Branding: Design choice: Picasso's 'Bull's head' - Roger Wong, Senior CD, Saatchi & Saatchi Guangzhou

Even a three-year-old would say this resembles a bull's head. However, on closer inspection, you realise in amazement that this bull's head is actually a bicycle seat and a set of handlebars. They're just everyday objects, but when you use your imagination and creativity, they turn into something new.

This masterpiece was designed by Pablo Picasso in Paris 1942, when France was occupied by German troops and everything was scarce.

It always reminds me of three things related to advertising. First, to create a great work does not necessarily mean you need a big budget. It's creativity that counts. Take the bull's head as an example. Picasso used whatever scraps he could find. What makes the work great is creativity.

Second, it is the job of creatives to make the boring interesting. We all know that an interesting product will sell like hot cakes despite mediocre advertising. The real challenge for creatives is to make mediocre products look interesting.

It's sad to hear creatives grumble that they don't have a sexy client, and/or they don't have a big budget, and/or they don't have a world class director so they can only produce 'crap'.

The truth is this: 'rubbish in, rubbish out'.

Third, simplicity is beauty. The bull's head is so simple, yet so powerful.

Good ads are just the same.

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