The waterfall that swallowed me.
A little dog barks
at a roaring waterfall
that swallows his voice
I saw this on Cahan & Associates website. Damn.
Another nice piece of work executed in their typical witty manner.
I always wanted to do a series of copy-driven bags for how&why. Looks like I have to work harder now.
I like the works from Cahan & Associates. Many years ago I was on a frenzy to collect Cahan’s annual reports. They were truly inspiring to me - for opening up the possibilities of what could be achieved in a typical annual report. In the hands of Cahan, what is perceived as a mundane task of presenting operational reviews and financial figures to shareholders, becomes an impactful (and in some cases, entertainting) tool of storytelling.
I remember the first time I held an annual report in my hands that carried the title "Today I’m supposed to die." That was the defining moment in my designer’s life. That was THE moment of revelation of how important proper structuring of narration could bring so much impact into an otherwise boring subject. Cahan’s classic moments include photos of old folks doing water surfing, ballet and karate (annual report for Geron, a pharmaceutical company); lovey-dovey couple kissing over a bbq pit (annual report for a ECRM company); a dark-blue felt-cover with silver stamping title that says "feels different, doesn’t it?" (annual report for Cadence) and many more.
These are works that compel me to see graphic design beyond the arty tool to decorate pages. I can’t relate to the current trends
of vector graphics and the almost compulsory floral and leaves
patterns, circles, birds and butterflies and that oh-so-cutesy deer.
Any given time, i rather have something that communicates.
Here’s a moment of Cahan’s storytelling magic:
