Introducing the biggest personality at RADAR… Asta la vista… she’ll be back! 

1. What’s your favourite colour? It’s a tie between red and turquoise

2. What’s your favourite film? Braveheart

3. What’s your favourite sound? The plastic crackle which can be heard when opening of a bag of Allen’s Party Mix (lollies)…yummmmm

4. What’s your favourite band/musician? Anything boppy from the 80s

5. Favourite word? ‘Approved’

6. Least favourite word(s)? ‘The flight’s full’. But if I had to pick one single word, it would have to be ‘moist’. Thanks Andrew.

7. Finish this sentence - when I was little I wanted to grow up and be a… concert cellist.

8. Why did you become an account manager ? What inspired you? Previously I worked client-side and loved my old account manager – her job seemed much more exciting and varied than mine!

9. What’s your background in finance, i.e. education, etc? BComm majoring in marketing & International Business, BA majoring in Journalism

10. What do you love about design? Everything; but I particularly love being surprised by how the small design details make all the difference.

11. Who is your favourite designer? Frank Egglehoffer…

12. What do you like about working at RADAR? The people, the relaxed environment and lack of politics!

13. What’s your favourite RADAR campaign/job? The Ninja campaign for IMB

14. If you weren’t in advertising, what would you do? I’d become a florist or a landscape gardener…

15. Finish this sentence - the best career advice I ever received is… Love what you do; do it well and with passion - but leave it behind at the end of the day.

16. What career/job would you never do?  I’d never become a truck driver. Anyone who’s seen me drive/reverse park will attest to the fact that this is definitely a job I should never, ever do.

17. Who is the funkiest dresser at RADAR?  Overall: Marissa, Vintage: Em K, Classic: Helene.

18. Who in the office would you trade places with for a day and why? Patty, so I could go home at lunch time.

19. Finish this sentence - the best place to go for lunch/coffee/drinks in Surry Hills is…

- City Edge for sandwiches
- Room 9 for Blueberry Bagels
- Burgerlicious for chips ….

20. Finish this sentence - RADAR is… more than just a place to work – it’s a way of working.

All it takes is one person to change the world for good. Here at RADAR we’ve witnessed this first hand with the success of the gfcsucks.com campaign, run by our director James, so be encouraged that you too can make a difference. Following the worldwide panic attack about the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) James, self proclaimed advertising ‘guru’, along with some buddies at the pub, came up with the anti-GFC campaign. Collaborating with the elusive Craig from teeluxe.com.au, they printed a range of t-shirts displaying the motto: ‘Global Financial Crisis. Together, we can stop talking about it’. Their belief is that by harnessing the power of positive thinking, they could help turn this recession around.

The RADAR team were lucky enough to be first in on the new campaign, receiving a friendly office email from James about the new initiative: ‘buy a t-shirt or you’re fired’. But proving we won’t do anything unless everyone else is already doing it too, it wasn’t until we heard James on the radio that we really wanted to be a part of it all. Out of the blue a swift media flurry was unleashed at Radar, with calls from radio stations all over Australia, 2UE (Sydney), ABC Illawarra, 6PR (Perth, SMH Business, AAP, The Telegraph and coverage in Germany, Hong Kong, Spain and Poland, all wanting to hear from the ‘guru’ (see picture below). We eagerly tuned in the radio and laughed together at James’ unintelligible UK sense of humour, as he explained the power of positive thinking. Despite the phone running off the hook, media types interested, screaming girls at the door (well at least a phone call from his Mum) James played it cool, never letting the fame get to his head. And it lasted for an entire day (more than the anticipated 15 minutes).

To show his goodwill, James has even arranged for 50% of funds from t-shirt sales to go to a charity that supports Australians who are out of work and in need. When asked if he thought the campaign would work James replied with the same positive attitude that inspired him to begin the campaign, ‘probably not’.  But really, how do you measure success?

