– Next Level Stuff
Australske Marcus Johnston er en prisvinnende Art Director som bor i Oslo. Han har valgt ut sine favoritter i ukens Kudos.
BIO
Marcus Johnston is an Australian Creative Director and Art Director with experience working on brands such as Bacardi, Foot Locker, Sandy Hook Promise, The United Nations, and Away. He has worked for agencies, in-house and direct-to-brand in the USA, Australia and Scandinavia. Marcus’ work makes headlines, has been tweeted by a president and won over 100 international awards. He once planted a tree. Which continues to grow.
Tell us about one or more Norwegian-produced jobs that you like
– Having only worked in Oslo for a year, I don’t know the back catalogue of great Norwegian work. I’ve undoubtedly missed something, so please go easy on me.
– When I first started looking at Norwegian advertising, this was the first piece of work that caught my attention. It’s the type of gut punch you want from point of view work, which moves the needle and the mind.
– This is a solid piece of purpose-driven brand work that doesn’t feel forced. It’s simple and clear, which sometimes is the hardest thing to do.
– 17th of May is National Bunad Day. So what better way to get some buzz, than helping the nation with its fluff problem? Simple, charming and culturally relevant.
Name one or more inspiring international/foreign work that you would like to have done yourself
– Most retail clothing brands fall into the trap of hiring a fashion photographer, shooting a lookbook of lifestyle images, then running a generic line on the work. Kathmandu - Australia’s leading outdoor adventure brand, took a creative leap with their new brand platform ‘We’re Out There’ and redefined the category. This hypnotic ride to a weird and wonderful outdoorsy place is one of my favourites from last year.
– In what appears to be a mosaic of Channel 4 idents, a modern English tale unravels. Is it three acts or a cascade of thirty? Layered with themes, it's a genuine intellectual exploration of Britain in 2023 – precisely what you'd anticipate from the world's top in-house team. Shout out to Art Practice and LoveSong, who pushed the boundaries of storytelling and production, by bringing together 25 diverse makers and artists to make it. Next-level stuff.
– This is a breath of fresh air that set the internet ablaze. While it might appear to be just another music video, it's a clever promotional piece for Ocean Spray’s cranberry sauce during Thanksgiving. It's pure, it's irreverent for the right reason, and it's impossible to ignore. Absolutely love it.
– Save humanity from the AI bots, in game form. Rajeev Basura is the mastermind behind this gem of a side project. I recommend checking out his other internet experiments if you’re into this one.
– My final selection comes from Christen & Bertie, a brilliant team working at W+K Portland. Unknown to most people Christen comes from Norway. The guys turned a banner brief into something epic - a feature-length invisible movie to introduce Old Spice's invisible body spray. They wrote the script, didn't film a single frame and premiered it in cinemas. It’s hilarious and the smart kind of dumb.
Who would you like to pass the baton on to, and why?
– Before passing on the metaphorical torch, I’d like to say tusen takk to Hauk and Frederik for inviting me here.
– In 2012, when I worked at Droga5 Sydney, we collaborated on a United Nations project with Leo Burnett’s New York. We had a promising concept sold, but not enough money to produce it. The team at Leo’s made the work and a guy named André Gidoin was the art director. Fast forward to 2021, I met André in Oslo for the first time and worlds collided. Over to you André.
