Where does truly great creative come from? As the saying goes: “God [or the Devil] is in the details.”
This year, we asked people within the industry to send us their original artwork for a chance to land on our fourth annual The Greatest Creators supplement cover. We choose the submission from Marvin Bowe (SVP, Executive Creative Director at The Navicor Group) not only because it immediately grabbed our attention but also because the process behind its creation illustrated an important message regarding the execution of creative produced in any industry: Details matter. Bowe’s watercolor rendering of a cicada is part of a series titled “The Details that Bug Me,” where the goal was to create a magical background that would enhance the insect’s appearance. Extra care was taken to include those tiny shades of green and orange to help the cicada really pop off the canvas. (Read more about the process below.)
This year’s Greatest Creators Showcase highlights the importance of details (a point also emphasized on the opposite page in a column about what is missing from today’s campaigns by Mike Rutstein from STRIKEFORCE Communications). Many of the featured campaigns try to isolate a signal detail, experience, or feeling that is commonly associated with a disease or product, and then visually represent that detail in a way that resonates with the target audience.
We also wanted to know what creative concepts connect with the people who work on these campaigns, which is why we asked what they thought were the most memorable and classic healthcare campaigns. One thing is clear from their answers, and from other observations and examples of great creative in this supplement: Whether it’s 100 years ago or today, focus on the details—creatively speaking, that is—and you can never go wrong.
OUR COVER: This cicada watercolor is by Marvin Bowe, SVP, Executive Creative Director at The Navicor Group. It was created as part of a series titled “The Details that Bug Me.” For the background, Marvin used coffee grounds, a concentrated batch of green tea, sea salt and McCormick paprika. The series is currently showing in the agency’s office gallery called, “Handmade” and will be on display in Glenside, PA, at the Arcadia University Art Gallery alumni show starting on June 9.
