Behind the LensSee No Evil...

In the print campaign for Boston-based software company Verbind, the uneditedthoughts of consumers are complemented by a similar candor of representation.

Freelance photographer William Hawkes's assignment was to record the subjects'faces without beautifying them: "It was basically a copy light situation, with theBroncolor lights set up right off the camera at a 45-degree angle to the subject," saysHawkes. "Its very flat; the idea is to just record without shadow." Hawkes used an

ft yerbind

SxioSinarcamera and Ektachromefilm.The campaign, created by TeamOne Advertising in El Segundo, California, correlates

honesty with plainness, as illustrated by both the blunt copy and the unadorned photos."No, I' m not the lady of the house," reads a sticker covering a male model's eyes. This is aclever tactic, given that advertising campaigns often pair overblown copy with air-brushed photos."We wanted [to see] all the flaws—the nose hairs and zits and scars—

because we wanted the campaign to be as frank as possible," says art direc-tor Robert Prins."We wanted the ads to seem real, not'ad-dy'and polished."The ads ran in publications such as Red Herring and fast Company, in August.

Prins explained that he wanted to convey the idea that while customersmay not make their dissatisfaction known to providers, Verbind's softwarecan make consumers'feelings "as obvious as a sticker on a forehead." Themessages on the stickers are replies the scattershot advances of telemar-keters. Prins and copywriter Jeff Spiegel wanted viewers to be able to seethemselves in these ads. "We thought that if we covered up their eyes, themodels could represent you and yourfeelings," says Prins.

The emphasis on reality meant hiring models and "real people" with-out typical good looks. After looking at hundreds of headshots and hold-ing a casting call, Prins says, "we just picked the most real and unphoto-genic people we could [find]."

Unflattering light bounces off the subjects' faces, accentuating flaws.Such "realism" required some artifice. "We took steps to make sure that thefaces were shiny," Prins says, "we put oil on their faces."

The limited technical demands of the shoot made finding the right facesall the more challenging. "The fact that we weren't seeing their eyes wasreally interesting," says Hawkes. —Elizabeth Michaelson

Client: Verbind | Art Director: Robert film \ Agency: TeamOne Advertising | Photographer: William Hawkes

.. .Do No Evil

It's easy to mistake New YorkCity's latest public educationcampaign on domestic vio-

lence as someone's yearbook pic-tures, except for one thing: thesmall print below each image.Predictions range from "MostLikely To Be Killed By HerBoyfriend" to "Most Likely ToMarry Her Abuser."

Senior copywriter Ted McCaggand senior art director StuCarrett, both from Young &Rubicam in New York, came upwith the idea to target high-school and college victims ofdomestic abuse. The ads are run-ning in New York City subwaysand on buses.

McCagg and Garrett were alsobehind the previous domestic vio-lence campaign, which shockedviewers with grainy pictures ofbattered women. "Last year, we

achieved a very graphjc, catch-your-eye effect," says Garrett."This year, without showing anyphysical violence, we're catchingthe same attention." What workshere is the contrast between theinnocent smiles of the youngwomen and the "brutality of thelines," he adds.

McCagg says he chose thewomen for the final 40 portraitsbecause they looked more like"people you see each day on thestreet," not models. The agency'screatives wanted someone whocould capture the women in a"very basic and straightforward"way, so they turned to New York-based photographer JanetteBeckman, whose clean and vividportfolio had impressed them.

For the job, Beckman recallsthe time she actually worked as aschool photographer. "They gave

me one light, one backgroundand one stool," she says. She triedto re-create that, using four dif-ferent backgrounds, including amottled screen she says shewould normally never use.Beckman shot the models in oneday with her Hasselblad and an8omm lens. She had to remindthe women to keep it real."Someof them showed up in partydresses, instead of somethingthey would wear to high school,"she says. "People feel like theyhave to pose when they come infront of the camera."

For Beckman, the campaignstands out because of the sim-plicity of the images. "People areburnt out seeing images of bat-tered people and people in wars,"she says. "They don't see it. It'slike wallpaper to them."

—Dorothy Ho

Client: New York City | Art Director: Stu Carrett | Senior Copywriter: Ted McCagg | Photographer: Janette Beckman | Agency: Young & Rubicam

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