Show your support at gfcsucks.com

Meet our newest, craziest Radar Account Manager, Tom…

1.     What’s your favourite colour? It used to be green but over time I have come to also form a level of respect for blue and red

2.    What’s your favourite film? American Beauty

3.    What’s your favourite sound? The little noise the e-tags make when you go through a toll

4.    Who is your favourite band/musician?  So many to choose from so I’m going to go with Urthboy only because I went to his gig last night and had a good time

5.    Favourite word? I have three…Credenza, Cacophony and Conundrum  but smorgasbord and oblong would be a close 2nd.  Actually oblong is a great word.  So much better than rectangle.  I’ll make that my favourite.

6.    Least favourite word? Sauvignon blanc… I can never pronounce it at the bottle-o

7.    Finish this sentence - when I was little I wanted to grow up and be a… musician but sadly I didn’t move past the recorder group

8.    Why did you become an account manager? What inspired you? I was told it was full of celebrities, photoshoots, crazy parties and good looking women

9.    What’s your background in finance, i.e. education, etc? Last year I did my own tax return – that’s about as far as my background in finance goes

10.   What do you love about design? I like things that are pleasing to the eye.  There’s nothing nice about something that’s ugly.  Like those red brick apartment blocks they built in the 70s.  What were they thinking?

11.   Who is your favourite designer?  Can I say favourite artist here.  If that’s the case I like Banksy for his political statements in his stencils, Andy Goldworthy because he incorporates nature in his works and leaves them to the elements and Brett Whitely

 12.   Most memorable design exhibition/collection? I just saw Yayoi Kasuma at the MCA..what a tripper she was..I want what she’s having

13.   What do you like about working at RADAR?  Great people…a lovely bunch to work with

14.   If you weren’t in advertising, what would you do? Travel the world taking photos and then running a photo gallery for young photographers that would have a cafe and DJs…its a pipe dream of mine

15.   Finish this sentence -  the best career advice I ever received is… your HSC isn’t the be all to end all

16.   What career/job would you never do? I worked at McDonalds when I was at high school…never again.

17.   Who is the funkiest dresser at RADAR? Can I say Me?  If not Lee has a t-shirt I’ve seen which I would contemplate stealing

18.   Who in the office would you trade places with for a day and why? One of the designers…I wouldn’t mind having a crack at designing..one of these days

19.   Finish this sentence - the best place to go for lunch/coffee/drinks in Surry Hills is… I’m new to this hood but give me time and I’m sure I’ll suss something out.  Would depend on who is paying of course�

20.   Finish this sentence - RADAR is… a palindrome…that’s a word that can be read both front to back and back to front.  CRAZY!

It’s the game where legends are made, where heroes come alive, the game of tactics, the perfect mix of brain and brawn, every Aussie’s favourite sport – AFL. True blue Aussies congregating together over a beer to cheer on our team, passionately singing our teams song when they win, loyally leaving early in the fourth quarter if our team are losing with no hope of recovery… What a beautiful sport, what a beautiful way to connect an entire crowd of strangers. The AFL Grand Final has the largest audience (per capita) for any sporting grand final, even compared to the American Super Bowl. It’s been years since I actually saw a game, but true Australians are born into AFL.

Therefore, as a born and bred Melbournian, moving to Sydney and joining the Radar team in Surry Hills, I was shocked to find that it was not the number one sport. That in fact most people even laughed out loud at Aussie Rules Football! It seems most Sydneysiders are blindly following league, a game that does not require any athleticism at all, just a large amount of body mass and a penchant for getting drunk and doing silly things.

Despite this, the Radar Communications team have begun a footy tipping competition following the current season of AFL. I was overjoyed at this, at least I could recognise the names of the teams. And having accidentally won a footy tipping comp at my last office my hopes were high at having a chance of winning. Most of these creative advertising types wouldn’t even know what AFL was, so let the games begin.

It started beautifully as I made my tips based on the team colours I preferred that day and had a consistently good run, getting above the average week after week. My results were enough to be off the radar but stay near the top until I got too close and threatened our director Andrew, who had constantly been number one since his fluke start to the season with 8 out of 8 tips. Suddenly the war was on. Wild accusations and rumours were spread throughout the Radar office of secret contacts in Melbourne and inside tips from professionals playing the game. Even warning emails were sent out to beware my imminent rise to the top of the Radar Footy Comp Ladder.

