MASTERS OF THE MEDIUM: BILL BERNBACH
Bill (William) Bernbach was a copywriter and co-founder of the Doyle Dane Bernbach (DDB) agency. He was renowned for his dedication to originality, and his legacy established him as a key figure in the advertising revolution of the 1960s and 1970s. He transformed the industry by pairing copywriters with art directors—an innovation that became the foundation of modern work. As David Ogilvy said, "Bill created an atmosphere where talented people flourished."
In 1959, Volkswagen turned to DDB for an ad campaign, and Bernbach delivered a masterpiece. “Think Small” — two words that redefined 20th-century advertising. At a time when the market was dominated by posh, oversized American cars, Bernbach boldly embraced the Beetle’s modest, unconventional design. He turned its perceived flaws into virtues: not small, but economical; not plain, but reliable.
Check the attached images to admire this legendary campaign.
#DAFESLearning
Bill (William) Bernbach was a copywriter and co-founder of the Doyle Dane Bernbach (DDB) agency. He was renowned for his dedication to originality, and his legacy established him as a key figure in the advertising revolution of the 1960s and 1970s. He transformed the industry by pairing copywriters with art directors—an innovation that became the foundation of modern work. As David Ogilvy said, "Bill created an atmosphere where talented people flourished."
In 1959, Volkswagen turned to DDB for an ad campaign, and Bernbach delivered a masterpiece. “Think Small” — two words that redefined 20th-century advertising. At a time when the market was dominated by posh, oversized American cars, Bernbach boldly embraced the Beetle’s modest, unconventional design. He turned its perceived flaws into virtues: not small, but economical; not plain, but reliable.
Check the attached images to admire this legendary campaign.
#DAFESLearning
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What Are Archetypes and Why Do They Matter in Creativity?
Rooted in Jungian psychology, Archetypes reflect universal patterns of human behavior and storytelling. Understanding them can be a game-changer for a creative specialist, as they help shape brand identities, build visual storytelling, and amplify emotional resonance.
For example, a fashion designer can align a collection with archetypal moods—The Rebel inspires bold silhouettes, The Lover embraces sensual textures and romance. While media designers can build cohesive user experiences that reflect The Sage’s clarity or The Explorer’s curiosity.
Save our archetypes scheme for your future projects!
Want to learn more about Archetypes? Put 👀 , if yes, and we’ll help you explore that soon!
#DAFESLearning
Rooted in Jungian psychology, Archetypes reflect universal patterns of human behavior and storytelling. Understanding them can be a game-changer for a creative specialist, as they help shape brand identities, build visual storytelling, and amplify emotional resonance.
For example, a fashion designer can align a collection with archetypal moods—The Rebel inspires bold silhouettes, The Lover embraces sensual textures and romance. While media designers can build cohesive user experiences that reflect The Sage’s clarity or The Explorer’s curiosity.
Save our archetypes scheme for your future projects!
Want to learn more about Archetypes? Put 👀 , if yes, and we’ll help you explore that soon!
#DAFESLearning
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THE WORST DESIGN OF JULY
Introducing a new DAFES section — “The Worst Design of the Month” — where we examine the strangest designs from across the World. This isn't about shaming — it's about cultivating critical taste and design thinking.
The July finalists:
1. The tiny Fiat Panda
A fully functional Fiat Panda... 50 centimeters wide! The vehicle resembles a pizza slice, moves slower than a scooter, and raises the eternal design question: Just because you can — should you?
2. Jeff Bezos’ wedding invitation
You’d expect the wealthiest man in the world to have the most refined invitations... not a card with illustrations from a Microsoft Word 1998 and whimsical italics. This design sparked a meme wave and a universal question: Can one buy taste with money?
3. Baguette bag
A spiral-shaped pink baguette holder — designed to cradle your loaf as you stroll. Visually charming, but functionally… questionable.
Who is the winner of the month? Share with us!
#DesignGoneWrong
Introducing a new DAFES section — “The Worst Design of the Month” — where we examine the strangest designs from across the World. This isn't about shaming — it's about cultivating critical taste and design thinking.
The July finalists:
1. The tiny Fiat Panda
A fully functional Fiat Panda... 50 centimeters wide! The vehicle resembles a pizza slice, moves slower than a scooter, and raises the eternal design question: Just because you can — should you?
2. Jeff Bezos’ wedding invitation
You’d expect the wealthiest man in the world to have the most refined invitations... not a card with illustrations from a Microsoft Word 1998 and whimsical italics. This design sparked a meme wave and a universal question: Can one buy taste with money?
