Ferdinando Verderi is a key member of Johannes Leonardo , a New York-based advertising agency which was awarded an ADC Hybrid Cube for "Right Boot Store" for Nomis. Johannes Leonardo is a creative community founded by Jan Jacobs and Leo Premutico, both former executive creative directors at Saatchi & Saatchi NY.

Started two years ago, Johannes Leonardo soon after attained fantastic recognition, and many awards, for Damn Boots. The company has worked for clients like Hp, Ford, Vodafone, HSBC, Unilever, Tumi, Subway, Nomis, Ted.com among others. ADC's Hybrid category honors the year's most game-changing, relevant, entertaining advertising solutions. "Right Boot Store" won an ADC Hybrid Cube along with 42 Entertainment's "Why So Serious? The Dark Knight Alternate Reality Experience" for Warner Bros Worldwide Marketing and Crispin Porter + Bogusky's "Whopper Sacrifice" for Burger King.

Since his start at Johannes Leonardo, Ferdinando Verderi' s work has focused on the luxury industry, among which is a series of experimental projects for Chanel N.5. He is currently creative director on the global launch campaign for another Paris based fragrance. Ferdinando traveled to Berlin to work on and manage the ADC Hybrid Cube winning Right Boot Store project. He has been lecturing at academic values on the value of photography in the art market, lives in New York City, does not watch soccer on tv and just might be training right now in preparation of taking on Pele. Interview by Regan Murphy, regan@adcglobal.org.

FV: Nomis was with us from day one, and since then our partnership has grown to be a very free creative collaboration. The founder of Nomis, Simon Skirrow, is a visionary himself. Simon led the Adidas creative team for more then a decade. Then, he left with the idea to create the best soccer boots in the world. We are two companies sharing the same mission: trying to innovate and change the perception of what can be done in our fields.


FV: It came from distilling what Nomis is about: substance. It is about bringing the idea of sport back to its origins, to push our own limits through performance - the only way we can do that is by carefully listening to our own body. We are allowed to wear one only technical piece of equipment to help our performance: our shoes. Who should we ask to about what's best to wear? The big brands suggest you ask to a star and its contract, Nomis suggests you ask your own feet. Everyone needs to trust his or her own instinct, to value themselves as their own hero. 


FV: The Right Boot Store idea is based on a very obvious truth: we all have two feet and one brain. That makes our body the best testing tool to compare two pair of shoes. The Right Boot Store is engaging by nature, as the customer physical experience is the fundamental part of the communication itself. The success of the idea is in the hands, or rather in the feet of the consumer. This way the people who experienced it made its success.


The Right Boot Store was built portable so it could travel to various cities, and while it involved just a few thousand people directly, it instigated millions of impressions online, it achieved a cultural debates on Der Spiegel, the NYTimes, and countless other publications around the world. All thanks to those few thousands visitors who felt involved enough to make it a success. This way, the Right Boot Store is a digital idea, even if it happened on the street. 


FV: Innovative work is the work that follows no standards, and by doing that, sets new ones. I feel innovation is connected to our perception of what limits represent. Creativity is about solving problems, and every problem presents a set of limits. Only by taking advantage of those, you can transform a problem into the opportunity to create a new perspective. In the end, if truly innovative work ends up outlasting its original purpose, it's because of its disarming simplicity.


FV: The Right Boot Store is a design piece, an interactive billboard, a digital idea, a pop up store, a testing tool, a PR action, a touring installation, a provocation to the idea of retail. ADC's Hybrid category is the best place for ideas that follow no constrictions.

FV: We see the world as a large creative community. Information and ideas can travel the world in a few minutes. This energy must be acknowledged. Old media acquire new meaning, and digital media look for real life access. Actually, there is no more such distinction. There is just one large, ever evolving creative community.


FV: Being Italian, I would be expected to be an hardcore fan. Yet always skip those Premier League games that Jan and Leo never miss. I grew up in Parma, Italy, where my friends and played soccer in the school yard between classes. Leo grew up in Australia as a goal keeper and Matt, our account director for Nomis, is apparently a former soccer college star here in the US.

The next World Cup will probably cause some contention since we represent four nationalities already among the four of us. All together we might challenge Nomis' new ambassador Pele very soon.



FV: Yes, Nomis will soon be working with Pele, and we are working on ideas to tell his story. 


FV: In the last six months we have been working on the global launch of a fragrance. We are also working on WQXR, a radio station here in NY - we all hope the station can help keep classical music "alive". 


