short film/viral

version 1 with a billie holiday soundtrack.

& version 2 with a touch of bach this time.

the location: park plaza hotel, victoria, london.

the script, the filming & the editing were done by myself.

prints

the book: this hardcover book (180mm by 180mm) includes the history behind the company & interviews of both leo & ginnie de vroomen. it also gives examples of the various techniques used by leo to produce his precious jewellery.

the cards: the cards (120mm by 120mm) are to be handed out to clients & prospective clients. their back is blank to allow enough writing space. they come in 6 different designs.

the business cards: there are 5 different cards (60mm by 60mm) available.

the leaflets: the leaflets (360mm by 120mm) come in 3 different designs & are to be sent to clients & handed out in the shop.

short film/viral cover

posters

here are the final posters for leo. i thought that having more than one option would be better and each poster tells a different story.

business cards

leaflet

well, tomorrow i'm finally going to be able to see everything printed out as i'm going to pick up my leaflets, cards, business cards & posters at the printer's.

as i didn't put everything up on the blog, here is one of the leaflets i'll be collecting tomorrow. three different propositions are being printed out, the outside design staying the same (top image), but with different pictures featured on the inside (bottom).

snapshots from the promotional film/viral

here are a few snapshots from the short promotional film for leo. i chose black & white as a continuity to the printed work i'm doing. the film is still being edited, but for the moment, the soundtrack has a billie holiday flavour.

cards

here is a contact sheet with the cards i have been working on, along with the rest of the promotional material for leo.

book - layouts

i've just finished working on my book for leo and it has been sent to the printers so that it could be ready in time for the 7th of june. the book contains the history of the company plus example of the various types of jewels which can be purchased and their process (enamelling, repoussé etc). so here are a few pages to give you an idea of what the book will look like.

behind the scenes

i have been to leo's workshop today in order to take some pictures. i also took this as an opportunity to take some pictures of the shop & the jewellery on display. i was also treated to a 1983 copy of magazine aurum which contains a big profile article about leo, written by none other than...my dad!

the type branding dilemma...

i've spent a lot of time cutting down my type/logo selection and it now comes down to these two.

i'm finding it very hard to decide.

i think that the de vroomen london one looks a bit "younger" and "fresher", but i like the leo de vroomen one too as i thought that by adding the first name to the type branding would give a sense of accessibility to the viewer/consumer. plus, i like the contrast between the italic lower case and the upper case text.

workshop shoot

i have been in touch with leo yesterday, and i have asked him if i could pop into his workshop this week to take some pictures of his workspace. i would like to find a way to incorporate these to the images i already have and give the viewer / prospective client, a "behind the scenes" taste.

i'm going to call one of his assistants tomorrow to make the arrangements, but the workshop shoot should take place on friday.

i am currently working on the footage filmed a few days ago and the pictures taken then, while selecting texts and images of leo's at the same time - i will put some of the pictures up on the blog very soon.

photo shoot & filming day over

today's shoot & filming was quite hectic & nerve-racking, but i'm really happy to have my images & footage.

the day started with a fitting at leo's shop on elizabeth street, & carried on at the park plaza in apartment 6 where one of leo's assistants joined us with the pieces we had selected. i might want a few extra shots to complete what i already have, so i'll have to consult leo on that. overall, i was lucky with the location & with my very patient models cara & james - when i've got a particular idea in mind, i can become a little bit of a pain - but some people just call that being a perfectionist.

image: a little teaser from today's shoot..

makeup inspiration

here's the kind of look i'll be going for on my model cara at the photo shoot tomorrow - dark eyes & lips.

images: armani (on the left), chanel (top right) & unknown magazine shot (bottom right).

script - promotional film

here is my synopsis & script for tomorrow's shoot & film day. i wanted to have all my ideas & shots listed down in order, so that everything's clear and ready to go when we're on location tomorrow.

photo shoot & filming - finally

after an intensive & exhausting week, which put my organisational skills to good use, i now have my photo shoot and filming day sorted out.

the shoot is taking place on the 14th (friday) at the park plaza hotel at victoria where my two models (male & female) will be evolving in a bedroom & bathroom setting.

