Friday cute cats

Everybody likes cats and kittens here, I guess. But nobody knows why we love them more than any other creatures. Anyway, I know just a few people who don't like cats or are quite indifferent about them. Others adore these furry creatures, though not everybody keep them at home as pets. I've had a lot of cats in my life, I've grown up with cats at home and my first poem was written about my cute black and white (but very wild-tempered) cat called Musya (she lived for almost 20 years, though she had a semi-stray lifestyle, living in the countryside, and she gave birth of enormous number of kittens which, I guess, have formed the distinct cat breed - cute, but wild and aggressive black-and-white cats which are impossible to keep closed at home). Now, I don't have cats at home and I regret it. But Internet gives the chance to see cats and kittens. I like these cat pictures my friend has e-mailed me. Here they are. And here are my comments:

Sleeping cat with these cute pink paws! 

A small kitten doing what I didn't like in my former cat's habits - walking on the table. And the cat watching her son with disgust from the window sill - she's educated in good manners)

A cliche romantic picture often used for Valentines - two cats-lovers are having a date on the roof and the full moon is shining.

A library or a bookshop cat) And he is also walking on the table! He can make this cup of coffee fall out. And also the remote cat is watching this youngster with disapproval. 

Everybody having a cat has seen the picture like this in the reality. It's cute but I can imagine the number of cat's hairs on this nice bed cover) However, this picture makes me feel comfortable)

A cat and small tiny kittens - a new version of Motherhood concept for all cat-lovers)

Pirate advertisers

I've found some photos of existing posters and ads which can be found in Russian cities and which "designers" (for many such ads are amateurish, "made on a lap") have chosen to take the star's photo (without obtaining his or her permission for that) in order to promote the product or the service. We can only guess whether it helped such "pirates" to raise their sales with the help of Britney Spears or Uma Turman on their posters or not, but they probably considered such approach as effective - or just downloaded some "nice" pictures from Internet without even knowing who this pretty girl or boy is. Of course, that's illegal, but some of these photos are just funny - regarding the choice of the celebrity and the product or service advertised. I'll not give many comments on this, I'll only translate slogans and the wording.

Sauna, 24 hours

Gentlemen choose "Altay Billiard Club"

Atelier "Elegant", Sewing and repair of men's and women's clothes, Muslim clothes, textile

Hairdresser's on Fleet Street. Men's, women's, children salons, manicure, nail extension, daily discounts and actions.

I'd be rather scared to have my haircut in such a hairdresser's salon, bearing in mind the plot of this movie...

Republican Clinical Hospital. Face and Jaw Surgery Clinics 

Store "Ludmila". The big selection of women's blouses and accessories. 

Hairdresser's. Manicure. Solarium. 

The secret of success? A diploma of "Polytech!" (on Russian this slogan makes the rhyme).

Obama didn't graduate from Polytech, but who cares?

Shawerma. Pies, Meat pies, Hamburgers, Pizzas, Sausage in the dough, Hot-dog, Chebureks, Tea and Coffee

 Britney advertising international fast food - isn't it amazing?

Soviet advertising - some other amazing samples

Today I've found some other five beautiful examples of ads in the Soviet Russia. As I've said in my previous posts, they were made not for making people by the product of the certain brand (for there wasn't any real competition between manufacturers in the USSR), but for promoting of the certain product which just had been launched on market or of the certain lifestyle which wasn't possible without using of that product or service. Graphic artists and decorators invented a very distinctive and attractive style of those ads - they usually preferred to make illustrations, not just to take photographic images, for advertising.
So, there are further examples of Soviet ads I like:

Ministry of Light Manufacturing for the USSR

Headdresses of the Fall-Winter Assortment 

I like this ad for its straightforwardness and background, plus the color palette is also very nice. Here we have a very direct slogan - you can buy hats and caps for winter and fall made by then the sole manufacturer of accessories in the USSR. But the quality of painting and the whole composition of this ad make up the real work of art. Hats, from the classic white hat to the winter fur caps, are painted very natural, as they are. On the top of the picture we see the subtle background of the autumn's red maple leaves matching with the hat suitable for wearing at fall. Then the background turns into bluish palette and we see the snowy pine branches at the bottom, perfectly matching with the winter garb. The color of the font is also gradually changed from the top to the bottom of the ad - from mild orange to the cold blue color. It's the ad one would be pleased to look at - neither aggressive, nor gaudy, but a very artistic.  

I eat cookies by the factory "Red October", former Einem.

Don't buy it anywhere else except Mosselprom.