3. Baguette bag
A spiral-shaped pink baguette holder — designed to cradle your loaf as you stroll. Visually charming, but functionally… questionable.
Who is the winner of the month? Share with us!
#DesignGoneWrong
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WEEKEND READING: Susan Sontag — Notes on "Camp" (1964)
Susan Sontag, the American critic and essayist, introduced the term "Camp" into the mainstream with her iconic 1964 essay. This manifesto defined Camp as an aesthetic of failed seriousness that takes pleasure in excess and stylized beauty.
Initially rooted in the decadent court of Louis XIV, Camp found its intellectual rebirth in the ’60s — an era of sexual liberation and cultural revolution. Sontag saw Camp as “a mode of enjoyment,” one that blurred the lines between high art and pop culture. It isn't about bad taste — it is about self-irony and playfulness.
For designers, curators, and educators, this essay remains a guide to creative freedom and aesthetic boldness.
#WeekendRecommendation
Susan Sontag, the American critic and essayist, introduced the term "Camp" into the mainstream with her iconic 1964 essay. This manifesto defined Camp as an aesthetic of failed seriousness that takes pleasure in excess and stylized beauty.
Initially rooted in the decadent court of Louis XIV, Camp found its intellectual rebirth in the ’60s — an era of sexual liberation and cultural revolution. Sontag saw Camp as “a mode of enjoyment,” one that blurred the lines between high art and pop culture. It isn't about bad taste — it is about self-irony and playfulness.
For designers, curators, and educators, this essay remains a guide to creative freedom and aesthetic boldness.
#WeekendRecommendation
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PHOTOCAMERA THAT PRINTS POEMS
It sounds like a dream, but it's a real invention! Poetry Camera is an instant-print camera that doesn’t capture photographs. Instead, with the help of AI, it writes and prints poems based on the object in front of it. The photo itself isn’t saved or printed: the idea is not to show, but to describe what’s seen.
It's very easy to use:
1) Choose the style — a haiku, a sonnet, or free verse;
2) Connect to WiFi;
3) Make a photo;
4) Receive your printed poetry!
Each Poetry Camera is hand-assembled and available for pre-order at $699, with shipping scheduled for September. Open-source enthusiasts can also build their own — full DIY instructions are available on the brand's website.
Would you buy one? Put 🦄 , if yes!
#DAFESNewsDigest
It sounds like a dream, but it's a real invention! Poetry Camera is an instant-print camera that doesn’t capture photographs. Instead, with the help of AI, it writes and prints poems based on the object in front of it. The photo itself isn’t saved or printed: the idea is not to show, but to describe what’s seen.
It's very easy to use:
1) Choose the style — a haiku, a sonnet, or free verse;
2) Connect to WiFi;
3) Make a photo;
4) Receive your printed poetry!
Each Poetry Camera is hand-assembled and available for pre-order at $699, with shipping scheduled for September. Open-source enthusiasts can also build their own — full DIY instructions are available on the brand's website.
Would you buy one? Put 🦄 , if yes!
#DAFESNewsDigest
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OPEN CALL: Game Visuals & Game Development
DAFES welcomes students and professionals working in the gaming industry to showcase their works and participate in DAFES AWARDS 2025!
Requirements:
- This competition is open to all: regardless of gender, age, nationality or professional level.
- Both concepts and projects that have been implemented or published between November 1, 2023, and October 12, 2025, are accepted.
Submit your project via the links:
Game Visuals
Game Development
Don’t wait until the last minute, apply today!
#DAFESAWARDS
DAFES welcomes students and professionals working in the gaming industry to showcase their works and participate in DAFES AWARDS 2025!
Requirements:
- This competition is open to all: regardless of gender, age, nationality or professional level.
- Both concepts and projects that have been implemented or published between November 1, 2023, and October 12, 2025, are accepted.
Submit your project via the links:
Game Visuals
Game Development
Don’t wait until the last minute, apply today!
#DAFESAWARDS
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Art Deco Legend — Erté
Behind the elegant pseudonym Erté stood Roman Petrovich Tyrtov (1892-1990) from a St. Petersburg aristocratic family. He was expected to uphold the family honor as a naval officer, but art called louder than tradition!
In 1910, he moved to Paris and began a career collaborating with the legendary fashion designer Paul Poiret. He then went on to design costumes for the theatre and cinema, working with icons such as Anna Pavlova and Joan Crawford.
His historic partnership with Harper’s Bazaar shaped the fashion industry’s visual culture for several decades and established him as one of the era’s leading tastemakers.
Erté became one of the key artists of the Art Deco movement, known for his slender, elongated silhouettes, ornamental elegance, and motifs inspired by the natural world.