the clothing, makeup and looks have already been chosen, but there will be a fitting with leo de vroomen on the friday morning with my female model, in order to select the jewellery pieces she will be wearing.

branded

i am currently working on leo de vroomen's font branding.

the aim is to have something which could be applied to the various printed & moving image materials.

i have a more options, but here are the ones i think work the best so far.

a bit of type

aside from visual research, i have been looking up type & fonts as it will play an important role in my visuals and project.

on the left is the cover of simmelkiaer grotesk, a danish publication.

i really like the pictorial insert and the simple yet strong visual.

on the top right is a 1979 stamp by karl oskar blase. mister blase is a german-born designer who founded his studio while he was still a student. he is famous for his many deutsche bundespost stamps & his covers for form magazine.

again, the work is simple and effective. the black & white gives the image all its power and the unusual disposal of the type adds a unique quality to the stamp.

in the middle right is one of the pages of design journal typographica 7 of which 32 issues were published between 1949 & 1967.

i loved the layout and text / image overlay.

and finally, bottom right is an image found on flickr.

very interesting image & font combination.

murderly yours - again

another visual reference to meet my death & power ideas.

these images are from the 2008 september issue of the asian vogue and were taken by the great miles aldridge featuring model georgina stojiljkovic.

murderly yours

following my previous "dead" thoughts / posts, here are a few images which correspond to a sought-after atmosphere for my own images.

they aren't explicitly linked to anything to do with death or murder, but they do have a mysterious quality.

if i were to choose this option, i would add a few discreet hints in my pictures. for instance, the woman on the top left image could have a bit of blood on her fingers. same with the bottom close-ups.

on a slightly different note, the 1932 picture of loretta young by edward steichen at the top of the stairs, has the same mysterious ambiance, but the character on display looks more like the hunted than the hunter. which i would stay away from as my idea consists on the jewellery bringing out power and control out of the model.

thus also joining my "jewellery giving power & confidence" approach mentioned in my 20s' post.

deadly bejewelled

one of my ideas (which wasn't on my poster), might be a little controversial as it involves dead people (well, dead-looking people).

i was thinking of having dead-like models wearing the jewels. don't ask me why.

but i just think that it would have a very strong visual impact & would play with the idea that jewels are inanimate & cold objects & by putting them on deadly models, suggest that in the end, nowadays, we are just objects ourselves. i hope this doesn't sound too arty or conceptual (or plain weird)...

black look

as i have mentioned when putting up the 20s' images previously, i am very interested in having model(s) with a certain intensity, theatrical expressions & manners.

these images, featuring model anne-sophie monrad from the april issue of marie claire (italia), are another example of the above.

glamourous backs?

an approach i was considering, was to have the jewellery worn by models, but whom would only be photographed from behind - putting an emphasis on the pieces & playing on the unusual. i'm not sure that this route would allow a lot of creativity though.

the image on the right was taken from pop magazine (autumn/winter 2009).

the model is wearing a a chain necklace by gucci.

the image on the left was found on the internet & unfortunately i haven't got its source.

glitter & grit

photographer horacio salinas could have gone the usual glamorous way to promote the various brands' deluxe jewellery in his photo shoot, but he didn't.

on the contrary, he put the precious glittering pieces in the most unusual settings, on the curb (top / paris-londres collection by chanel), on a bicycle (bottom left / balenciaga by nicolas ghesquière) & even on a gritty wheel (bottom right / louis vuitton).

as i am on the lookout for the unusual for my own work, i thought that putting a $10.000 necklace on a bike's front wheel was most certainly fitting the characteristics.

from the 20s

top: on the left is actress anita page circa 1928. her sultry smile speaks for itself, so does the jewellery...

on the right is an image dated from the 22nd of november 1928. i both liked the models' poses & the simplicity of the image.

bottom: on the left is a picture of actress ruby miller, as a fortune teller, taken from a scene of a play called monster in 1928 (strand theatre, london).

i thought that the intensity of her look was interesting as i am considering a "jewellery giving power & confidence" approach.

on the right is a picture of joan crawford being comforted by dorothy sebastian and is taken from our dancing daughters (1928). again, it is their attitude that interested me.

