Last week, we found out about creative director and stand-up comedian Donovan Goliath’s role as Creative Voice for Loeries 2016. Silondile Jali, communications manager at the Loeries, explains that as creativity exists on so many levels, and Donovan comes from so many avenues of creativity, this is core to their message that creativity unites. As creative voice, Goliath translates the Loeries’ messages to the public. This, coupled with his agenda to inspire the youth and enlighten the public on matters of creativity, stands him in good stead.

But Goliath is just one aspect of this year’s Loeries campaign. The first visual from the launch of the campaign was in black-and-white. Next we saw individual brightly painted visages, which were placed in such a way as to be the ‘individual pixels’ that created the overall #CreativityUnites pattern. Watch the campaign launch film by NATIVE VML below for more of what it’s all about:

It’s certainly an eye-catching way of displaying not just the concept of creativity itself creatively, but also its ability to unite the often disparate members of the local creative industry.

Shooting (painted) faces programmatically

Ryan McManus, ECD at NATIVE VML, was the creative behind the campaign. He says we live in a pretty divided world and our region is often troubled, but one of the ways to unite people is by using the power of creativity.

He explains patterns and tapestries have been part of the visual language of Africa and the Middle East for hundreds of years – and that they wanted to interpret this idea of motifs in a modern and digital setting. As the brand communication industry across our region meets in Durban for Loeries® Creative Week™ – what better way to unite everyone than by using faces from our industry as the fabric and thread of our design?

Jali adds that the shoots took place in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town and involved persons from across different sectors of the brand communication industry, ranging from brands to agencies to print media, outdoor media, attorneys, broadcasters, clients, brands, media houses and owners, marketers, publishers and Loeries sponsors, in order to be as inclusive and representative as possible.

McManus explains that a programmatic engine was then built to filter these images into various colours, to create a new tapestry and the look of the identity of the campaign. The automated, algorithmic patterns comprising the industry faces were used to build everything in the campaign and actually form the messaging: CREATIVITY UNITES.

True creative power

The faces represent the different facets of the brand communication industry and show the potential possessed by the industry’s combined creative force through the combination of the faces into beautiful digital patterns. But creativity has the power to change things, so it’s not just about pretty pictures. That’s quite the mouthful, but speaks to the unifying focus of the Loeries in 2016.

“We’re all born creative. Creativity can’t be separated from life and there is no language, ethnic, financial or visual barrier to it. It’s about innovation and thinking outside of the box to find answers. Creativity applies to all industries.” This is what of some of the thought leaders ‘unmasked’ in one of the Loeries’ #CreativityUnites video teasers had to say about creativity. This sentiment echoes the theme of unity by using Loeries® Creative Week™ Durban as an opportunity for the region to come together to dialogue with, share, and inspire one another. And while many in the region acknowledge the potential possessed by our combined creative force, “it is critical that people must come together under one roof to explore the possibilities. The Loeries provide for that,” says CEO Andrew Human.

This is crucial as the Africa Middle East region is bursting with energy and a sense of culture and style that has the ability to bind us together and give us purpose. The Loeries have harnessed that purpose to create this campaign that’s about ALL creativity and innovation.

When asked what’s still to come from the #CreativityUnites campaign for the year, Jali says to stay tuned to all Loeries platforms to find out more, especially as the plan is for the campaign to come alive during Loeries® Creative Week™ Durban from, 15 to 21 August. McManus doesn’t give anything away either, but there’s more to come and we’ll have to wait and see…

If you can’t wait until then, don’t miss the “Loeries Creative Voice with Donovan Goliath” segment on YFM, running from 15:33 to 15:47 on 20 and 27 April as well as 4, 11 and 18 May 2016, and visit the Loeries website to keep your finger on that creative pulse.