FV: The fashion and luxury industry is a territory in which, I believe, communication will produce the most innovative work in the next years.
The whole industry has been responding with a traditional approach for decades. Now there is a whole new universe to explore, and this potential is bringing luxury advertising to the next level. Working with Chanel has been particularly inspiring. They are a visionary house, with an heritage that has an eternal message. But every house has a unique essence, ready to be communicated with much more then just images. In a few years, I believe many fashion houses will be behind ground-breaking communication work.

Places you have lived:
-Nuremberg

-Stockholm

-Shanghai


Places you want to go:
-Japan

-Florianópolis, Brazil

-Peru

Ways you stayed cool this summer:
- denying it

- going to movies (might get too cold)

- keep telling everyone you prefer the winter because it' s more private

Items to take on a plane:
-favourite sweater to fight the cold and eventually to die with

-white paper and black marker

-Lost tv series on DVD. Once I did, I was hoping to crash down on an island.

Websites:
-youtube for music

-ted.com for speeches

-uniqlock for time

Television Shows:
-I don't watch television, but I might start soon.

ADC Gallery showcases an exhibition of several dozen of Eric Meola's images in a spectacular display of his photographic odyssey to India where he discovered a kingdom of color, as well as the new India today - a country rapidly becoming one of the pre-eminent leaders in the 21st Century. Proudly sponsored by Canon USA, these images appear in the book INDIA: In Word and Image, recently published by Welcome Books to extraordinary praise. Meola is the author/photographer of Last Places on Earth, and Born to Run: the Unseen Photographs, featuring his images of Bruce Springsteen. Meola's photographs are in private and public collections including the International Center of Photography, the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. and the George Eastman House. His graphic color images have appeared editorially in numerous magazines, including Travel & Leisure, Esquire, Life and Time.

Exhibition dates:
September 14-18, 2009
@ADC Gallery
106 West 29th St, NYC
Mon-Fri 10am - 6 PM

FIVE past ADC Young Guns pick FIVE creatives they admire.
All TEN present their work, Pecha Kucha-style - 20 slides, 20 seconds each. 400 seconds to tell their story.

Scheduled Speakers:
Jerome Austria, Wieden+Kennedy NY, ADC Young Guns 6
+ Ricardo Viramontes, Wieden+Kennedy NY

Tiziana Haug, Wolff Olins, ADC Young Guns 5
+ Julie Hirschfeld, Stiletto NYC, ADC Young Guns 3

Luke Hayman, Pentagram, ADC Young Guns 1
+ Eddie Opara, Map

Alex Lin, Studio Lin, ADC Young Guns 5
+ Stephen Burks, readymade projects

Carlo Van De Roer, Photographer, ADC Young Guns 5
+ Alex Prager, Photographer

Moderated by Matt Lambert.

Drinks to follow, providing an opportunity to speak with the presenters. Every attendee who fills out a questionnaire is eligible to win a copy of Adobe CS4!

Before the speaker presentation, take advantage of an optional training session from Adobe:

Designing Web Pages in Photoshop and Dreamweaver CS4
Presented by Scott Citron for Adobe Systems Inc.

In this training presentation, designer, author, and Adobe Photoshop Certified Expert, Scott Citron, will demonstrate how to build and prepare web images and pages in Adobe Photoshop CS4 for eventual use in Adobe Dreamweaver CS4. As part of the demo, Scott will also show Incontext Editing, a technology that allows portions of a live web page to be accessed and edited by end users through standard Internet browsers.

In addition, you'll also learn about:
- Image slicing and optimization in Photoshop
- Prototyping web pages with Adobe Fireworks
- Using CSS to control positioning
- Leveraging Dreamweaver CS4 Live View to preview your pages

If you're making the transition from print to web you won't want to miss this valuable presentation.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Adobe Training 5 PM
Speaker Presentation + Drinks 6:30 - 8:30 PM
ADC Gallery
106 West 29th Street, NYC

ADC Members FREE
Non-Members $20 online, $25 at the door

RSVP / BUY TICKETS.

Sponsored by:

Buzz Aldrin leaves his boots on the moon. Coco Chanel takes charge. Lebowitz sheds light on Warhol's portrait of Schwarzenegger.

Corbis celebrates its 20th anniversary with an exhibition of renowned photography paired with insider commentary.

Exhibition runs:
Monday, September 21 - Monday, September 28, 2009
@ADC Gallery
106 West 29th Street, NYC

See all the stories here.

The ADC 88th Annual Awards Traveling Exhibition will be making a stop in Buenos Aires.

Centro Cultural Recoleta
September 21-28, 2009
Junín 1930 (C.P. 1113) Buenos Aires

Open M-F from 2 PM - 9 PM, Sat, Sun + Holidays 10 AM - 9 PM.