Refusing to give in to the pressure I played it cool on the outside, but secretly began to research my tips, looking through last week’s results, analysing stats and making educated decisions on which team to tip.  Unfortunately the pressure proved to be too much and my following results were a mere 2 out of 8, two weeks in a row.
I have, however, managed to convince the rest of the office that it is all a part of my plan, that I am simply allowing other people to rise to the top which will make my victory at the end all the more sweeter. And for future tipping, I will solely rely on instinct, which as a Melbournian seems to come naturally when placing AFL tips.

Am I the only person is Sydney who knows men caught between “metrosexual” and “bromosexual” (i.e., those straight guys who are so busy playing Call of Duty with their “bros” that they don’t notice the pretty girl across the room giving them the eye)? Torn between trying to please both the ladies and their mates, the humble t-shirt design seems to be suffering.

Faced with a plethora of cuts, fits, patterns, colours and fabrics, it’s no wonder they’re confused. Which fit shows off enough brawny torso to catch a chick’s eye? How snugly can it fit before your bros start slipping lip gloss into your manbag and writing your mobile number above urinals? And what are these tight-fitting “Skins” all the sexed-up footballers are getting away with wearing? I’m reminded of the Friends episode where Ross turns up to dinner in the same pretty pink v-neck number his date has donned…

Does Sydney need a “Just Tees” where giant Ikea-esque bookcases categorise bootcut/straight cut/flare/skinny/slim/wide/blokey/girley? Could the confusion, in fact, have begun with the unisex skinny jean? Someone name me a man who actually looks good in them. Have we become blind to this offensive look in the same way we have somehow come to accept muffin tops on women?

The solution, I feel, lies in the design on the t-shirt. Get that right and everything else will fall into place.So let’s compile a list. Reach out to a MetMo. I’m starting with teeluxe.com.au, please help the MetMo cause and share any web addresses you can.

Street culture and skateboarding has often been an artistic influence and inspiration for myself and many other creatives. ‘Freedom’ of self-expression is the one force that drives both skate and design; so linking them together is such a perfect mix. Skateboard design is a powerful medium, with exponential exposure and iconic value that many people remember for years to come. One graphic that comes to mind over the decades of skate art is the ‘Screaming Hand’, a 1985 Jim Phillips design for Santa Cruz Skateboards.

Originally a sticker design, the artwork has been used on a variety of different products including skateboards, clothing and footwear. The ‘Screaming Hand’ is completely raw and expressive, capturing a strong element of angst. This is a brilliant example of art that relates to the culture of skateboarding.

The most important thing that an artist can gain is self-value from creating artwork on something they consider special and that they are passionate about. This is reflected within the design itself, as creativity flows and quality is at its very best. What makes a great skateboard graphic is the freedom we have as artists to design. When an artist can relate to the subject matter they are designing for, there is absolutely no stopping them.

Understanding these concepts really helped me in the early transition into the RADAR culture. With RADAR’s creative philosophy ‘connectedcreativity’ which simply means RADAR doesn’t believe in creativity for creativity’s sake, focusing in on finding ways to speak more engagingly and powerfully with our clients’ target markets. This creative philosophy also makes the creative development stages a lot more engaging and insightful.  Even if you are not a skateboarding fan, you will truly appreciate the board graphics found in your local store and/or art gallery.

You may even find yourself taking a few decks off the shelf to hang on your wall at home!  Some skateboard artists worth checking out include: Jim Phillips – Santa Cruz, Evan Hecox – Chocolate, Ed Templeton – Toymachine, Mark Gonzales – Krooked and Kimou Meyer (Grotesk) – Zoo York just to name a few…

Connected creativity, connecting in new and exciting ways and film is no exception. Tropfest 2009 watch out!

Under the direction of Andrew ‘Baz’ Robertson RADAR is taking all its learning from its advertising and is tackling a 7 min production for Tropfest, and let me tell you it’s not ‘A Walk In The Park’.

Tropfest is only new to Oz (beginning in 1993) but in this time it has become the world’s largest short film festival. There are around 700 entrants in Australia and only 16 creative pieces make it to the finals.