i definitely like these images and their very theatrical setting and face expressions.

it is something i will be looking for in my own images, whatever their substance or theme.

p.s. all images taken from getty images.

indulgence

this picture is part of a french revolution themed photo shoot by sharon nayak for indian jewellery brand zoya.

i like the idea that one can indulge in jewellery in the same way that one would usually indulge in food. plus, it meets my "cheeseburger" idea (see idea poster).

from the 60s

on the left, we have swedish-born actress anita ekberg pretending that she's going to eat grape-like a lovely bunch of cartier diamonds...

on the corner of corny & fairly endearing playfulness - all-in-all, a nice image.

on the right, we have a model named taiga, wearing a black catsuit and a face mask to make the van clef & arpels jewels she's wearing stand out.

this image is part of a 100th anniversary jewellery shoot for cartier.

it is part of a special book project that has been put together by the great bruce weber (who was granted access to cartier's archives & pictures).

having men wearing women's jewellery was an option (see idea poster), but if i were to go for it, i definitely wouldn't pick a six-pack model...

deadly chic

had a few creative thoughts including dead looking people myself, so i was delighted when i came across these.

here are a few images from a jean-francois lepage shoot with italian jewellery gioielli for le monde magazine (june 2009).

i really like the feel of the images, and also like the jewellery / pale skin & bloody-red lips combination.

research / ideas poster

i thought i would put up my research & ideas poster as it's got all the different possible directions i can creatively take.

i must say that i find it difficult to make up my mind and choose just one of them!

but i need to make a move quickly though and get cracking!

p.s. click on the poster to zoom in and read the text.

a bit of research - cartier

again, here is something i came across and thought was worth sharing and adding to my research.

when most brands and companies promote their products with standard sized brochures, cartier decided to take a different route, think out of the box, and put everything in one.

their little red box has its title "précieuses histoires de pierres" - which is a subtle french play on words meaning "precious stories of stones", but clearly doesn't work as well once it's translated.

the box is filled with little leaflets, pieces of glossy, matte or transparent paper and mini booklets, all depicting the origins and stories behind the precious materials and stones used by the jeweller.

i really liked cartier's iconically red-tinted box. it is both clever and playful and clearly stands out from the usual advertising and promotional materials out there.

i'll definitely keep that one in mind for my own work.

a bit of research - ralph lauren

here is a bit of research material.

i came across this very sleek and expensive looking brochure and just had to take it (i've never been able to resist a bit of fake glossy alligator skin).

i also liked the fact that the exterior of the booklet looks chic, but very classic. whereas the inside pages, on the other hand, are quite modern - with full page pictures, close-ups and little text.

it is not a jewellery lookbook, but one for ralph lauren's fine watches. although it is not the same field, i still thought that the overall look of the brochure was both appealing, and fitted the luxury aspect which i need to consider for my own work.

first meeting over broccoli soup

progress (baby step) - i officially had my first meeting with leo.

i met him in his lovely shop on elizabeth street where i was first greeted by his own equivalent to batman's robin; anthony mcelroy.

by the time leo had climbed upstairs from his workshop, i had already had a good wander around and a few longing looks at the shiny pieces he had on display.

after collecting some info and some more jewellery related mouth-watering moments, we went across the road to the thomas cubitt for a very casual "business" lunch where we chatted about the fmp over (a very tasty) broccoli soup.

all-in-all, a good first meeting and a nice culinary moment.

the brief

well, first things first.

the brief is for talented dutch jewellery designer & goldsmith leo de vroomen.

leo has is own shop and workshop in london's fancy elizabeth street. he also has his own website, showing his various collections and giving information about his craftsmanship.

apart from his website, leo doesn't have promotional material to show off and sell his products.

that's where my brief comes in; branding & promotion.

the point is both to modernise & "refresh" the company's identity & image in order to broaden its clientele & appeal to a younger, & wider range of customers.

i will therefore have to create an advertising campaign which will include both printed material (posters, brochures etc) & video (filmed adverts, viral for the website etc).

the point won't be to stick with the company's very classic, traditional image, but to give it a twist.

in other words, it is taking a bottle of chanel's no5 and giving it a bright day-glow pink cap...