Every fourth Monday of the month, select ADC Young Guns winners present their work at the Apple Store in SoHo. Third in the series: Clay Weiner.

Clay Weiner was born with an unfortunate name. Known in some parts of the world for his directing, Weiner has helmed numerous award-winning campaigns for companies like Snickers, EA, Bud Light, MTV, ESPN and AXE. In 2007, Clay wrote and directed the Bud Light "Dude" campaign for DDB Chicago, which has over 20 million online views. He has since directed online films for the HBO Comedy Festival, which have garnered Emmy nominations and collected over 6 million views. (All the films can be viewed on Clay's YouTube channel). 2009 marks Clay's full length TV debut with Lake Hartwell, a comedy set in the South.

Monday, September 28, 2009
6:30 - 8 PM
Apple Store SoHo
103 Prince Street, NYC

Free, no reservation required.

After the presentation, 8 PM onward:
Join us at SoHo Room at 203 Spring St. to meet Clay and network with other creatives. We'll be in the back, where you can enjoy specially discounted beer and wine ($3 Brooklyn Lager beers and a selection of $5 wines)!

Creative Review is at the heart of digital creativity - defining and showcasing innovative digital from the traditional to the obscure. Following the successful launch of Click New York in 2008 Creative Review is delighted to announce that they are back again this October bringing together some of the creators of the most influential digital campaigns and biggest industry award winners of 2009.

Shying away from a traditional conference format, Click New York will instead combine a mixture of creative showcases and highly interactive discussion sessions featuring a truly remarkable line-up of digital talent from across the United States and worldwide. With a line-up incorporating Creative Directors from across the entire agency spectrum, you'll hear the full story behind their most talked about work of the past year and gain the inspiration you need for your next big idea.

ADC members are entitled to $100 off the full rate - call +44 (0) 20 7970 4351 and quote ADC or book online and enter the promotional code "ADC".

For further information and to book - visit the website or call the number above.

Click New York
October 1, 2009
@ ADC Gallery
106 West 29th St, NYC
8:30am-5:30 PM

Talking Back: A celebration of t-shirt messages and the bodies who wear them.

Next month photographer Leslie Lyons will provide a sneak peak on her latest project, TALKING BACK, in a preview exhibition at ADC Gallery. The new photographic series celebrates street culture communication, by way of the ubiquitous t-shirt. Aiming to celebrate self-expression through this pop culture fashion monograph, the work documents real people and their real messages, completing a cycle of communication between citizens as subjects and society at large. The work has involved shoots in multiple American cities to collect a random cultural sampling of these subjects and the messages they believe in. All portraits were shot on 4x5 Polaroid. Twenty life-size 30x40 digital C-prints will be on display as well as 100 of the original Polaroids from the project.

October 5-9, 2009
@ ADC Gallery
106 West 29th St, NYC
10 AM - 6 PM

ADC unveils the fifty winners of the ADC Young Guns 7 competition! Their winning work in advertising, design, illustration and photography will grace the gallery walls, and winners will claim the iconic ADC Young Guns Cube. The ADC Young Guns 7 book, published by Moleskine, will be released at the event.

The three winners of ADC Young Guns Moleskine® Grants will also be announced. Based on jury scores in the competition, Moleskine® will award $1,000 to the top-ranked winner, and $250 to the next two runners-up.

DJ: Luke and Zach Go Boating
Color photo booth will be on hand at the event, generously provided by Photo Illusion, LLC.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009
7-10 PM
@ADC Gallery
106 West 29th Street, NYC

ADC Members FREE
Non-Members $25

Please RSVP EARLY; this event sells out quickly.

RSVP / BUY TICKETS.

The annual ADC Forum exploring the responsibility and experiences of designers and creatives to drive social and political change through their work and career focus.

This year we explore business models that drive social change - effectively providing careers and incomes while changing the world featuring:

Blake Mycoskie, CEO, Toms Shoes
Bill Drenttel, Partner, Winterhouse Studio and Design Observer
Paula Scher, Partner, Pentagram
Mark Randall, Principal, World Studio

Moderated by Helen Walters, Business Week Innovation & Design Channel and contributing editor to Creative Review.

An online auction will take place before Designism 4.0 to fund ADC Scholarships. You will be able to bid on a pair of "Walk the Walk" Toms Shoes created by your favorite designer. All proceeds go directly to the ADC Scholarship Fund.

Final bids for "Walk the Walk" Auction will be taken during Designism 4.0 and winners announced at the end of this event!

Wednesday, November 18, 2009
@ ADC Gallery
106 West 29th Street, NYC

ADC Members FREE
Non-Members $25 online, $35 at the door
Students $10 online, $15 at the door

Sponsored by Sappi.