The energy and planning that goes into a project like this is phenomenal, though we have an excited team that is keen to give it a nudge. RADAR has been involved in a number of television commercials (mainly 30-45 sec TVCs) but a 7 minute production is a different kettle of fish.

I’m talking months and months of evening preparation – we are planning to shoot 7 hours of film for this 7 minute production. I can’t imagine what it would be like filming a 3 hour bum numbing experience like Baz’s latest film Australia?

 You develop a different sort of appreciation for it – but  we just call it connected creativity at its best!

All our learning from our TVCs is really starting to bubble to the surface and we are starting to sound like a real production team as discussion begins to get technical in the planning stages ”Lighting, time of day, activity in this time of day, interferences, functions, licenses, weather conditions. Framing – if the lead actress is standing behind that tree what does the frame suggest? Hidden themes; is she hiding from the world, insecure? Trees also symbolise, growth, evolution, environment, connectivity - is this something the director wants to portray? Is it a long shot to capture the atmosphere or a close up, emphasising expression?”

And this is only over a shot that will make up one second on the film. There is a lot more to it than you can ever imagine.

Our preparation so far has been extremely thorough (thoroughly testing) but it has been awesome fun and a great experience. Watch out for your RADAR friends in Hollywood.

1. What’s your favourite colour? Fire engine red

2. What’s your favourite film? A Walk In The Park

3. What’s your favourite sound? Finger nails scratching across a chalk board (you can feel it happening… eeeek!) No, it’s really rain on the window pane.  

4. What’s your favourite band/musician?  Bee Gees

5. Favourite word? Holiday

6. Least favourite word? Disappointing

7. Finish this sentence - when I was little I wanted to grow up and be a…  singer! Hit me baby one more time!

8. Why did you become an account manager? What inspired you?  Account management is all about communication, building relationships and connecting creativity. I enjoy being apart of the process!

9. What’s your background in finance, i.e. education, etc? Bachelor of Commerce major in Marketing and Financial Planning

10. What do you love about design?  Making things beautiful – it’s a gift, not everyone can be a designer! A picture does really paint a thousand words!

11. Who is your favourite designer? Vera Wang – especially for those ‘Sex in the City’ fans you know what I mean!

12. Most memorable design exhibition/collection? The Louvre was definitely an amazing experience

13. What do you like about working at RADAR? I learn something new every day! The RADAR team have taught me so much about the industry and it’s always great working with such talented and driven individuals!  I also love the fact that we’re all so similar, yet so different. Every RADAR event is an adventure!

14. What’s your favourite RADAR campaign/job?  It would have to be - Spring Clean Your Finances!

15. If you weren’t in advertising, what would you do? Promotion or something in the film industry

16. Finish this sentence - the best career advice I ever received is… Work, no matter how hard or challenging should be fun and the day it isn’t it becomes a job and time to move on. I work but I don’t have job!

17. What career/job would you never do?  A city of Sydney parking ranger!

18. Who is the funkiest dresser at RADAR? Everyone is super stylish. I can’t pick out favourites; I mean my team is definitely a stand out – Andrew, Jules, Helene!

19. Who in the office would you trade places with for a day and why? Reece.. I want to know whether those hiccups are real?!  And what do they really do on the ‘other’ side? 

20. Finish this sentence - the best place to go for lunch/coffee/drinks in Surry Hills is… City Edge of course. I’m a devoted fan!

21. Finish this sentence - RADAR is…

R is for Radical group of people
A is for Andrew & James – our directors
D is for Dedication, that we all put into our work
A is for Amends, the less the better!
R is for Revolutionary, we are the future of advertising

1. What’s your favourite colour? It has got to be black.

2. What’s your favourite film? The Breakfast Club.

3. What’s your favourite sound? A Fender Stratocaster through a Marshall Amp.

4. What’s your favourite band/musician? The Beatles of course!

5. Favourite word? Canny

6. Least favourite word? Sunderland

7. Finish this sentence - when I was little I wanted to grow up and be…  Paul McCartney.

8. Why did you become a designer? What inspired you? I liked the fact that you can answer a brief in 100 different ways.

9. What’s your background in design, i.e. education, etc? I studied a Diploma and a Higher National Diploma in Graphic Design at Newcastle College in the UK. I also spent some time in London at a large brand agency called Corporate Edge whilst I was studying.

