Hello. My name is Tim Nolan. I head up BBH Labs and serve as the Interactive Group Creative Director at BBH New York. I have proudly served the Internet since 1996. I created this book along with my partner in crime, Jen Lu, a Creative Mutant currently working at Droga 5. We would like to thank Bernstein & Andriulli for granting us access to their amazing roster of talented illustrators and designers to make this endeavor come to life. This book is meant to be used as a point of inspiration through its words and images. It is also, by design, meant to be a fun piece of interactive media to enjoy. There is a lesson tucked away in that last sentence.

4. INTRODUCTION
Hello. My name is Tim Nolan. I head up BBH Labs and serve as the Interactive Group
Creative Director at BBH New York. I have proudly served the Internet since 1996. I created
this book along with my partner in crime, Jen Lu, a Creative Mutant currently working
at Droga 5. We would like to thank Bernstein & Andriulli for granting us access to their
amazing roster of talented illustrators and designers to make this endeavor come to life.
This book is meant to be used as a point of inspiration through its words and images. It is
also, by design, meant to be a fun piece of interactive media to enjoy.
There is a lesson tucked away in that last sentence.

5. This book is simply a way to unite those two worlds.
Enjoy.
Today’s contemporary creative not only needs to be
a clever storyteller, but also wise to the means that are
available to them to tell such narratives.
tim & jen
@Universalscene

6. FOREWORD 1
What does it mean to be a creative these days? It’s almost impossible to answer this. The
tasks of a creative are unrecognizable from as little as five years ago. You must decide
whether this is a good thing or a bad thing. Certainly the days of easy three week shoots
in the Caribbean are long gone. But when has an advertising creative ever had the
chance to make a physical product from scratch? To really make something?
Some would argue clients have never been more conservative but some guy just fell
from space for a can of pop with no guarantee that his brains wouldn’t splatter across a
million screens. It seems it’s wise to be foolish.
One thing a creative does need to be is a hustler. There are no easy briefs any more. You
have to fight for the crazy stuff. But I honestly believe in a more uniform and conservative
world, weird stands out. Look at GaGa.
When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro. Is that what we are, professional weirdos?
I can live with that.
james cooper
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was
the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness.”

7. “Creativity” is a loaded word like “war” or “god” or “child.” It has a lot in common with
these words too – for it’s a mix of heavy burden and a blinding belief in our own potential
to invent.
“Creative” is too often reserved for people who are quirky, strange, tattooed and/or
mustachioed. But in truth, everyone is creative with the way they solve the needs of the
contemporary world – be they juggling numbers, whittling a good spear, or even in the
conjuring of creative design and advertising.
The Contemporary Creative has the ability to excite all of these with ease, telling stories
and inciting action. Those before us molded clay, steel, and wood, but we flex our
power with pixels and clicks, flash frames and light, code strings and sensors. We are
manipulators, hopefully for good.
The one trick pony creative no longer exists; instant death comes to those with narrow-
minds, parochial interests or inflexibility. Inquisitiveness, fearlessness and an insatiable
thirst for The New are the only real mandates for today’s creative minds.
So feed your inner child. Create something from nothing. It’s a war of the senses.
david schwarz
What we’re talking about here is indeed creativity in the
visual, interactive and social-psychological senses.
FOREWORD 2

8. FOREWORD 3
There’s also dogs dressed in menswear, men dressed as women spouting phrases women
say, diagrams of famous one-liners and the movies of Wes Anderson that most represent
you, purposefully misquoted inspirational images meant to inspire rage, and of course,
rage comics. There’s also the chest-pounding fear of irrelevance that the Internet, a.k.a.
the greatest unleashing of creativity in the history of our species, gives you as you stare
face-forward into a future that doesn’t necessarily need you, populated by people that
think they don’t want you, while you grapple to steer a brand managed by adults whose
aim it is to remain invisible in their corner office. But mostly, cats on the internet.
Being a “contemporary creative” doesn’t involve as much
cats on the internet as one might suspect.
bud caddell

