*이미지 중심의 개념 광고의 기원: "이방인들의 반란"

이제석 광고연구소가 한국에서 그간 이룬 성과와 대중적 인지도에 비해 

여전히 국내 주류 광고업계(이너서클)들로 부터는 다소 평가절하되는 경향이 있다.

그도 그럴 것이 요즘 뜨는 연예인이나 최신의 유행어 따위로 만들어진 카피 문구 대신,

설명이 필요없는 단순한 이미지만으로 광고를 만드는 그들만의 독자적인 표현 방식을 고집스럽게 고수하고 있기 때문이기도 하다. 

이런 표현 기법은 사실 전혀 새로운 것이 아니라. 바다 건너 저 세계 광고시장의 메카, 뉴욕 매디슨 에비뉴의 황금기 70~90년대에서 시작되었다. 
당시 영어도 제대로 못 했던 남미, 유럽발 이민자 출신의 광고인들이 치열한 생존 경쟁 끝에 “말이 안 통하면 그려 보이면 되잖아?”

라는 식의 단순한 광고를 만들어내기 시작했고, 이런 장르의 광고는 전 세계 유수 광고 공모전 수상은 물론이고 광고 교과서에 실릴 법한

희대의 명작들을 본토 출신 보다 더 많이 배출해 내는 기염을 토해내며 지금까지도 전 세계인들의 뜨거운 사랑을 받아오고 있다. 

(현재, 국제 공인의 한국계 광고회사로는 이제석 광고연구소가 유일하게 묵묵히 그 명맥을 이어오고 있다.) 

특히 비언어(시각언어)적 접근은 전 세계를 대상으로 한 글로벌 기업들의 브랜딩 전략과 이미지 구축에 있어  

언어, 문화적 장벽을 넘어 해외시장을 공략하는 데 있어서 필수적인 홍보 방식으로 선호되고 있다.  

(*사진 한 컷으로 만든 광고 모음 아카이브 참고: https://blog.naver.com/jeskifolder/222677810332 )

*The origins of conceptual-driven (visual) advertising: “The Revolt of the Alien”

Compared to the achievements achieved so far in Korean society and the response from the public,

we did not receive enough recognition from Korea's traditional mainstream advertising circles.

Instead of copy phrases made up of celebrities or buzzwords, as usual, we stick to our own unique way of expression by only using easy and simple images.
We believe that the origins of conceptual visual advertising technique began across the ocean from Madison Avenue N.Y,the mecca of

the world's biggest ad industry's golden age of 70’s to 90’s

 As a result of brutal competition for survival, young creators from South America and Europe who could not speak English well said,

“If you can’t write great lines, you can just draw, right?”

As a result, they, the aliens, not only dominated international advertising contests around the world,

but also created true artistic masterpieces worthy of being included in advertising history and textbooks.
It can be seen that the foreigners' visual communication method was a much more outstanding achievement than

the natives in terms of the ‘creativity side’ of advertising business

and this type of 'genre' have received warm love from all over the world.
(Currently, Jeski Social Campaign is the only Korean advertising company that has quietly continued its legacy.)
Major international brands, for which "consistency" is crucial key to establishing their brand image, frequently use this tactic,

which may be highly successful in reaching foreign markets by getting beyond linguistic and cultural obstacles.

말이 필요없는 몇가지 광고사례: 출처: https://blog.naver.com/jeskifolder/222677810332

Designer’s Statement by Jeski Graphic Design Studio.

 

 

  Our visual method centers on the notion of “subtraction”. This is abbreviation, in other word; 

it is a creation through reduction, substitution, and modification. 

We prefer to pull things out rather than pushing things into my works. 

It's like using an eraser as a pencil; the eraser is the most important creating tool in my works. 

Then reduction creates the absence, and nothingness becomes something.

  Absence of things might similarly work as silence in communication. Would saying more words communicate better? 

Actually, No. We think it works in the opposite way. As we prefer simplicity through subtraction than addition, 

Our works exist in dichotomy where addition is completed through subtraction and completeness through incompleteness.

 

  “Nothingness” in our works are similar to “Reticence” in conversation.  

In communication, more is not always better. We actually think it’s the opposite. 

In our general conversation, what percentage of our discourse has meaning is really needed? 

Unnecessary and additional expressions dominate while required discourses are limited in conversation. 

Like silence sometimes “out-speaks” thousand words, emptiness often “out-powers” fullness in visual communication. 

Interestingly, human emotion instinctively reacts more dynamically to “un-hearable” and “un-seeable” things, 

such as fear, fantasy, sexual excitement, and certain expectations…

While the impact of visible things is limited, the impact of invisible things is unlimited.

 

  So in reality, We agonize for ways to show less in order to show more during the visual communication process. 

We strive to show that the less is more, and the smaller is bigger. The emptiness is being filled with infinite possibilities. 

The possibilities of emptiness transform into an open-room where audiences can come and enjoy. 

Then the audiences participate into creation. Deeper communication, bigger emotion is presented. That’s the power of absence.

 

 Inserting or leaving behind unnecessary visual features is as much unfavorable as adding unnecessary touches to an object. 

Unnecessary creations are nothing but pollutants and garbage. 

Products of humans’ unnecessary yet overly produced and consumed creations surround us like pathogens to give us allergies and headaches. 

Unnecessary creations are closely related to excess desires of the public and these desires are closely related to responsibility of designers.

 

 “If we can imply new meanings to already existing things, do we really need to create something new?”  

We might have all we needed. We might just not know it.

 

 Our entire graphic projects begin from pre-existing things that can be easily found around me, such as everyday newspaper, 

outdated magazines, traffic sign, junk mail, used subway tickets, etc…

They are great source of our graphic works. They are everywhere and they are free. 

These things are often considered abundant, ugly, cheap and common. 

But in reality, problem exists in our eyes, perception, not in the object itself.

 

  Our challenge is a “Light touch”. Artificial modification is not always necessary for creating something new. 

If we see things from slightly different angle, things can change dramatically. 

Minimal touches are often more than enough to create something with extra-dimensional quality and meaning.

 We do not want to modify their brilliant creations. We just love the way they are. 

We’re fascinated to everyday objects, everyday aesthetic. We love magnificent beauty of originals.   

 

현재 연구소 대표이사 명의의 법인 1개소 및 개인사업자 3개소를 동시에 운영 중이며
과거 15년간의 국내/외 활동에서 맺어진 업계 최고 수준의 분야별 파트너사들과도 긴밀한 협력 체계를 구축하고 있습니다.

이런 방식을 통해 정체되기 쉬운 조직의 창의성과 생산성에 늘 신선감과 탄력을 유지할 수 있고
클라이언트에게는 더 전문적이고 맞춤의 서비스를 프로젝트별로 특화해 제공합니다.
이런 독립적이고 유연한 운영체제로 우리는 항상 깨어있으며 노력합니다.

*이런 유연한 조직 시스템으로

’기획에서 시공까지’ 한 큐에 일을 쉽고 빨리 처리할 수 있는 국내 몇안되는 광고기획사입니다.

생각은 누구나 할 수 있지만, 실행에 옮기는 건 쉽지 않습니다.

어떤 아이디어든 의뢰인의 컨펌과 동시에 바로 눈앞의 현실로 나타납니다.

A. 직접 생산 공장 

그리고, 그것을... 

To be continued...