Nowadays, most of his artworks are in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York) and the Victoria and Albert Museum (London).
#DAFESLearning
Behind the elegant pseudonym Erté stood Roman Petrovich Tyrtov (1892-1990) from a St. Petersburg aristocratic family. He was expected to uphold the family honor as a naval officer, but art called louder than tradition!
In 1910, he moved to Paris and began a career collaborating with the legendary fashion designer Paul Poiret. He then went on to design costumes for the theatre and cinema, working with icons such as Anna Pavlova and Joan Crawford.
His historic partnership with Harper’s Bazaar shaped the fashion industry’s visual culture for several decades and established him as one of the era’s leading tastemakers.
Erté became one of the key artists of the Art Deco movement, known for his slender, elongated silhouettes, ornamental elegance, and motifs inspired by the natural world.
Nowadays, most of his artworks are in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York) and the Victoria and Albert Museum (London).
#DAFESLearning
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OPEN CALL: Creative Entrepreneurship
DAFES invites creators of startups in the field of fashion, design, art, and digital services to participate in the Creative Entrepreneurship Competition!
This nomination is dedicated to innovative ideas that transform traditional industries or set new directions in the creative business world.
Requirements:
- Both concepts and projects implemented or published between November 1, 2023, and October 12, 2025, are eligible;
- Open to all: regardless of gender, age, nationality, or professional level.
Submit here
#DAFESAWARDS
DAFES invites creators of startups in the field of fashion, design, art, and digital services to participate in the Creative Entrepreneurship Competition!
This nomination is dedicated to innovative ideas that transform traditional industries or set new directions in the creative business world.
Requirements:
- Both concepts and projects implemented or published between November 1, 2023, and October 12, 2025, are eligible;
- Open to all: regardless of gender, age, nationality, or professional level.
Submit here
#DAFESAWARDS
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OPEN CALL: Digital Design
DAFES invites students and professionals working in the sphere of Digital Design to participate in the competition. The list of open nominations:
— Product design
— Web design
— Artificial intelligence
— Creative programming
— Mobile app
— CX (Customer Experience)
— Interface design
Open to all: regardless of gender, age, nationality, or professional level.
Don’t wait until the last minute — submit your work today via the links above!
DAFES AWARDS is an international competition that celebrates creative achievements and supports professional growth in design, art, fashion, education, and startups.
#DAFESAWARDS
DAFES invites students and professionals working in the sphere of Digital Design to participate in the competition. The list of open nominations:
— Product design
— Web design
— Artificial intelligence
— Creative programming
— Mobile app
— CX (Customer Experience)
— Interface design
Open to all: regardless of gender, age, nationality, or professional level.
Don’t wait until the last minute — submit your work today via the links above!
DAFES AWARDS is an international competition that celebrates creative achievements and supports professional growth in design, art, fashion, education, and startups.
#DAFESAWARDS
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WEEK NEWS DIGEST
News from the worlds of design, art, and heritage
1. Downton Abbey Auction
Bonhams Auction House announced a unique event — “Downton Abbey: The Auction”, offering iconic props and costumes from the beloved series! A free exhibition will run in London from 18 August to 16 September. Which piece of the Crawleys’ world would you take home?
2. Photoshop gets smarter
The new “Harmonize” feature in Photoshop beta uses Adobe Firefly AI to automatically match the lighting, shadows, and color of an object to any background. A real time saver!
3. Return of Alexander
After a seven-year(!) legal battle, the ancient marble bust of Alexander, which was accidentally found in one of the galleries in New York was returned to Italy. Excavated near the Colosseum, stolen, then rediscovered — it finally goes home to the Capitoline Museums in Rome. This is a good example of the current restitution trend. If you want to dive deeply into restitution topic, check out our post.
#DAFESNewsDigest
News from the worlds of design, art, and heritage
1. Downton Abbey Auction
Bonhams Auction House announced a unique event — “Downton Abbey: The Auction”, offering iconic props and costumes from the beloved series! A free exhibition will run in London from 18 August to 16 September. Which piece of the Crawleys’ world would you take home?
2. Photoshop gets smarter
The new “Harmonize” feature in Photoshop beta uses Adobe Firefly AI to automatically match the lighting, shadows, and color of an object to any background. A real time saver!
3. Return of Alexander
After a seven-year(!) legal battle, the ancient marble bust of Alexander, which was accidentally found in one of the galleries in New York was returned to Italy. Excavated near the Colosseum, stolen, then rediscovered — it finally goes home to the Capitoline Museums in Rome. This is a good example of the current restitution trend. If you want to dive deeply into restitution topic, check out our post.
#DAFESNewsDigest
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