This is the vivid example of the constructivist graphic design. Such ads were produced by the "ROST window" movement, which made a lot of illustrations, caricatures, social propaganda posters which could be seen on Leningrad and Moscow streets during the times of the Civil War and NEP (New Economic Policy, the policy offered by the Soviet government as the transition between the "old" capitalist economy and the new Communist one). The works of this movement were aimed for propaganda and informing of the people about political situation and bringing new ideas to the masses. Then, while new companies were emerging encouraged by the NEP policy of the state (allowing the existence of private-owned companies and manufacturers which started to open in large scale in the 1920s), need in advertising services became acute. NAPmen (new "Soviet" businessmen) needed to attract new costumers and to promote their products and services. Thus, they commissioned leading graphic artists (such as Kruchenykh) and poets (such as Mayakovsky) to create ads for them. The state enterprises, such as Mosselprom, also used the services of advertisers. Here we have a pretty good example of such 1920s advertisement. Sharp geometric lines and primary colors, somehow angular fonts used for this ad were fashionable in these times, when Malevich was working over his famous "Squares". The product itself - cookies - is shown at the middle of the ad, in the red hexagonal frame. Cookies are flowing to the girl's mouth. The slogan is also very interesting. It's personal (here advertisers use "I", which is meant to indicate one's personal experience; such approach is very good for advertising and is still widely used). But it's very informative - we see the name of the factory producing these cookies and even its former name (in case someone would be confused with the rapid renaming and rebranding of the good old trademarks proved by time), then we see where you could buy it. 

Electric vacuum cleaner. Good and fast in cleaning carpets, clothes, furniture, walls and floors from the dust. 

Here is the ad of more or less modern taste. The effective domestic piece of electronics, a new invention which had just appeared on the market, is very effective in removing dust from carpets and other surfaces. The design of this vacuum cleaner (Dnepr) is the subject of the separate explanation, but let's look on this well-painted, vivid piece of the ad. Here we see the ad which promotes usage of the certain new invention (a vacuum cleaner) in households. A beautiful but covered with the thick layer of dust carpet is being cleaned by this miraculous gadget and it reveals its real color. The ads which show the effect of using something for the certain purpose are very effective. And here is one example of this. I'd like to add that the carpet (not just a floor or a sofa) was chosen for the better effect. At first, dusty carpets really look unattractive, even worse than dusty floors or walls. At second, carpets played the special role in Soviet interiors - they made floors warmer and, being attached to the wall, they helped for better sound-isolation and for keeping the room warm. And they played an aesthetic role too. 

Fifty million people buy the soap

"Bouquet of my Granny"

T-Zh-Moscow

15 kopecks per bar

Here is a very simple and informative ad, nevertheless, it's quite bright. Blue and red color combination perfectly attracts the viewer's eye; the slogan informs us that as much as 15 million customers give the preference to this sort of soap; that it's produced by the certain company; and that the price is only 15 kopecks. I like the way the soap itself is drawn: it has a very attractive package with a very vivid and interesting floral ornament, somehow reminding art deco ornaments, and the wording, made in old-Russian calligraphic lettering, is also beautiful. I think the trademark of this T-Zh company is also very cute and the name chosen by them for this soap is very accurate: it hints at a good floral perfume and at preserving old soap-making traditions ("my Granny had already preferred it") awakening some kind of nostalgic feeling and childhood memories.

Buy model shoes on the light porous soil.

A good example of the lifestyle ad. Here we see the brown shoes in the centre of the picture and the city night landscape with people strolling along the streets. May be, these shoes are not very attractive; but they are perfect for walking in the city and they enable you to walk for all the day (because their soil is light and porous). I think here the very smart approach is used - to advertise not only the product of design but the lifestyle (urban and somehow sophisticated, as we see from the landscape matching the shoes) too. This approach is widely used today, but, I think, in much more straightforward manner (like depicting people wearing the clothes of the certain brand and performing certain activities). 

Product advertising in the USSR

Look around and you'll soon find million examples of advertising. Books and food, cosmetics and clothes, furniture and design objects - it's all advertised and experts invent million ways in order to make potential customers to buy something. Some of such ads are masterpieces of cinema or design, some are rather humble and annoying. Some ads have become symbols - think of the famous Coca-Cola TV ad which is traditionally shown before Christmas and which has become closely associated with this holiday.
However, almost all ads present in our environment are made because of rivalry for customers. Companies compete with each other and they wish to attract customers. How to say that your products are better than others? Right, to do a good ad. A really good ad, I mean. So, it seems that only competition may make manufacturers to make good ads.
Anyway, in case of the planned economics, entirely regulated by the government, not by the market itself, ads are equally important. But their aim is different. So, in the Soviet times advertising used to have one aim: to promote some kind of services (for example "Keep your money in the savings bank!", no matter, that it's the single bank network in the whole country) or products (as we'll see on the following ads). Let's have a look at pretty samples of the Soviet advertising. I like these graphic images created long before designer graphic software became available. They are real jewels of this art.

