Objectified

...and what about design ? What about it ? I often ran into questions like these. I never got the reason why, after explaining about a particular design aspect in The 4Th Floor's works (and I bet this is not the only case, you probably ran into them also), the following question that pops out is : "why's it so expensive ?". I guess, because nothing comes for free in this world, I keep saying to myself. Dumb answer you might say, but what other suitable answer would satisfy someone who always wants to see the final product delivered. It's like he refuses to believe that there is actual sweat and talent and work hours, various creative approaches and most of all that omnipresent passion that became your inner life drive. I know that passion for being concerned about pixel-like details or colors, or even angles, for being really focused on following the aesthetic principles of contexts and situations, might seem unmeasurable or uncategorized, thus unsuitable to have a value. This assumption will always be the climax of being wrong in my opinion. There is always a small example that always pops out in my head on such occasions : how will people look at you when you show up at an important meeting in a sharp suit with your shoelaces untied ? Everyone will expect you to trip and fall down. It's common psychology, and, most of all it always works. My conclusion through this example would be : take your time to analyze your need to be in the spotlight, with all eyes on you, those eyes always looking for that small detail you forgot to repair and give it the proper finish. Try to picture that those eyes are your consumer's eyes and from time tot time, in the back of the room, the eyes of your competitors. If this makes you sweat a bit, don't panic, take a deep breath...there's no guns pointing to your head...Only eyes

Update on branding Chilian Services

Further identity works for our client, Chilian Services : stationary

When small things make you fell and think big

I bet all of you felt great when achieving things in your life that you've longed for. Those tiny gestures or behaviors that may have no meaning for some people, yet a tremendous one on others. Yeap, I'm talking about those aspects of life that make you feel you're sitting on the top of the world even for a short time. 

Today I felt that my life as a normal person, as a friend, as a professional, or, even, as a common passing by individual, got a well deserved boost. And what I mean by this is that I finally got my E.U. trainer's degree. This means much more than words could explain. It's another mean of expressing my passion for advertising and the creative industry. It's a new chance of extending the building process of my dream as a constantly growing professional and, last, but not least, it's a chance of showing how proud I am being part of this work field, a way of giving back some knowledge to those who choose or have already chosen the path I, a few years ago, took. 

Today's exam was hard, serious and extremely rewarding. It all began with a written knowledge test which "took" us through each and every chapter of the last week's training. But, the really fun, yet hard part was the presentation part : team training simulation on a team-chosen topic. We had to present in front of a specialized jury a training session. The topic our team chose were build upon planning and creative strategies (objectives, training methods, creative strategies, achieved skills, exercises, role plays, case studies and evaluations). It all took 2 hours. Some of the best 2 hours of my life I might say. 

This was another worthy example that sums up the mantra I always "preach" on behalf on my passion : just enjoy thinking. Today, during those 2 hours, I did that on a high level. See ya out in the wild ;)

Reasons, seasons, lifetimes

Who ever said that dreams may never come true, got the whole point wrong. Does dreaming turn you into a floating-above-the-ground type of breather ? Judging by The 4Th Floor's and the rest of the creative minds field of work, we are actually boosting up the "make.believe" process. What is "make.believe" ? It's Sony's "Color like no other" follow-up campaign. I bet you all remember the Bravia commercials with the bouncing balls on the streets of San Francisco or the "color-exploding-buildings". 

Recently, The 4Th Floor had the honor of creating a commercial draft proposal for Sony's "make.believe" campaign in a pitch held by Eyeka. 

After long brainstorming sessions and several brief analysis, we chose the "Color Hunter" concept for our video and this would be the long story short : 

"This is a story about a passionate painter. To keep the passion alive, the painter allows herself an imaginative journey to seek inspiration and the right colors every time she is planning to begin a new painting. Her journey starts in front of a blank painting and then continues "inside" it. Everything around her is full of color, but not any color is the right one for a certain painting. The chosen colors she is "hunting" for are the RGBs. After finding the right colors she comes back in the reality she started from : in front of the painting, and then she begins her new masterpiece by contouring the first spot : a green dot (the metaphor of the activation of her insightful imaginative trip and also the Sony dot that makes real the dreams you believe in).  Shot with Sony cameras. Actors : Anda & Cristian. Script by The 4Th Floor, Editing & Production by The 4Th Floor and Istvan Nonn, Music : "Marbri" by Marius Pop (free of rights), Musical arrangements by : The 4Th Floor and Marius Pop"

...and here is the result we are so proud of, in spite of the harsh weather conditions and the short deadline. It was worth it all the way. Until next time, just enjoy thinking about your dreams :)