10. What do you love about design? The thing I love about design is the freedom it offers.

11. Who is your favourite designer? I like a lot of Peter Saville’s work. He designed a lot of album sleeves for Factory records including the famous sleeve for Joy Division’s album Unknown Pleasures. Also, although known primarily as an artist, I think Picasso’s work is a great lesson for graphic designer.

12. Most memorable design exhibition/collection? I went to the Museum of Modern Art in New York just before coming to Australia. Unbelievable. I also visited the Louvre which was amazing. The Mona Lisa is tiny!

13. What do you like about working at RADAR? Hearing Rachel talk to herself and Reece hiccup.

14. What’s your favourite RADAR campaign/job? I like working on concepts for exhibitions. It is a chance to work with a huge amount of space to bring a concept alive. We have recently created an exhibition stand for Tyndall Investment completely out of Lego which is apparently the biggest Lego structure to built outside of Denmark for 25 years. Guinness book of records anyone? (You may need to check the facts with Jordan on this one). Apart from that I like a lot of the advertising we do.

15. If you weren’t in advertising, what would you do? I would probably want to own a guitar shop.

16. Finish this sentence -  the best career advice I ever received is… if you are going to be in advertising make sure you can drink your own body weight in alcohol.

17. What career/job would you never do? Bin man.

18. Who is the funkiest dresser at RADAR? I would say Andrew’s broken fingers. Beige is in this season.

19. Who in the office would you trade places with for a day and why? Lee because I love the accent!

20. Finish this sentence - the best place to go for lunch/coffee/drinks in Surry Hills is…

Lunch
Oporto

Coffee
The Radar Kitchen

Drinks
The Radar Fridge

21. Finish this sentence - RADAR is…  a chance to work with a great team of people delivering connected creativity.

1. What’s your favourite colour? It’s seasonal for me. Currently is violet

2. What’s your favourite film? Rashomon, a Japanese film directed by Akira Kurosawa in 1950

3. What’s your favourite sound? Sound of harp

4. What’s your favourite band/musician? U2

5. Favourite word? Shopping

6. Least favourite word? Politics

7. Finish this sentence - when I was little I wanted to grow up and be…  First choice was Ghost buster, second choice was selling bus ticket on bus (would be out of job now ha-ha).

8. Why did you become a designer? What inspired you? I thought it looks really cool to carry a big black portfolio folder walking down the street.

9. What’s your background in design, i.e. education, etc? I came from a fine art background and had been studied painting and drawing for years before I went to university. Then I got a Graphic and Multi-media design degree.

10. What do you love about design? It challenges me to think of a creative way to communicate to the audience.

11. Who is your favourite designer? Stefan Sagmeister. He’s brilliant.

12. Most memorable design exhibition/collection? Not exactly was a design exhibit. In my final year of uni. I was part of an artist book exhibition, which was held at the Gallery of New South Wales. That was so much fun. I also was one of the curators of the show.

13. What do you like about working at RADAR? The lovely office and lovely people

14. What’s your favourite RADAR campaign/job? I like the Tyndall Lego campaign. Fun and creative.

15. If you weren’t in advertising, what would you do? A zookeeper or an archaeologist

16. Finish this sentence -  the best career advice I ever received is… follow your dream and don’t let the reality wear it out.

17. What career/job would you never do? Anything to do with numbers

18. Who is the funkiest dresser at RADAR? Me of course!

19. Who in the office would you trade places with for a day and why? James, on Friday afternoon to say to everyone: Let’s have Friday drinks!

20. Finish this sentence - the best place to go for lunch/coffee/drinks in Surry Hills is…

Lunch  - Burgerlicious, love the chips!

Coffee - Toast

Drinks - I have to explore more.

21. Finish this sentence - RADAR is…  a fridge full of beers and wines.