Mad Ave [Hardcover]

The Art Directors Club (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 14, 2000

For close to eighty years, The Art Directors Club has been publishing its internationally renowned Art Director's Annual. Now with Mad Ave: Award-Winning Advertising of the 20th Century, The Art Director's Club presents a curated compendium of the most inspired work in advertising, from the traditional format of print ads to television commercial storyboards.

Leading us decade by decade, the book presents a whirlwind tour of advertising as it has evolved throughout the years: from the graphics of Chesterfield cigarettes in the 1920s, Coca-Cola in the 1940s, and the Volkswagen bug in the 1960s, to contemporary campaigns with slogans that have taken hold of modern popular culture: "Just Do It," "Got Milk?," "Think Different," and more.

Accompanying the most memorable graphics of each era is commentary by several of the advertising world's most recognized writers and art directors. Featuring a wealth of extraordinary images culled from the unparalleled archives of The Art Directors Club, this volume is the first comprehensive survey of the subject.

Founded in 1920, The Art Directors Club publishes the Art Directors Annual, the best-known reference of its kind, and presents the Art Directors Annual Exhibition every spring in New York.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"So what are these few words? A jacket blurb? An insightful observation? A pithy quote, mayhap? A bon mot? It's advertising. Isn't everything?"--Martin Mull, actor/painter

About the Author

Founded in 1920, The Art Director's Club has presented The Art Directors Annual Exhibition every spring at the Art Directors Club Gallery in New York.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Universe (July 14, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789303698
• ISBN-13: 978-0789303691
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,385,985 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Poorly assembled pastiche, August 17, 2001

By 

Jeff J. Ong (Portland, OR USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mad Ave (Hardcover)

This is a weak effort. Interesting and sometimes compelling editorial for each decade (generally essays by agency principals), which has absolutely no relationship to the samples of work shown. The work itself is never glossed, explained, or explored in the larger context of its time frame. The selection of work included is spotty. Reproduction quality is poor, especially on the broadcast material, with many spots featuring only a couple of keyframes and omitting large amounts of dialogue (to the point where the spot makes no sense). Skip this book and look for a used copy of "When Advertising Tried Harder."

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Always proof your work, January 22, 2001

By 

gary bloomer (Wilmington, DE, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mad Ave (Hardcover)

...

If advertising is the rock 'n' roll of the business world, then
this wonderfully designed and beautifully written book is about as
close to Woodstock as you're going to get.

For anyone with even the
slightest interest in advertising, Mad Ave is an invaluable guide
covering eight decades (from the 1920s - through to the 1990s) of some
of the best-known ads and campaigns produced by American
agencies.

The book's insightful quotes - from some of the best in
the industry - bring the thrill of an idea you've just scribbled on
the back of an envelope magically to life, as that idea goes on to be
crafted into an effective, well-placed and memorable ad that makes it
through the minefield of critics, account execs and client
uncertainty, to finally do what a good ad should do: highlight the
benefits, position the product, increase sales and enhance the
brand.

From the junior writer or art director, to the
seen-it-all-before creative director, this book has something for
everyone. And as an aspiring copywriter, I came away from this book
determined to do better work and thinking: "Wow, I wish I'd done
that".

There. That's better.