Trippin' through thoughts

Every once in a while I bump into those vocabulary words that try to illustrate the business world. While passing on the street or waiting in a coffee shop for the waiter to milk a cow and bring it to the table along with the espresso, I keep hearing these buzz-words : corporate this, corporate that, f..k corporate, hail corporate. I still don't know what's so special about this word, or is it already a lovemark and I keep swimming into the ocean of ignorance I dive in from time to time ? Is it me, or does this seem like a friendly arcade flipper game ? Everywhere you turn, everyone you meet, how you breathe, how you think and how you feel, is somehow related to this word. Is this becoming the shadow of this nation perhaps ? Hell no, I don't want another identity. Now you might say, what's this idiot thinking ? He's an active creative freelancer, he runs a small business...he is part of the corporate environment and he says this word does not define him. Well, for those of you who will say that, I have to state that this word is not an alter-ego. It's another reason to be ironic, it's another reason to split doing / making stuff with passion, from having to do / make things with "passion" (and for this quotation please feel free to find matching words). 

Well, the reason I'm writing today about this "corporate" word, is due to Radu Afrim's play "Jocul de-a vacanta" and a particular song that keeps popping into my head every single time I hear the word "corporate". According to my fellow psychologists this could be translated as a Pavlovian reflex. But why this connection ? I guess it's caused by the extremely well chosen song lyrics that in an acid symmetry howl : "vivat corporatia". Every single time I hear this, somehow, communist targeted anthem, I realize the reason why "corporate geniuses" like Richard Branson or Steve Jobs created brands like Virgin or Apple, and were not born under the protective communist wings, they were not fed iodine pills after the Csernobil incidents and so on. I really wonder if in a normal, hard working, non-paranoid society, our people (understand it as you like) would have been able to come up with the true meaning of the word "corporate". Even if I will not kill my dream to remain in the advertising industry, for sure I won't be carrying a "corporate" badge tied to my Jaguar car key. What are the odds of seeing me carry a "The 4Th Floor" or "Just Enjoy Thinking" badge tied to my Mr. Bean vintage Morris edition car key ?  I would be honored to read some comments from you sometime and also on Radu Afrim's song which I invite you to digest while getting ready for a new day at the office :) Just enjoy thinking, as I always say 

Default gadgets

I bet that most of you guys out there know how it's like to carry around or always have around on your desk a couple of items that you are kind of addicted to. Yes, I'm talking about smart gadgets that somehow give you strength and confidence in your everyday life and even put a smile on your face. 

Personally, I wasn't a gadget "freak" until recently (and by this I mean until 2-3 years ago), but getting to know some of the gadgets that today I always talk about, carry and are a must in the business process, made me ask myself "why wasn't I attracted by them earlier ?" (stupid question, I know ha ha ha ) My personal favorites which I fully exploit on account of my needs are pretty basic, not the most high-tech but I can call them "my precious". Here they are :

1. Nokia E51

2. iPod Touch

3. Wacom Bamboo graphic tablet

Of course, if you feel the need to share your gadget top 5 and your personal experiences as gadget "freaks", feel free to comment on this blog on this topic.

Until next time, just enjoy thinking

Oh yes

Hello people ! First of all, I'd like to apologize for being absent this weekend, but I have a really strong reason which I'm really eager to share with you :)

Finally, after waiting for almost one year and a few months, the most awaited "Trainer training" took place this weekend. Yupee, haha. I've been on the waiting list from the first moment after they made the public announcement. Who's "they" ? The "Ruhama Foundation". I dreamed for a while to participate at such an event and it came true after actually loosing a bit of faith that this training would ever take place. The reason it was postponed twice was that there were not enough trainees. They finally made it. 
The training was split in 3 days / 9 hours a day Friday-Sunday. The trainers were members of the Ruhama Foundation : Monica Suciu  (Career Center Manager) and Marian Daragiu ( Foundation Chairman).

What were the benefits of this training ? Oh boy...a lot, amongst which : communication abilities, group dynamics, group management, evaluation processes, conflict management, training abilities and tips & tricks all seasoned with tons of practical exercises, team simulations and so on. 

