The client wanted to create a timeless piece that featured all of the work in the show in an uplifting manner. It needed to feel relatable to the audience (made up of people working in the advertising industry), and the client gave us the creative freedom to present a variety of concepts.

After brainstorming several potential concepts, we settled on one called “A Delicate Balance”. The team chose to physically build the components because there were certain qualities that could only be achieved through live-action shooting that were central to the piece, like physical textures, subtle natural lighting and dust particles. We wanted to make it feel tactile and relatable – and decided the best way to go was to actually build it.

We built an installation art piece using an assortment of objects that represent all the categories in the award show. Using the piece as a metaphor for the show itself, objects balance off each other to create a larger art installation just as facets from the industry come together and collaborate to form a successful commercial.

We were able to capture genuine, elegant moments in camera using quirky objects to create an uplifting piece that worked successfully on both a micro and macro level. It was vital that each category was represented appropriately and created a positive visual language that complemented the essence of the award show. There are so many ways of looking at the categories AICP has to offer, and we wanted to make it humorous and lighthearted. The final product was built to elicit a connection across the audience with the audience in that they could relate to and understand the reasoning behind the graphics.

The Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP) is the advertising industry’s trade association for companies that specialize in producing commercial content across various media – film, video, digital. The annual awards show anchored “AICP Week” which included ‘The Directors Lecture Series’ and the premiere of the AICP Show: The Art & Technique of the American Commercial at the Museum of Modern Art.

Our design team built an installation to celebrate the art and technique of the American commercial. The concept was brought to life in the form of a beautiful opening title sequence to open the show.