It wasn't totally a mosh pit, but the Art Directors Club panel on "The
Latest vs. The Greatest" on Tuesday, April 27th was a showdown
between seasoned advertising design industry shapers and scrappy
young revolutionaries. Anthony Vagnoni, editor-at-large "Advertising
Age" kept the light and pointed conversations between Jerry Della
Femina, Allan Beaver, Ed McCabe, Paul Thayer, and Steven Grasse.
Jeff Weiss definitely was on the progressive front, but paid homage to
the wizened greats who had lots of laughs and stories about how they
started. Before the panel started I met Donna Belej, an account
exec/researcher with Image Bank and SVA students Dave Arnold and
Jason Rogers. Bill Oberlander, exec. creative director of Kirshenbaum,
Bond & Partners was there along with Jonann Tansman (VP,
associate Creative director, BBDO) and bubbly Amanda Angotti
(BBDO) and an FIT and Tuoro college professor (name escaped me).
I took the serious look on Tyme Gadson's face for real when he said
he is from Monsoon, a rival design shop in Philadelphia to Grasse's
shop. Even people from Brazil -- Fabricio Branco -- and London --
Adam Helliwell -- came for the panel. Well, actually Fabrico is
studying and living here, and Adam moved here to work in the
super-uber cool design shop The Attik (with super hip plastic credit
card business cards).