Before we had this thing we had books. There were few about advertising. Aside from the awards annuals, there was one by Jerry Della Femina, but it didn’t have any pictures. One by David Ogilvy, but he wasn’t exactly popular at the time. George Lois had a giant square one, which was good. Then there was Bill Bernbach’s Book. Different league. The gold standard. Our bible. Virtually all creatives owned a copy. We didn’t know who’d done ads as thereRead more
Posts tagged: #Bob Levenson
THE WOMEN WHO BUILT DDB, 6: Carole Anne Fine
One of the frustrations of putting together these Women Who Built DDB posts is trying to track down their work. The journey starts with scouring old copies of The New York Art Director’s Club Annual and Communication Arts magazines. After that, it’s a desperate flick through the random old books and magazines my wife is forever on at me to get rid of. With a bit of luck I’ll find a bunch of grainy little back and white squares withRead more
THE WOMEN WHO BUILT DDB, 1: Phyllis Robinson
‘We used to have more female than male writers back in the 60s.’ Someone in the HR department of DDB NY told me that, about 5 years ago. Occasionally I’ll remember it and wonder whether it’s true, if it was; why it happened and why it changed. I just looked into it; it’s true. In looking into it, something else dawned on me. DDB in the fifties and sixties were, and still are in some quarters, considered the best, mostRead more
INTERVIEW: Sidney Myers.
Hey Sid, where were you brought up? The Bronx, about three miles south of where Len Sirowitz was brought up. In those days you were left by yourself in the street. We went out at 9 o’clock in the morning and except for lunch and dinner we were out and about fending for ourselves. You learned a lot about how to handle yourself and also about relationships with other people. There were no organized activities so you made up theRead more
INTERVIEW: Len Sirowitz.
Hired by Bernbach in the fifties. Ran VW in the sixties. Set up his own shop in the seventies. Now in his eighties. One of the finest Art Directors ever. Len, before we start, I heard a rumour you grew up in the Bronx with Ralph Lauren? Yes. In fact, I am still friendly with his older bother, who I first met pushing Ralphie in a baby carriage. So it’s 1953, why become a huckster? Why do you use such a derogatoryRead more