Agent Pekka

Agent Pekka launches in Amsterdam with an exhibition

2012-04-19T17:52:45+00:00

Agent Pekka is launching its first continental Europe office in Amsterdam. The agency will be opening its doors to Amsterdam’s creative crowd from 4 May, with an exhibition of key illustrators. Made in collaboration with 25 artists, the exhibition 'PEKKA IS HERE' goes on show at GUNS & BUTTER Gallery in the heart of Amsterdam.

For the launch of the Amsterdam office, Agent Pekka will present a series of unique artworks specially made for the occasion, sold on the opening night, from an impressive line-up of Agent Pekka creatives – a few illustrators will be present at the opening.

Pablo Steffa, co-founder of Agent Pekka says:
"The interesting mix of international and local advertising agencies, the presence of strong global brands and the appreciation the Dutch have for good design, are all reasons why we chose Amsterdam as the city for our first office abroad. Ultimately, however, it was finding the perfect candidate for heading the new office that sealed the deal for us. I am confident and excited to see how our roster of talent will inspire the local creatives."

The Amsterdam office will be headed up by Caroline Svensson. A native of Sweden, Caroline has spent many years in Amsterdam as an Art Producer at both Wieden+Kennedy and 180 Amsterdam. Clients included Adidas, Nokia, Coca Cola, Honda, Nike, and Electronic Arts.

Anchored in the Amsterdam creative and artistic scene, she says of her new role:
"For several years now I’ve had my eye on Agent Pekka’s roster of talented illustrators and the great work they produce, so it’s an exciting opportunity for me to have the chance to promote their work here in the Netherlands."

The exhibition at GUNS & BUTTER Gallery will feature works by Vincent Bakkum, Emil Bertell, Jamie Cullen, Owen Gatley, Minni Havas, Eero Johannes, Inka Järvinen, Eili-Kaija Kuusniemi, Linda Linko, Sac Magique, Sanna Mander, Santtu Mustonen, Rami Niemi, Lotta Nieminen, Mike Perry, Pietari Posti, Janine Rewell, Miika Saksi, Sami Saramäki, Ville Savimaa, Antti Uotila and Holly Wales.

Amsterdam-based illustrator, Santtu Mustonen, says: "Over the past few years I have whistled and cycled through many of Amsterdam's alleys and streets. Though I have discovered much of the city, my days are often enriched by the unexpected curiosities and gloomy masterpieces that I encounter. I am glad that we are going to be among these. "

In addition to work by best-of-breed illustrators, Agent Pekka’s exhibition will also feature creations by multi-awarded creative agency Kokoro & Moi, the D&AD award-winning design studio Musuta and the freshly established creative agency Tsto.

Gallery contacts:
GUNS & BUTTER
Lauriergracht 11
1016 Amsterdam

For press enquiries, please contact:
Pablo Steffa
+358.50.363.5252
pablo@agentpekka.com

After the opening on May 4, the show will be open to view Saturday May 5 from 12 – 6pm, and Thursday May 10 to Saturday May 12 from 12 - 6pm.The gallery will have a press preview the day of the opening during normal gallery hours, 12 - 6pm, special viewings can be arranged.

Keep ﬁghting the good ﬁght!

2011-10-31T09:52:50+00:00

The Art Directors Club (www.adcglobal.org), the premier organisation for creatives in integrated media and the first global creative collective of its kind, announced a lively new campaign on October 26 by DDB New York to promote the call for entries for the ADC 91st Annual Awards.

The integrated campaign, launching on October 26 at www.adcawards.org and through a global print mailing on November 1, encourages creative teams around the world to "Keep fighting the good fight" despite obstacles to creating great work.

DDB, serving as the club's creative partner for the ADC 91st Annual Awards, developed all aspects of the campaign strategy and execution. The agency worked with Agent Pekka's illustrator Rami Niemi to design artwork for nine CFE posters and postcards showing humorous situations in modern day advertising that illustrate the impediments and obstacles to creating great work.

The posters include headlines such as "I think we should schedule a meeting" overlaying a visual of a meeting already in progress. Another poster depicts a photo shoot for a can of unbranded tuna, with the statement, “I want it to be Irving Penn meets Helmut Newton.”

The agency also tapped renowned comedian Lewis Black, famous for his idiosyncratic comedy style, to create an original rant recording for the campaign. The animated rant video features Black channeling his inner advertising creative and fuming about the pressures of agency life with double-edged witticisms such as, "Comedy routines are developed over lifetimes. Movie scripts are crafted over years. But a compelling message to woo consumers into a buying frenzy... Yeah, we're gonna need that by three o'clock."

The animation can be viewed here, audio NSFW: http://www.adcawards.org/news.

The agency has also created online banner advertising that will appear on leading advertising and design industry sites.

