Okay, this one needs a little setup:

First, this is the highest resolution version of this file I can find, which is heartbreaking. I love this thing.

Red McCombs Media had the idea of telling clients they were trying to seduce their business. Send them gifts, presents, etc., as if they were courting a lover. It was a really interesting idea, and the first thing that came to mind for me was one of those old-tyme books on manners.

How you’re supposed to act at parties, how you’re supposed to treat women, when to use what fork, etc. I thought to myself, “You could totally take that concept, run with it, and make a really interesting advertising campaign.”

My plan was to send out 5 cards total – each with a different lesson and a different fit attached. They would be a little witty, tongue-in-cheek, and provide a special folder to keep all the cards in.

When you’re doing promotions like this, you want something that grabs the attention of the receiver, gets them to show it to others around the office, and most importantly, gets them to keep it and not toss it into the garbage. The promise of more cards to come immediately creates a sense of suspense as to what they’ll be – even if that suspense is marginal.

Design

I deliberately went softer on the colors – because most of the people we’d be sending this too were a female demographic, ages 25 to 45. I wanted a mix between a wedding invitation, a Victorian pamphlet, and a web 2.0 website.

I think I succeeded at that.

Ultimately, this design wasn’t chosen and a completely different campaign was executed. I have no qualms in saying that I feel this direction would have been more successful and had the potential of garnering some minor buzz. Oh well. One day I hope to actually find the vector files for this baby.