Pinch
This self-promotional mailer uses the humble clothespin as a ruse to showcase the potential of multimedia.
The Pinch product, created by a fictitious clothespin manufacturer, takes audiences on a humorous tour of product marketing—from a demonstration in quality clothespin engineering, to an overview of the performance of various woods in diverse climates. Designed as a direct mail presentation for Brad Johnson, Pinch is a self-running application compressed to fit on a single floppy disk. The deceptively small package packs a self-running tour that demonstrates the richness of multimedia with an original music score, animation, and 3-D rendering. The floppy disk was mailed in a unique letterpress package containing a miniature wooden clothespin.
Press & Awards
- “Second Story,” w.e.b., July 2004
- Interface WOW, Sue Merritt, 1997 (Peachpit Press)
- “NoCal’s Hottest Webmeisters,” Digital Creativity, Ken Coupland, March 1996
- HOW, Self-Promotion Annual, Outstanding Achievement Award, 1996
- Internet Homep@ge Design, Seiki Okuda, 1996 (Kinotype Press)
- Multimedia Graphics: The Best in Global Hyperdesign, Melissa Dallal, 1996 (Chronicle Books)
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“The Digital Portfolio,” OnLine Design, Cheshire Dave, July 1995
“[D]istinctive for combining expert production skills with a sense of concept...Pinch, by Brad Johnson, is an ingenious and outlandish product presentation—for a fictional manufacturer of clothespins.”
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“Desktop Animation,” Electronic Link Magazine, Ken Coupland, May 1995
“Johnson’s presentation is a startlingly effective piece of self-promotion. Affecting the guise of a fictitious clothespin manufacturer, Johnson turned a pirouetting, 3D rendered clothespin into a memorable showcase of his animation talents, and an illustration of the technical strides made by desktop animation.”
- Communication Arts, Interactive Design Annual, 1995
- I.D., Annual Design Review, Honorable Mention, 1995
- New Media, Invision Award, Finalist, 1995
Credits
- Designer, Illustrator, Writer
- Brad Johnson
- Composer
- Jeff Stafford
- Consultant
- Bonnie Smetts