RSVP / BUY TICKETS.

Creativity books predominantly advocate one thing: Be different, in order to be successful. This book is practicing what it preaches. The Idea Book has been included in the recently published American book "The 100 Best Business Books of All Time: What They Say, Why They Matter, and How They Can Help You". Besides containing an abundant collection of management insights coupled with anecdotes on creativity; innovation and inspiration, it also doubles up as a workbook or journal with blank paging after each narrative. This enables readers to personalize their own copies by filling them with ideas and thoughts, making each copy unique.

The Idea Book has sold over 200,000 copies to readers in more than 40 countries. It has been translated into 9 languages (including Mandarin and Japanese). Fredrik Haren is a Swedish entrepreneur, publisher and author who now lives in Singapore. He is the founder of creativity company interesting.org, and is a frequent speaker on creativity all over the world.

This book immediately stands out from other books on display because it has no cover while other books do. This was inspired by the best-selling book of all time - the Bible. There is also no mention of the author's name on either the front or the back of the book, thereby making it YOUR Idea Book and no one else's.

The following winners were chosen from the largest applicant pool to date.



Portfolio Center's Adam Hook won the $2500 VEER SCHOLARSHIP in Advertising.



Pacific Northwest College of Art's Steven A. "Ven" Locklear won the $2500 ADC SCHOLARSHIP in Illustration.



Savannah College of Art and Design's Gabriella Garcia-Pardo won a $2500 HENRY WOLF SCHOLARSHIPS in Photography.

RMIT University's Samantha Heydt won a $2500 HENRY WOLF SCHOLARSHIPS in Photography.


School of Visual Arts' Yumi Nakamura won the $2500 ADC SCHOLARSHIP in Graphic Design.


School of Visual Arts' Kaya Ono won the $2500 SAHRE, VICTORE, WILKER SCHOLARSHIP in Graphic Design.


Youngbum Kim won the $500 JEFFREY METZNER and CARIN GOLDBERG SCHOLARSHIP for a student currently attending the School of Visual Arts.


Krystal Plomatos won the $3200 MARK FENSKE SCHOLARSHIP for a student currently attending VCU Brandcenter.

Open to talented sophomores and juniors enrolled in accredited art schools and colleges around the country, ADC's scholarship program embodies the club's mission to recognize excellence and innovation in visual communications and to encourage young people entering the field.

Congratulations to the students and remember you can donate to the ADC Scholarship fund at any point during the year.

The only event of its kind bringing together the buyers of imagery with the suppliers, all in one key location, all in one day - Wednesday, October 14.


 
New this year: a morning seminar on copyright and fair use given by a leading authority on copyright, esteemed attorney and author Nancy Wolff, and a series of informal focus groups on a variety of topics of importance to you - the buyer. More details will be announced soon.


 
Don't miss out on the chance to:

- Connect with visual suppliers from around the world

- Network with your peers

- Discover great new sources for the best imagery

- Enjoy quality food and drink, (beer and wine after 5pm)

- Collect some cool giveaways and win valuable prizes!


 
Register now for the free expo.

The Museum of American Illustration at the Society of Illustrators has a new exhibit on view. Spectrum the Exhibition: the best in contemporary fantastic art is on view now through October 17, 2009. Society of Illustrators is located at 128 East 63rd Street in New York City. Visit www.societyillustrators.org for more information.

Publicis New York has become a corporate member of ADC.





Welcome to ADC's New Individual Members:

Jacob Abernathy: Richmond, VA
Oliver Adriance: Richmond, VA
Rodger Austin: Rogers, AR
Mark Avnet: Richmond, VA
Iva Babaja: Zagreb, Croatia
Nathan Blackburn: Richmond, VA
Iric Catbagan: Virginia Beach, VA
Everett Ching: Richmond, VA
Justine Cotter: Richmond, VA
Scott Dadich: San Francisco, CA
Eric Dennis: Richmond, VA
Jeffrey Dryer: Richmond, VA
Trevor Eld: NY, NY
Rob Feakins: NY, NY
Kissa Fernandez: Chesapeake, VA
Daniel Fisher: London, United Kingdom
Chris Ford: San Francisco, CA
Dan Forrestal: Melbourne, Australia
Erin Gleeson: Brooklyn, NY
David Grasekamp: Cyriax, Germany
Michael Griffith: Richmond, VA
Gaspar Guerra: Brooklyn, NY
Lauren Gwaley: Richmond, VA
Raihana Halim: Richmond, VA
Joe Hall: Richmond, VA
Natalie Hammel: Herndon, VA
Nick Hansen: NY, NY
Brandon Hayes: Takoma Park, MD
Jarrod Higgins: Richmond, VA
Tomoyuki Hishiya: Abiko, Japan
Sara Theresia Hofmann: Venice, CA
Jeff Hornung: Richmond, VA
Tim Hurt: Richmond, VA
Sarah Inglis: Richmond, VA
Molly Jamison: Raleigh, NC
Hope Jordan: Richmond, VA
Taylor Kieburtz: Seattle, WA
James Kiersted: Edgartown, MA
Ye Sung Kim: Richmond, VA
Joyce Kuan: Richmond, VA
Richard Langhorne: Richmond, VA
Talia Ledner: Centerport, NY
Gina Lee: NY, NY
Nicolas Linde: Berlin, Germany
Brianna Lohr: La Canada, CA
Mohamed Louanjli: Brisbane, Australia
Madhu Malhan: NY, NY
John McClaire: Richmond, VA
Dylan Meagher: Richmond, VA
Ahmed Mekky: NY, NY
Michelle Melton: Ellenwood, GA
Scott Meola: NY, NY
Mike Nichols: Richmond, VA
Nathan Nowinowski: Richmond, VA
Vijay Patil: Richmond, VA
Stan Peresechansky: Bloomingdale, NJ
Ben Peterson: Brooklyn, NY
Jeanny Ponce: Caracas, Venezuela
Michael Posso: Elmhurst, NY
Ali Rashidi: Santa Clara, CA
Alexander Ridore: Richmond, VA
Ross Rodgers: Toronto, Canada
Heather Ryder: Richmond, VA
Michael Sausa: Los Angeles, CA
Barbara Schwartz: Richmond, VA
Lana Shahmoradian: Richmond, VA
Michael Shirley: NY, NY
Matthew Smith: Richmond, VA
Peter Stemmler: NY, NY
Marc Andrew Stephens: Richmond, VA
Chris Stephens: Richmond, VA
Jennifer Stopka: Saint Charles, IL
Yusuke Sugimori: Tokyo, Japan
Erin Swanson: Santa Ana, CA
Christine Szeredy: Charlotte, NC
Sarah Teubner: Richmond, VA
Sarah Thomas: Richmond, VA
Julia Tiller: Madison, AL
James Timmins: NY, NY
Khoi Uong: NY, NY
Manuel Lucas Valadao: Sao Paulo, Brazil
Julia Veinberg: Richmond, VA
Saritha Vuppala: Jersey City, NJ
Uran Wang: Zibo, China
Nai Wang: Flushing, NY
Elizabeth Weglicki: Coral Gables, FL
Michael Wilson: Richmond, VA
Lai Yajun: Shenzhen, China
Jameson Young: Richmond, VA
Yuan Yuan: Jersey City, NJ
Tim Yuen: Richmond, VA


What is CUBE?

CUBE is a prestigious, honorary membership group established for all ADC Cube winners - past and present. All ADC Annual Awards cube winners with a personalized Cube are automatically qualified to join ADC's award-winning member group: CUBE.

The formation of this unique group will lead up to a CUBE members' reunion at our 90th Anniversary Gala in 2011 - CUBE members will be invited to attend as our guests and enjoy other special benefits. To learn more go here.

ADC members - this is your place to share. The newsletter is published monthly. The deadline for submissions for the October newsletter is September 21. Send news or inquiries to regan@adcglobal.org with the subject line Newsletter.

ADC Gallery, situated in the heart of the Chelsea Flower District, is a white-wall gallery space located on the ground floor with street access and large windows. The gallery has a full catering kitchen, guest bathrooms, a coat check room, one additional ground-floor room with sliding doors, a second floor meeting room and a small landing space leading to a viewing balcony. ADC Gallery can accommodate up to 430 guests and is handicap accessible.

Location: 106 West 29th Street
(Just West of 6th Avenue)
Closest subway stops are 1/9 or R/W to 28th St.

To view event photos visit ADC's online photo albums.

For more information click here.
For further questions or to make an appointment, please contact Olga Grisaitis at olga@adcglobal.org.

The Art Directors Club is the premier organization for integrated media and the first international creative collective of its kind. Founded in New York in 1920, ADC is a not-for-profit membership organization whose mission is to Connect, Provoke and Elevate world changing ideas. It focuses on the highest standards of excellence and integrity in visual communications for the industry, and encourages students and young professionals entering the field. ADC provides a forum for creatives in Advertising, Design, Interactive Media and Communications to explore the direction of these rapidly converging industries.

Not Yet A Member? Join Now.
The Art Directors Club 106 West 29th Street New York, NY 10001 212.643.1440 www.adcglobal.org