"DDB New York went above and beyond the call of duty to give us a truly integrated campaign," said Olga Grisaitis, director, ADC. "Creatives will relate to the portrayal of the challenges they face each day in the creative process."

"We wanted to give a nod to all the pain and suffering that every creative person goes through in order to produce a great idea," said Matt Eastwood, chief creative officer, DDB New York. "From getting the idea through the account team to the client meeting to the final production, there are so many hurdles and so many casualties. We wanted to encourage creatives to 'Keep fighting the good fight' because in the end, an ADC Cube makes it all worthwhile."

The online call for entries for the Art Directors Club's 91st Annual Awards is open at www.adcawards.org. Deadlines for entry are January 20, 2012, for Design, Photography, Illustration and Interactive; January 27, 2012, for Student, and February 10, 2012, for Advertising and Integrated. To receive the printed CFE, please sign up at http://www.adcglobal.org/register/user.

Agency: DDB New York
CCO: Matt Eastwood
CD: Menno Kluin
Copywriter: Aron Fried, Mike Sullivan, Rodrigo de Castro
Art Director: Carlos Wigle, Joao Unzer
Designer: Juan Carlos Pagan
Illustrator: Rami Niemi
Music: DJ Rogo
Art Buyers: Carol Brandwein, Jane Piampiano

Inka Järvinen is a Young Gun

2011-09-28T09:41:47+00:00

The results are in for this year's Art Directors Club's Young Guns and we're thrilled to announce that our illustrator, Inka Järvinen, is one of the 50 winners of this highly regarded award.

ADC Young Guns is the only international, cross-disciplinary, portfolio-based awards competition that identifies today’s vanguard of young creative professionals age 30 or younger.

See all the ADC Young Guns 9 winners here.

If you're in New York, make sure to visit the ADC Gallery on October 13 to celebrate this year's ADC Young Guns 9 winners. Selected work from the winners' portfolios will be shown in the gallery through November 3.

Thursday, October 13, 2011 from 7-10 p.m.
ADC Members: Free
Non-Members: $25
For tickets, visit the adcyoungguns.org website.

ADC Gallery
106 West 29th Street
New York, NY 10001

And don't forget to stock up on ADC Young Guns annuals at the ADC Store.

adidas Urban Artist Series Exhibition 2011

2011-06-10T13:25:51+00:00

Ville Savimaa is featured in the upcoming adidas Urban Artist Series exhibition opening on July 8th at the West Berlin Gallery.

For the Urban Artist Series adidas teamed up with some of the most outstanding international artists to create fresh interpretations of sports performance. The exhibition features selected pieces from the clothing line alongside the artists' original works and contributions from the adidas designers. The Urban Artist Series exhibition is on at West Berlin Gallery from July 8th to 23rd 2011. The opening takes place on July 8th at 19.00.

Contributing artists:
Mr. Jago, UK - www.mrjago.com
Chow Martin, Canada - www.chowmartin.com
Pomme Chan, UK - www.pommepomme.com
Ville Savimaa, Finland - www.villesavimaa.com
Russ Mills / Byroglyphics, UK - www.byroglyphics.com
Rubens LP, Brazil - www.rubenslp.com.br
Robbie Wilkinson, UK - www.robbiesbrownshoes.com
Claire Scully, UK - www.thequietrevolution.co.uk
Calvin Ho, China - www.atomicattack.com
+ adidas designers

West Berlin Gallery
Brunnenstraße 56
13355 Berlin
+49 (0)30 548 566 29
www.westberlingallery.com

Mike Perry’s Pulled: A Catalog of Screen Printing

2011-05-30T12:11:33+00:00

Pietari Posti's illustrations are featured in best-selling author Mike Perry's (Hand Job, Over and Over) latest book about screen printing.

Popularized in the 1960s by Pop artists like Andy Warhol, screen printing remains a favorite among artists due to its versatility, duplicability, and relatively low cost. In Pulled: A Catalog of Screen Printing, Mike Perry has collected the work of more than forty of today’s most talented designers who are, in their own way, pushing the boundaries of this dynamic medium.

In addition to Pietari's work, the stunning book features artists such as Deanne Cheuk, Steven Harrington, Rinzen, Andy Smith, and many more.

For more information and to purchase the book, visit mikeperystudio.com.

Janine Rewell — Vector Art & Flesh Flutes

2011-05-25T17:23:38+00:00

Janine Rewell's solo exhibition opens on Friday, May 27 at the SPOT gallery in Poznan, Poland. The exhibition includes thirty of Janine's favorite posters, all customized to fit the theme of the exhibition.

The exhibition is part of PURE FINLAND CELEBRATION, an event that presents the latest electronic music and visual arts from Finland, including live performances by Finnish artists Villa Nah and Jori Hulkkonen.

