2015 Winners & Shortlists

PROJECT 1440 EVENT

Bronze
BrandWRIST
Product/ServicePROJECT 1440 EVENT
EntrantJ. WALTER THOMPSON DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
CategoryIllustration
Entrant Company J. WALTER THOMPSON DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Advertising Agency J. WALTER THOMPSON DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Brief Explanation

Our audience are aged 15 to 35, in tune with the latest youth trends, fashionably anti-fashion, cynical of corporate communication, and avoiders of conventional advertising. If we’re going to talk to them, we have to speak their language. So to promote Project 1440, we designed 24 posters that connected with the audience’s artistic taste, done with the help of some of the region’s most talented graphic designers.

The Brief

Wrist is a store in Dubai that sells niche designer watches. In a city obsessed with popular fashion brands, Wrist wished to reach out to a unique market – creative youths who long for an alternative to the mainstream. This called for an activation idea that connected with this trendy, visually-inclined audience. An exhibit was created, called Project 1440, in which 1,440 posters – one for every minute of the day – featured the city’s best upcoming artists. These 24 posters were used to give audiences a taste of the event’s rich visual offering.

How the final design was conceived

Twenty four artists were each assigned an “hour of the day” to design, and a blank canvas. The artists’ diverse specialties – freehand art, photography, graphic design, calligraphy, etc. – and diverse interests led to 24 very different pieces of art. From 1am to midnight, every hour was an interpretation of a different artist’s personality, treating audiences to a mini exhibit, which was only a taste of a much bigger event. These were simply 24 out of 1,440 posters to see.

Indication of how successful the outcome was in the market

The facebook page for Project 1440 grew to over 1,000 attendees, using only the posters as visual communication. New patrons visited the Wrist store to view the posters, and the upcoming exhibit has now become one of the most anticipated Dubai events in social media.

Wrist is a store in Dubai that sells niche designer watches in Dubai Mall – the biggest mall in the world. But it is surrounded by retail outlets that stock more popular mainstream brands. Its ideal audience are trendy, young arty individuals. But this audience avoid mainstream communication. To draw them in, buzz within their circle of like-minded people is key. So 24 artistic posters were created and placed around Wrist, creating a mini exhibit. News about the art soon spread and interest for the upcoming Project 1440 event continues to grow.

Credits

Name Company Role
Michael Fillon JWT Dubai Creative Director
Anas Sarraj JWT Dubai Head Of Art/Creative Director
Seyoan Vela JWT Dubai Executive Creative Director
Kris Balerite JWT Dubai Senior Art Director
Jun Gonzales JWT Dubai Senior Art Director
Shine Km JWT Dubai Art Director
Pauline Khodabakhshian JWT Dubai Graphic Designer
Anas Al Hakim JWT Dubai Art Director
Nadia Alken JWT Dubai Art Director
Mahmoud Alkhawajeh JWT Dubai Senior Art Director
Carl Lundqvist JWT Dubai Associate Creative Director
Catherine Mcmanus JWT Dubai Snr Copywriter
Sarah Guessoum JWT Dubai Graphic Designer
Jobert Garcia Inodoro Graphics