9. FOREWORD 4
Nice soundbite, that. And like most soundbites, half true, half full of shit.
Why it’s half shit? You can be and do whatever you want creatively. There is absolutely no
right or wrong, just expression or no expression. That’s the goddamn beauty of it.
Why it’s half true? If you want to have an impact, to have other people see or hear or
experience your creativity, it’s a good idea to understand the times you’re living in, the
mediums and formats that are resonating with people, and understand the tools that
are available to bring your expressions to life. Know those, and all that creativity inside
has a chance to be seen, experienced, and shared. Which makes you a creative person
of your time, a ‘contemporary creative’ so to speak.
You can’t be of your time creatively if you’re behind in
how you can express it.
john patroulis

10. FOREWORD 5
Having an idea is often the easy bit. Making it actually happen is almost always the
hard bit. Thomas Edison, who still holds the world record for the most number of patents,
described genius as “one percent inspiration, 99% perspiration.”
To this extent, the contemporary creative has never had it better. From prototyping with
Arduino to 3D printing to launching a business through Kickstarter, technology has made
it much easier to make things happen.
At the same time, it has never been more challenging to be creative. It is no longer
enough just to be curious and to be inspired by your surroundings - the contemporary
creative now needs to become part of those surroundings. Not an observer but a
participant. Not just a writer or art director but a blogger, publisher, writer of code, a
designer and salesperson of your own products. To be creative today, you have to be
versatile. You have to be a hybrid.
daniele fiandaca
However, despite the speed of technological advancement,
one thing still holds true – understanding people and how to
move them emotionally is the hardest thing of all.

12. A
B
C
D
E
F
G
andrew rae
bigshot toyworks
julene harrison
gavin potenza
andrew bannecker
dan craig
rizon parein
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
tristan eaton
ilovedust
gary baseman
debaser
harriet russell
david welker
nomoco

13. O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
adam hayes
rod hunt
am i collective
radio
jeff nishinaka
craig ward
carbon studio
V
W
X
Y
Z
pale horse
vasava
nathan fox
yuko shimizu
shotopop

15. A
API
is for
andrew rae
pen & ink, digital
Application Programming Interface. Applications on the Web
provide back doors to a wide range of valuable content
and data. It’s time now to imagine what the API of a brand
would look like. How will you open this API to consumers?
(Application Programming Interface)

17. B
BETA
is for
bigshot toyworks
digital 3D
Love the beta. Embrace launching early and testing in a
real world environment. Your consumer base is your best
testing ground.

19. C
CRAFT
is for
julene harrison
paper-cut
Ideas and technology do not make for compelling
advertising without a level of craft. This is something that
should be considered timeless.

21. D
DATA MINING
is for
gavin potenza
digital
Data mining is at the very core of what the Internet does
best. Google revolutionized the process with the launch of
their search engine in March of 1996.

23. E
ENGAGEMENT
is for
andrew bannecker
digital
Engagement mapping is a means of assessing the
contribution of different media touch-points to an eventual
conversion. It allows advertisers to look beyond the ‘last click’
model of online measurement and award credit to all other
activity that a consumer encountered before this point.

25. F
FUN
is for
dan craig
digital
Do what you love and love what you do. This will naturally
translate into your work.

27. G
GEOLOCATION
is for
rizon parein
digital 3D
The digital space need not be cold and impersonal,
content can dynamically be tailored for the consumer
wherever they are located. Fish where the fish are.

29. H
HYBRID
is for
tristan eaton
digital
Mashup culture, cross trained professionals, and hactivism
are all fine examples of modern day hybrids. Traditional
creatives are being forced to embrace digital or risk
becoming irrelevant. On the flip side digital savvy creatives
need to learn how to extend their platforms into the
television, print and, at times, radio channels.

31. I
INTEGRATION
is for
ilovedust
digital
Ideas need to be able to live across all channels seamlessly
as a cohesive message. They cannot be forced. Each
platform has its own nuances and the content that is
created for them needs to feel native to the place where it
will live until it reaches the consumer.

33. J
JQUERY
is for
gary baseman
acrylic
There are more ways to move elements on the page
besides flash. There are a number of JavaScript frameworks
that enable your content to come to life whether it is a
desktop, mobile, or tablet based experience. Get familiar.

35. K
K.I.S.S.
is for
debaser
digital
Keep it Simple, Stupid. The idea may be an old one, but
it still rings true today. At times the simplest of ideas can
unlock the biggest returns.

