I couldn't stop laughing until I started remembering the pain... and I almost end up crying!

Ironically enough it is when you are in this situation that you just want to yell "Stop, stop, please STOP!" =)

How many stories you have like this one, my dear designers, copywriters, developers and friends? Does it ring any bell?

Link Sorry, whoever posted it apparently changed his/her mind!

Update, January 2009: Word is it that the video was conceived by writer/director Michael Starcevich and producer Brian Fox but so far we have no official confirmation. The good news is that I run across a new version (this time in HD) that you can see, of course, in YouTube...


PS: If you liked this video and you are a webdesigner, you may also enjoy the "8 Types of Bad Creative Critics", the "Webdesign/SEO rap", the "Top 10 Reasons your Project is Doomed" or this "Ten Business Lessons in Less than 2´"

45 comments:

Colin J Smith said...

omg yes lol

Anonymous said...

And academia is no better. I made a logo for a conference, the things that i heard are unbelievable.... and yes stoooooop is something you would like to yell...

San said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
San said...

You are right, it is the same in the academic world. And in my own experience it is even worst with governmental entities...

Anonymous said...

Just so true...
Should be a part of every young creative, AD, or whatever education.

I'll show it to my student, tellin them, this can become (about) 60% of their lifetime + the Nightmares.

San said...

I have to agree. I think it should be part of workshops for both creatives AND companies/clients...

Liquid06 said...

Yep. Almost cried.

Anonymous said...

I can relate to the empty spinning chair. This hits a wee bit close to home for my current gig.

Anonymous said...

If I had bid this job at a flat rate, I would cry too. But as billable hours, on the other hand...

It doesn't bother me when clients do this, because I tell them frequently how much it's costing them... :)

Progressive Jon said...

Love it! Now when friends/family ask me what I do (as an agency planner), I can show them. Help mediate client craziness.

Daniel Brevick said...

A more realistic ending would have had the corporation blaming the designer when the sign failed.

Anonymous said...

I have to say, too... if all that time was billable and not flat rate, I'd be laughing all the way to the bank even if I was frustrated!

This did remind me of my last job, though, in a corporation. Thankfully I'm now working for my church!

Anonymous said...

So true, Daniel! "Clients" like this absolutely do this on purpose because they think they're contributing. In reality, they waste profits for shareholders!

http://graphicdesignpathfinder.blogspot.com/

San said...

Daniel did you see the video until the end? After the fade to black? They kind of blame the designer...

Anonymous said...

DeFiNiTlY an all too common occurance in the field. This kind of thinking also came up with the name "Creatives" to classify graphic artists. can anyone think of another group that is named after an adjective? Maybe superheros...

Anonymous said...

oi vay... -_-'

Anonymous said...

The one dude looks like a lesbian.

Andy Boyd said...

This is probably pretty funny to people who haven't lived it but it's giving me flashbacks that make me grind my teeth and want to strangle a couple former clients.

Dave Cooper said...

The worst part is, that at round one he "nailed it." How often have you left that first meeting feeling really good? Like: that went really well. Only to find yourself about 2 months later on round 18.

Bastards. Why am I in this business?

Anonymous said...

The problem is that most non designers don't have a clue on how to distill an idea into its most basic form if they tried. Simple design is the most difficult thing to achieve. What cracks me up is that these are the same people who make the final decisions.

Anonymous said...

I've been in those focus groups! Very funny!

Anonymous said...

It's even more sad when this kind of thing happens in internal reviews - before the client even gets to see it.

Second-guessing it to death before it even goes out the door.

Unknown said...

As a designer, a lot of brilliant designs are butchered by these types of situations. Makes you wonder what the world would be like WITHOUT major corporations....

Tim Girvin said...

Wait -- can we tweak this video a little? It needs to be a little more emphatic. And the titling, I'm not sure that it quite resonates with the safety theme -- could we see 4-6 alternates? Where's the music, anyway? Can we see some more models for these spots? I'd like to talk to the editor, too -- coupla of the segues could be tighter...