The hard part is about to come : the exam, that will take place next Monday in front of a specialized jury. Our task will be to actually simulate a specific training session on a chosen topic. The subject of the workshop will be presented based on team work (every team member will stand in front of the jury and "teach& train" a part of the topic). Our team : Bianca (senior psychologist), Lia (audit expert), Nadir (communications & PR graduate), Saj (medical resident) and myself, Bogdan (creative director). Exceptional team, great team communication, team work at full throttle :) 

Here you have some pix from the "crime scene" :))

Training Weekend 

The "Keep Walking" Philosophy

At the end of 2009, The 4Th Floor entered a pitch for Johnnie Walker's new commercial campaign. A well stated creative brief and guidelines, a very powerful voice-over and a very goose-bumpy poem. The rest was for us to put together : script, characters, locations, musical production. At the end our video was chosen as a winner along with 7 other videos. 

We chose the following story : 

"The concept behind the whole JW video was a pretty complex one, we tried to signal out the idea that more and more people nowadays don't (somehow) dare to dream of something great. In my opinion our society is shutting down the lights from time to time, that's why we sometimes flicker. Our Walker has been composed from glimpses of three "agressive" movies : Trainspotting, Fight Club and A Clockwork Orange. He's the blacked-out dandy 2009 rebel who still has a clear image about evolution. By still protecting that clear vision of a dream (that alter-ego represented by the guitar playing hobo) he is able to seek and chase the whole process (in spite of all the walls he's surrounded by) of re-lighting-up the lightbulb he needs to keep walking. In only a few words this would be our concept and it was mainly built up from personal past experiences, filtered out through musical concepts like Pink Floyd or The Doors, through literary filters like Kerouac, Jim Morrison, Burns, Rimbaud and others. This whole video is a small part of my way of never giving up on things."

Due to confidentiality matters, we're only able to show you footages from the video shooting, but soon to come we will provide the video. Keep walking and just enjoy thinking.

5 ads some should watch after a bad meeting

No.1

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No. 5

Proud community members

Starting last year, The 4Th Floor became a member of the Eyeka media community. This Paris based organization acts as an interface between advertisers and creative individuals. So far, we've been honored to join pitches for major brands such as Johnnie Walker, Virgin Radio, Sony, The Lien Foundation, Nike or Footlocker. Every single pitch was a real challenge that demanded extreme professionalism and, of course, a unique brand experience like no other.  Every single time, Eyeka assisted us along every pitch, with full support regarding our questions or further problems, through it's community manager, Nicolas Duminil ,who, trust me guys, means business. 

Miracles may happen from time to time

Starting my new way as a freelance creative a while ago made me realize the infinite possibilities the world offered. I was trained as a "team spirit" individual. I cared and got involved in every team I've been part of since I joined the advertising industry. 

I've often been asked in the past year how do I manage working without a team, how can I do everything by myself. Errrr...wrong. Being a freelancer does not mean being alone in the creative process. My perspective on this matter is rather large, than narrow. I like to think that my team or the team I'm part of could be anyone from this world... and I'm honored of working with such a team. The only condition : passion. 

I managed to meet and work with exceptional people since I've started being a freelancer. Exceptional passionate people together with whom we've accomplished big things sustained by big ideas. 

A while ago I met Catalin from Davidsign for a coffee and chat. He's an experienced graphic and interior designer. The first meeting was also, on my behalf, the decisive meeting. Long talk, great laughs. Passion for quality services and high standard working process met at the same table. 

In the past week we've managed together as a team to put up a great concept and presentation for a major pitch. Yesterday we presented the concept in front of the client. No matter what the pitch decision will be, I'm really proud of being part again of a great small team amongst which I have to mention Istvan and Cristi.

So far so good, I, personally, enjoy thinking all day long as a team member, as a freelancer, as a common being, as a friend, even as a competitor in this uncertain "branding life" experience.  

"Chilian Services" - project overview

Our latest "The 4Th Floor" neighbor is "Chilian Services", a facility management company from Oslo, Norway. Its service range covers almost everything there is from interiors to exteriors, from residential and commercial to corporate. 

As it's still a work in progress, we're currently implementing the company's website. The contracted services include : branding (logo design, brand statement, stationary), copywriting (press releases, content copywriting, web copywriting, slogan) and design (print and web).

Welcome to our new blog

Hello there ad-lovers, life-lovers and quality culture-lovers. This here is our brand new blog. It comes along with our small re-branding process, new service additions, new projects, new friends and new business partners.

For those of you who don't know us, allow me to share with you our story :

The 4Th Floor started up as a small creative boutique based in the Romanian town of Oradea. We're a triple team of freelancers specialized in offering quality integrated branding, design (graphic & web) and copywriting services.

We're currently working on our new website, but feel free to get in touch with us via Facebook, Twitter, Skype or by emailing us at creatie@the4thfloor.ro or by phone @ +40.740.792.797