Agency creatives don’t just flex their creative muscles and showcase their creative sides in the service of their clients. Often, their creativity spills into something as mundane as their email inboxes.
Whether it is a quick email sent on-the-go, or a thoughtfully crafted out-of-office response, many agency creatives swap the boring “Sent from my iPhone” out for more fun and personalized email signatures.
A few of our favorites:
Gerry Graf, founder and chief creative officer at Barton F. Graf 9000
Graf’s logic is simple: He didn’t want to be doing an ad for Apple every time he sent out a quick email from his phone. “Besides, it sounds like a cool product, right? The G Phone?” he said.
Noel Cottrell, chief creative officer, Fitzgerald & Co.
Cottrell’s signature is both a reference to his build (he’s 6 feet 8 inches tall) and also a homage to Shepard Fairey’s OBEY sticker with wrestler Andre The Giant’s face and the words “7ft4in 520lb Has A Posse” from 1989. “It’s been my sign-off for seven years and gets the best comments from even the most senior clients,” he said.
Alan Cohen, co-founder at Giant Spoon
Cohen has the latest gadget that enables him to send responses on the move with the tap of a button, the iWatch. But he didn’t want to sound rude or curt, so he crafted this. “I’m a serial texter, but the watch’s ‘quick responses’ seemed too abrupt, so I created my own,” he said. “It basically means I will write something longer and more thoughtful later.”
Adam Padilla, president and chief creative officer, Brandfire
While technology has no doubt made our lives much easier, Padilla approaches it with some caution. For him, virtual intelligence like the Amazon Echo is getting scarier and scarier. “When Siri isn’t subtracting zero from zero or comparing herself to ScarJo from the movie ‘Her,’ I imagine her taking control of my phone and my contacts and sabotaging my life in some heinous way,” he said. “It also gets me out of trouble when I accidentally ‘reply all.’ I hate when that happens.”
Ian Schafer, founder and CEO, Deep Focus
Not a signature, but the folks at Deep Focus clearly have talents that far exceed the realm of creativity.
Azher Ahmed, svp and director of digital operations, DDB Chicago
Ahmed’s signature is a jab at the cult-like mindset of Apple fans. “They make some great products, but I think we all know a person or two who religiously buys their stuff and does what they say without question,” he said.
MJ Deery, creative director, Mekanism
Deery’s signature obviously harks back to the earliest days of communication, when pigeons were the best messengers. Yet some people have actually asked her what device an iPigeon is. Plus, she was sick of everybody having a sign-off that highlighted the technology we’ve become so dependent on. “What is the most analog way to send a message? Telephone? Nah, not far enough,” she said. “Oh I know, messenger pigeons! It was the perfect antithesis to the trend.”
Tyler Gonerka, Art Director, CP+B
Gonerka’s signature alludes to one-person shooting games, where players shoot aimlessly. He said he gets the same feeling while furiously replying to emails on his phone. It also evokes the phenomena of pocket dialing or butt-texting, frequent hazards associated with having mobile devices in your back pockets.
Austin Hamilton, Copywriter, Deutsch NY
Hamilton is clearly channeling his inner prankster, making ordinary emails a little more fun. “I feel a tremendous sense of accomplishment every time someone tells me they actually looked over their shoulder to make sure I really wasn’t there,” said Hamilton.
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