Jam is good for all children

On Russian, this slogan makes the rhyme. A good, healthy, red-cheeked girl, surrounded by fruit trees in blossom, is holding a big jar of apple jam in her plump hands. This ad is really tasty - a good pretty girl which makes everyone cheer up and smile, her red dress and equally red cheeks, a beautiful orchard behind her back - advertisers didn't need to expose the product in large scale in order to make customers desire to buy it. And the slogan - jam is good for children. It's sweet and healthy. And organic, we'd mention nowadays, but in those times nobody used to care about this matter. 

Toothpaste "Chlorodont"

Some of us wouldn't call this ad politically correct. And it is not. We see an elegant black man with wide white smile he's achieved with the help of the toothpaste. I'll call this ad rather laconic and minimalist. No slogan, only a product and the result one can achieve via this product - the whitest teeth. And the exotic element too - black people were unusual on streets of the average Soviet city. 

Narkompitscheprom of the USSR

Hot Moscow Burgers with Bean 

50 kopecks 

What's the most special in this rather minimalist and straightforward ad, it's the font. It's really interesting. The picture is less important than the price - I guess, a very cheap price for consumers ("only 50 kopecks"). That's why both a bean and a burger are made very humble in contrast with the big red digits on the black background. But I think, despite of rather symbolic picture of the product, this ad was successful - at least, you know, what king of burger you are to buy - there was only one, so you don't need to see it painted on the ad, while the price can be the main argument for buying that "Soviet fast food".

Ministry of Food Production of the USSR

Glavparfumer (Main Parfumer)

Guys are to clean teeth well.

Again, there is the rhyme in the original Russian version of the slogan. This ad kills two birds with one  stone - it's both the promotion of the healthy lifestyle for kids and the promotion of the certain product - tooth powders for children (made by Glavparfumer). Here we also see advantages of using children's images in the ad. They are nice and cute, bright and cheerful. Their images are able to promote the healthy and hygienic lifestyle every loving parent would choose for their own kids. There is an idyllic countryside landscape on the background, a neat blonde girl is cleaning her teeth and applying the toothpowder on her brush, and the boy is watching her, eager to follow her example. On the bottom of the ad we see products displayed more closely - two kinds of tooth powder. 

Glavkhladprom

Buy ice.

Ice keeps products fresh. Ask for it in all drugstores.

I guess this ad had appeared long before refrigerators  were introduced to all households. Or, rather, refrigerators did exist, but not everyone could afford buying (or, as we speak of the USSR, "getting") it. So, main methods for preserving fresh products for some time were linked with keeping it in a cool place (in the special room in the cellar, or to hang bags with products outside the window in the cold season). Ice could make this task easy. So, this product was essential for those who wanted to eat fresh fish, milk products, butter and meat - here we see fresh and quick-spoilt products surrounded by the ice. I should mention here that the package design of kefir, the pack of butter and the bunch of meat are rather stylish too. And the angular font of the word "Ice" is also attractive. It's interesting that ice was sold in the drugstore. May be, only drugstores had the machines for keeping it. 

Calendar for future times

People have always dreamt of the future, and in the 20th century this dream had the form of everything that would be impossible now - space traveling, colonies on Mars or Moon, life expectancy rising up to several hundred years, robots and supercomputers everywhere... And this dream still occupies minds of many people - look at how much people enjoy futuristic blockbusters! One Russian advertising agency has recently issued the wall calendar for year 2065. Streamlined and somehow constructivist graphics and ambitious predictions that in this year we'll live up to 300 years and a robot will be a governor of California make this calendar an interesting thing to look at.

Travel by Astroflot starplanes

Take everything from the alien life!

Mars canal and river trips

Party for those older 300

Apartments in the parallel world

Don't drive faster than the speed of light

It's our galaxy, we are to take care of it. Everybody - on the Saturday cleaning!

I'm a robot. Read the interview with Californian governor.

The first nanonaut has landed on the atom of hydrogene!

Social advertising - cruel, but true?

I've always been interested in social advertising. Unlike its commercial counterpart, SA can touch us more than some kind of glossy and positive images which promote certain products. Sometimes social advertisements can shock viewers, sometimes make them laugh. Anyway, the main purpose of such ads is to make its recipients to remember some certain rules, to think over their behavior, to raise some controversial issues. This ads can promote safer behavior on roads, or to be an invitation for discussion on some social matters, or make people think over some problems in our society (for example, xenophobia, or environmental issues, or the problem with stray pets etc). I'll be show you here some examples of such ads which seemed for me rather smart and interesting. Some of them can make you cry, others can make you laugh or will leave you shocked. Anyway, they've achieved their goal - now we'll think twice before leaving our garbage at woodland or before not halting at the pedestrian pass on the road. Here are only "starters":

I picked up a flower and it faded. I caught a mole and it died. And then I understood that you can touch beauty only by your heart.