(Har!)

Tim Girvin | girvin@girvin.com
http://blog.girvin.com/

Anonymous said...

This is fabulous! I have sent the link to at least 100 people. I am the founder of AllyKatzz... Marketing, Research and Consulting for clients who want to capture the tween-teen girl markets - all built around a safe social networking site - AllyKatzz.com. This isn't an ad for my site/company!... just saying what I do and why i love this so much!

Chelly said...

Oh yeah. I know I have been in on several meetings like that over the years.

Anonymous said...

Yup. That's why I got out of the biz. Twenty years of that and you're clinging to your sanity and your integrity by a very slender thread. That pretentious jargon used to bother me almost as much as the boneheaded "suggestions".

Of course, as a previous commenter noted, if the clock was running on all this it wouldn't be quite so painful -- at least you'd be getting rich off the inanity. But sadly that was never the case.

Unknown said...

I didn't officially "sit in" at a meeting, but they were taking about the objectives for the client in the office, and I just about barfed. My boss, the project manager and graphic designer were just sitting there doing all sorts of the marketing speak.

I had to design the web site. I hate it. Reminds me of a South Beach hooker. And the price for the non-dynamic (straight HTML) web site was priced at a high priced call girl rate.

Unknown said...

Another reminder of why this business / industry is so crappy and stressful....

Anonymous said...

Is this video still playable? It seems to have been pulled...

San said...

Yes, the video has been pulled from YouTube but you can still see it here... :) I believe that there are at least a couple of sites more that have posted it later.

smirky said...

Oh this brings back soooooo many memories of trying to develop international ad campaigns for global clients!

Anonymous said...

You gave no idea how familiar that is!! he he he, brilliant!

Anonymous said...

All the change for the worse stems from fear and arrogance. Fear of having to answer to some "higher up" who will ask why they picked blue (or whatever), and the arrogance that tells them they know what a viewer, or user, or demographic needs, while never having designed anything, never having studied psychology or human motivation, never having studied marketing, no track record of success, no real taste, and without the sense to know they should care what their daughter or husband thinks.

Anonymous said...

I've been in advertising and marketing for 21 years in everything from Fortune 50 companies to upstarts. I started as a copywriter, rose to creative director, then went to the dark side -- marketing. Interestingly, what's true in advertising is true in marketing. The hiring agents couldn't make it happen if their lives depended on it, but feel completely confident in knowing how to make your work better. Ridiculous and true. The Q is, how do we change it?

LJSM said...

This is my life every day that I interact with clients. Where's the BIG, RED STOP SIGN when I need it???

Anonymous said...

"Welcome to my nightmare." LOL. The funny/sad thing is that this is EXACTLY what would happen. Having been on both sides of the fence, this video really hits home for me.

pctechlady said...

I have only experienced this from my non-profit customers, as they generally do not expect to be charged for any little "minor" tweaks... No matter how many, no matter how often. :) Gotta love 'em!

Anonymous said...

I have definitely experienced this first hand in the realm of software development. Can't even begin to tell you what kind of incessent tweaking goes on there. And IMO its usually at least slightly worse than changing graphics to a stop sign, since it is usually far more complicated than simple photoshop updates.

Anonymous said...

i've been in engineering and marketing and worked with advertising for two large corporations, and yes, yes, yes, none of those organizations have the market cornered on blindness or stupidity....

been there, retired from there... took my mind to galt's gulch.

plusaf.com

Anonymous said...

OMG this is too true. WTF are clients thinking? Why do they pay you and then ignore what you say/do? Redic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYEf8XZKlUU

San said...

Txs for the link! I will post that video soon, too funny :)

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing and keep posting more new information.
Regards,
audio tagging

David said...

So true that I almost had to hold back the tears.

Anonymous said...

Just popping in to say nice site.