As Sophia Petrillo would say- Picture it. Small town Indiana. 2003. I'm 13 years old, flipping through a magazine and I stop on a page that instantly captures my little girl imagination. There's so much detail! It's so magical and fantastical and ethereal. There's a beautiful woman who has the essence of a princess or a queen, sparkles, color, the works. I actually even sew my own Halloween costume that year that's supposed to replicate this dress. Turns out it's an advertisement for Secret deodorant. I start to think about how that's such a mundane product, but someone was paid to concept and create that super fun piece of art for it. That was it. I was hooked.
It wasn't until years later that I discovered the photographer behind the concept was Kate Turning and the Art Director behind the concept was Jill Bohannan. Their creation may just be one project in amongst a large body of their work, but for me it was a turning point in my life. I knew I wanted to do THAT.
I wanted to get paid to create surreal and beautiful art that would be used to promote and sell products and services. To this day few things frustrate me more than seeing boring, plain, advertisements. It's such a waste. Advertising should be art. After all it has a wider exposure than just about any fine art exhibit, so why not take advantage of that and display art to promote and advertise the product or service?
I mean look at that detail! The amount of time it would take to put together a collage style image like this with all of those elements is insane. The twisting bark, the glowing butterflies, the hundreds of flowers, those glistening crystals at the bottom. Just so much detail and time.
The worlds Kate Turning continues to create are just as captivating as the ones I latched on to back on that day in 2003. I highly suggest you check our her website. Very inspiring stuff. I can only hope to create images that instill such a strong reaction that is so long lasting in someone.
YOU GUYS I JUST NOW SAW THAT LEOPARD!!
That's my point, these are so detailed and ornate and there are so many of them in this series that there's always more to discover. They're an addictive mix between I Spy books, Disney Princesses, and delicious colorful ice cream flavors. Vanilla, Cherry, Coconut, oh my!
These are just a handful of the total number of ads that were created in this campaign. I will never forget this series. The effect it had on me. The childlike joy it still brings me to look through them. I strive to create work this fun and colorful and interesting. I'll keep on striving while finding my own style. Thank you Kate and Jill for creating such an impactful and imaginative campaign!
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