Janine recently received the prestigious Junior of the Year Award at the Finnish Best of the Year Awards 2010 (Vuoden Huiput). Her last solo exhibition was held at Barcelona's Vallery gallery in March, 2010.

Vector Art & Flesh Flutes Exhibition
May 27 – June 12, 2011
Fundacja SPOT.
Dolna Wilds 87
61-501 Poznan
Poland

Fundacja SPOT & PURE FINLAND CELEBRATION

ADC Young Guns @ Apple Store SoHo, NYC: Lotta Nieminen

2011-04-13T11:17:10+00:00

ADC Young Gun Lotta Nieminen will be appearing @ the Apple Store SoHo, NYC on April 18, 2011.

Lotta Nieminen is a multidisciplinary designer and illustrator from Helsinki, Finland. She has studied graphic design and illustration at the University of Art and Design Helsinki and Rhode Island School of Design, and has worked as a freelancer in both fields since 2006.

Lotta joined Agent Pekka in 2009 and is currently based in New York City.

Lotta is part of the ADC Young Guns 8 class, honored in 2010.

Monday, April 18, 2011
6:30 - 8:00 PM
Apple Store SoHo
103 Prince Street, NYC

Free, no reservation required.

Agent Pekka is Finnish Graphic Designer of the Year

2011-02-02T12:02:43+00:00

Agent Pekka was honored as the Finnish Graphic Designer of the Year 2011 at the opening of the Finnish Designer Awards '11 exhibition held at Design Forum Finland on Jan 13, 2011.

Every year, the Association of Professional Graphic Designers in Finland (Grafia) and the Finnish Association of Designers (Ornamo) select the country’s top six designers. The award of Finnish Graphic Designer of the Year is presented for outstanding work in graphic design or other activities that enhance the level and appreciation of Finland's expertise in the field.

Judges cited their reasons for presenting the award to Agent Pekka: "With confident expertise, Agent Pekka is successfully instilling a new culture of illustration in Finland. The influence of Agent Pekka on the world conquest of Finnish illustration cannot be ignored. The founder of the agency, Pablo Steffa, has a background as a designer, but has made the marketing and sales of his colleagues' expertise his task."

We at Agent Pekka are delighted at this honor and would like to extend our warm gratitude to Grafia for recognizing our efforts in graphic design. We would also like to thank and congratulate each and every one of our illustrators, as without them our agency would not be what it is today!

Grafia was founded in 1933. The association has over 900 members who are employed in various sectors within the field of visual communication. Grafia introduced the Graphic Designer of the Year award in 1985.

Ornamo awarded the following designers in 2011: Pekka Harni, Industrial Designer of the Year; Jasmiine Julin-Aro, Fashion Designer of the Year; Vertti Kivi, Interior Designer of the Year; Janna Syvänoja Artist of the Year; and Heli Tuori-Luutonen Textile Artist of the Year. Congratulations to all the winners!

The Finnish Designer Awards '11 exhibition is open until February 13 in Helsinki.

Muotoilijat '11 – Finnish Designer Awards '11 exhibition
January 14 – February 13, 2011
Design Forum Finland
Erottajankatu 7, Helsinki, Finland
www.designforum.fi

Touring exhibition dates:
Finnish-Norwegian Cultural Institute, Oslo, Norway,
August 18 – September 18, 2011
Finnish Institute in Stockholm, Sweden,
October 6 – November 3, 2011

Download the Finnish Designer Awards '11 publication here.

Further information:
Association of Professional Graphic Designers in Finland (Grafia):
Katja Ojala
Communications Officer
katja.ojala(at)grafia.fi
+358 40 8473 875
www.grafia.fi

Lotta Nieminen is a Young Gun

2010-09-15T17:56:32+00:00

The Art Directors Club has just announced the 50 young creatives from 14 countries to claim the prestigious ADC Young Guns 8 title. We're very pleased to announce that our illustrator, Lotta Nieminen, is one of the winners. View Lotta's work here.

ADC Young Guns is the only international, cross-disciplinary, portfolio-based awards competition that identifies today’s vanguard of young creative professionals age 30 or younger.

A selection of the winning works will be on show at ADC Gallery from Thursday, October 7 to Friday, October 22. The gallery is located at 106 West 29th Street in NYC, and is open Monday through Friday, 10AM to 6PM.

View all the ADC Young Guns 8 winners here.

Get your tickets for the ADC Young Guns exhibition opening party on October 7 here.

The ADC Young Guns 8 Annual will be available for purchase in October at the ADC Online Store.

Minimart is open!

2010-09-13T15:57:56+00:00

Looking for unique and distinctive artworks for your home or office? Then check out our online shop, Minimart. We sell limited edition posters by our agency’s illustrators.

Go shopping »