37. L
LEARNING
is for
harriet russell
pen & ink, collage, digital
“Life moves pretty fast, if you don’t stop and look around
sometimes, you might miss it.” - Ferris Bueller

39. M
MOBILE
is for
david welker
scratchboard
This is where most consumers engage with the Internet and
this number will continue to grow as more and more devices
become Internet aware. Stay on your feet.

41. N
NARRATIVE
is for
nomoco
watercolor
No matter how much the media landscape shifts and
changes, and no matter what the current platform may be,
the narrative still connects the consumer to the message.

43. O
OPEN SOURCE
is for
adam hayes
pen & ink
This notion should extend past software and code culture.
Your process and your whole methodology should be looked
at as open source. Share and share alike.

45. P
PLATFORM PRODUCTS PROGRAMS
is for
rod hunt
digital
Campaigns are inherently built with limited life spans. They are
meant to serve as short term engagements. Platforms, products,
and programs tend to live a longer, healthier life by nature.

47. Q
QUESTIONS
is for
am i collective
digital
You should be asking these of everyone every single day. Here
is one for you: Did you learn anything from reading this book?

49. R
REAL TIME
is for
radio
digital
When an event or function is processed instantaneously, it
is said to occur in real time. Your creative process needs to
work in this same way. It is also something to consider when
planning for your audience to interact with your work.

51. S
SOCIAL
is for
jeff nishinaka
paper sculpture
Broadcasting nowadays includes some help from the
audience. Successful work, if embraced by the public will
naturally be amplified by those that consume it.

53. T
TACTILE
is for
craig ward
paper sculpture
Digital work should lure the user in. Create work that people
want to engage with. Understand the platform and make
something that does more than sell a product. Sell the
audience an experience, no matter how large or small.
Always ask yourself, “Would I spend time with this?”

55. U
USER EXPERIENCE
is for
carbon studio
digital
Remember who your work is being crafted to reach.
Be conscious of how they will encounter, engage, and
consume your project. Then design that experience
accordingly. UX is often the invisible layer of design.

57. V
VERSATILE
is for
pale horse
digital
Be nimble. Never pitch the same idea twice. Continue to
innovate in the way you think and continue to innovate in
the way you approach problems. Keeping on the notion
of versatility, make sure your ideas are versatile enough
to coexist across all media platforms. Fragmentation is a
thing of the past.

59. W
WONDER
is for
vasava
digital
Creativity relies on wonder. It gives the audience the ability
to associate themselves with your work. It opens the doors to
imagination, and creates the connection between the idea
and the consumer.

61. X
XML
is for
nathan fox
digital inks and color
Extensible Markup Language. What is important about XML
is that it is a language that both humans and machines
understand. Be sure your creative ideas are as flexible
as this language, as most brand platforms need to be
understood by both humans and computers alike.

63. Y
YOU
is for
yuko shimizu
pen & ink, digital
It is up to you as a contemporary creative to explore new
avenues. It is up to you to learn every day. The media
landscape as we all know is in constant flux. New technologies
launch themselves into the world everyday, find a way to
aggregate a personal news feed, and keep learning.

65. Z
ZEITGEIST
is for
shotopop
pen & ink, digital
Be a spirit of the times. Immerse yourself in all things
contemporary. This will give you a wider lens to look through
when conceptualizing creative. Stay in the now.

66. agents:
Howard Bernstein, Louisa St. Pierre, Francine Rosenfeld
Matthew LeBaron, Aaron Barr, Dan Ouyang
designed by shotopop
bernstein & andriulli
58 West 40th Street, NYC 10018
BA-REPS.COM
INFO@BA-REPS.COM
+1 212 682 1490
TWITTER.COM/BAREPS
BAREPS.TUMBLR.COM
© 2013 bernstein & andriulli inc.
The entire contents of this book are the copyright of Bernstein & Andriulli Inc &
Universalscene. In addition, the copyright of the individual illustrations herein remain with
the artist or client unless otherwise shown. No part of this book may be reproduced, in
whole or in part, in any form whether mechanical or electronic or stored or in a retrieval
system without prior written permission from the copyright holder.
written by tim nolan