Type tells and enhances stories. Types are icons that lead you in the right direction; they are also checkpoints that help you go further. Do you have a big goal that you are struggling to achieve? Break it down into many pieces, just as you read past commas before reaching the period at the end of a long sentence.
Story
Running marathons
I always wanted to
Most of the time I did well
People ask “how did you do it”
“what’s your secret?”
No secret.
But I can tell you how
The finish line was never my goal
my goal was the next sign
that’s all
the end was never the goal,
Just the next sign.
Credits
Client: Monotype
Voice Over: Ian FitzGerald
Music: Explosion in the sky - Your Hand In Mine
Creative / Art Direction: Ken Zhang
Metamucil started to lose the meaning of who they are and what they do. As a bulk-forming over-the-counter product, the one and only thing it does is improve your regularity. My concept is to take the pleasure to an extreme so it can attract a younger audience.
Credits
Client: P&G Metamucil
Photography: Dane Ulsifer - http://www.daneulsifer.com
Model: Friends
Music: Somethings got a hold on me - Etta James
Creative / Art Direction: Ken Zhang
For this Nike Free commercial I picked parkour as the sport to represent my “instant alive” concept. Everything in the composition is a dead object but the mannequin is ready to take off. Vivid Nike products make a great contrast with the white clay objects and blurred cityscape backdrop. The backdrop also creates an imaginative window that is an extension of the mannequin’s big imagination. The mannequin is not only physically “alive,” he is also psychologically alive.
Credits
Client: Nike Free Running shoes
Photogray: Shuo Li - shuoliphoto.com
Model: Victor Tse
Creative / Art Direction: Ken Zhang
I built this brand from ground up, including the product itself. This pen is going to be the world’s first broken-in pen! I was inspired by my used yet comfortable sneakers and jeans. The way they wear out is unique but functional. I think this is a great opportunity to make newly purchased writing instruments the best right from the start. The brand identity includes the logo, name, brand story, package, advertising, and website.
Story
A comfortable old pair of sneakers you just can’t throw out.
The smooth shifting of a candy apple red 1960 E2A, 12 cylinder Jaguar.
The rich tone of a Stradivarius violin.
Good things come to those who wait.
A Loufende pen is about time and patina. The world’s first broken-in pen provides
the most comfortable writing experience you can imagine because of our patented aging process.
All you need to do is let us break it in for you.
Credits
Client: Loufende
Photogray: Megan Brittney - http://www.meganbrittney.com
Support:
Crown Surplus Calgary
Both Bills from ACAD Wood shop
Creative / Art Direction: Ken Zhang
Burnish is a lifestyle magazine published for people who care about the quality and details of the products they own. Burnish is a brand new independent lifestyle magazine for an audience that covers a wide range of ages and are craftspeople or interested in handmade goods. The magazine is published quarterly and each issue is carefully designed. This is just the beginning of this new category on your magazine shelf and hopefully the beginning of your journey into craftsmanship.
Credits
Client: Burnish Magazine
Photogray: Shuo Li - shuoliphoto.com
Journalist / writer: Adrian Hopkins
Support:
Horace & Jasper leatherwork (Jeffery Cockram)
Kent of inglewood / knifewear (Kevin Kent)
Creative / Art Direction: Ken Zhang
Creative / Art Direction: Ken Zhang
For this project we were asked to use type to sell SUV Landrovers to hipsters. They wear plaid shirts and jeans and use leather goods like wallets, boots, and handbags. They use well designed products like Leica cameras and MacBooks. I decided to place this ad inside a high-end bakery shop. I used a classic painting frame and placed leather underneath the cutout aluminium to increase the appearance of craftsmanship in this “art piece.” I also placed the letters to form a hipster dude with a massive beard. The leather, aluminium, frame, and location are all inspired by everyday hipster life, which I believe the ad presented well.
Credits
Client: Landrover “Landrover can go anywhere”
Creative / Art Direction: Ken Zhang
Credits
Client: Hubba Bubba
Production: Ken Zhang
Model: Daniel Rubert
Creative / Art Direction: Ken Zhang