I am going to break an longstanding rule of mine and post 2 commercials made by Barrett and Welsh - in a row. The reason? They're good. And they represent a substantial commitment to the South Asian community in Canada by TD Canada Trust. The first spot is called A Longer Hours People.

What's the idea here? Well, everything is longer for South Asians.
Weddings last a week. Festivals are celebrated over several days.
Bollywood movies last three hours.
Even our favourite sport, cricket, is played over five days.
Since time immemorial, our customs, traditions, passions, work ethics, faith and values have driven us to rise earlier and to stay awake later.

South Asians are a longer hours people. And the longer banking hours that TD keeps are a perfect fit, as this commercial demonstrates.


The team:
Client: TD Canada Trust
Agency: Barrett and Welsh

Creative Directors: Mike Welsh and Gavin Barrett
Writer: Gavin Barrett
Art Director: Bhupesh Luther

Produced by Barrett and Welsh, freelance producer Munaf Husain/Dancing Light Pictures

Editor: Chris Brook
Music: Night in Lenasia by Deepak Ram, Golden Horn Productions
Sound design: Mark Dwyer, Zoo Music, Toronto
DOP/Colour: Pasha Patriki
Motion graphics: Alwyn Pereira
Stock: Getty Images

This art installation by the French designer Pierre David, takes a leaf out of Pantone books of yore. Now this is multiculturalism in full flow, in your face, and over the rest of your body too. It reminds me of what we like to do when clients visit. We give them a line drawing of a multicultural scene and a box of Multicultural Crayola. What's that you ask? Click here to find out.






Skin Pantone book image from http://www.cuartoderecha.com/, copyright: Pierre David
Via the NotCot.org site.

Article: Creative Commons License 2009 Gavin Barrett
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 2.5 Canada License.

I happened upon this ad for Minnesota's SouthWest Transit, just as the law in Ontario against handheld cellphone use kicks in. The timing is perfect and the advantage that transit offers the multitasking addict is driven home in busloads.

image via metro-magazine.com
Article and blog, copyright Gavin Barrett 2009

You've got to love Google because they've got the guts, the balls and the brand to do this sort of thing. When a brand is big, it's big-hearted and big-thinking. The occasion here is the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi - October 2nd.

A soupçon of visual punning.
A dash of good timing.
A gentle invitation to break your fast at Amer.
A cracker of an ad for the Ramadan season from DDB Egypt via Ads of the World.


Advertising Agency: DDB, Egypt
Creative Director / Art Director: Wael A. Azzam
Copywriter: Mohammad Salah
Published: August 2009


Article: Creative Commons License 2009 Gavin Barrett
This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 2.5 Canada License.
In other words, as long as you attribute ownership of these articles or posts to me you are free to use them and re-use them.
Go ahead. Spread the love and the knowledge.

From time to time Pushing Buses happens on a link or nugget of information or page that just happens to help us all push buses - or trains or LRT. This simple interactive page from the outstanding online mag GOOD, shows us the difference of between the impersonal car-centric streets of the past and the vibrant people-focused streets of the future. Every transit planning site should be able to illustrate the benefits of transit as effectively. This one really rocks my boat. Click here to get the full experience.


Image via visualizeus
Article and blog, copyright Gavin Barrett 2009

Smart, hip and desi, Masala Chai is a steaming cup filled with desi design wit. Check it out. Posts range from an intro to the stellar fold-your-own paper dolls of Mira Malhotra (shown here) to the Madhubani-folk-art-inspired paintings of Arti Sandhu. Respect.