Simple, somehow lyrical, but very touching ad, placed, I guess, in a park or in a forest. It urges us to enjoy natural beauty from distance, not touching and disturbing it in any way.

If you've disposed from your garbage in the forest, you won't have good sex for 5 years (folk proverb). Eco-movement "Lilies of the valley".

Greens go fighting with picnickers who leave their waste behind. They threaten careless tourists that they'll have sexual problems if they don't change their behavior. The main effect of this ad is in its unexpectedly threatening intonation. We've got used that ecologists (except some crazy green activists who smear ladies' fur coats with red paint) choose soft, intelligent intonation in their ads, they won't threaten you. This ad can be perceived as a kind of cursing to the people who litter the woodlands.

When you've let a pedestrian cross the road you've pleased Buddha, Muhammad, Jesus and consciousness. If you believe in consciousness.

The problem that drivers won't let pedestrians cross the trafficked street is actual in Russian (and, I guess, not only Russian) cities. This billboard is aimed to drivers' religious feelings. If you let a pedestrian cross the road, you'll make your karma better. Even if you are an atheist, at least, you have consciousness to be pleased. I think it's a good example of a social ad which is not too shocking but makes us think of our behavior.

You don't have enough money to buy a baby-seat? Then don't have children.

It's a rough and direct approach to advertising but I guess it works. Some people may find it insulting and not very politically correct, but this billboard slogan reveals thoughts many people have when someone says that they have no money to provide safety for their children (in this case, to buy a baby seating for car). "Indeed, you have children, thus, you cannot do anything for their safety? Then you're a stupid ass and you shouldn't have had children at all". I think this ad can have the effect of cold shower for light-minded and arrogant people who don't think of safety (and there are still lots of them).

DDR design - nostalgie

What do you think about design objects made in socialist countries, when they still existed on the world map? So, now we have such extinct countries as the DDR and the USSR, but products made by their factories and developed by their designers, can still be seen and looking at them provokes some nostalgic feelings...

Food packaging in the DDR - so, it's clear what kind of food it is (rather straightforward and direct approach)

Some will remember their childhood, some will be fascinated with the look of these products, which is not glossy and glamourous but full of proclamation of long-lasting quality (something you wouldn't throw away within a couple of months because it's out of fashion, defunct and cannot be repaired). As it can be seen, these things are made in order to satisfy the need of a person in good, long-lasting, effective products to be used in their homes.

Pay attention to the font - it's nice, isn't it?

So, some designs are rather straightforward and not very crafty and glossy. But I still cannot say out of blunt that they have no style, no form, that they are dull and boring. Probably, such interiors and products seemed to be boring and dull for the people who used them and dreamt of something more glamourous and fashionable, but now they seem to be really reliable, good and nice, opposite to glossy, streamlined and poshy things "made in China" and which will be defunct very soon after you've bought them (and  cannot be repaired).

 In those days, if someone used to buy a gadget or a piece of furniture, they'd expect that it would serve their needs for decades. Now it's not the same thing. We've got used to change our clothes, our interiors very often. There are a lot of reasons why everything has changed in a couple of decades - may be, it's the growth of consumerism to be blamed for that, may be, it's just the poor quality of things we buy now (mass-production when everything is made in Asia where labour is cheap), or some other reasons. Here are some photos of things you could buy in the DDR 30 years ago. I should add that in the USSR the DDR-made products were valued and people who traveled in East Berlin or other DDR cities used to buy their sets of kitchenware, clothes, toys (especially dolls), stationery because it's considered to be much more reliable that the same things of Soviet origin (and much more attractive too).


The principal difference between Soviet and Eastern German manufacturing was that DDR paid a great attention to the design of products they made. It was centralized; "people should develop their tastes through things they buy" - so, the packaging, product and graphic design were cherished by the government. Here are some examples:
Typical DDR interior  - minimalistic and modest, but functional - works good in small apartments:

Lamp - minimalist also, but stylish and colourful (I like this yellow!):

Letun Pictures

I'm amazed and charmed with these pictures, created by the Russian artists' group called Letun (or "Flyer"). The secret life of our souls, our childish desire to fly like birds, or angels, or butterflies, our dreams, the city landscape in dusk or in rain, reminiscence of eternal garden of our childhood, plus aliens (who also can fly!), cute animals, sunbeams - all that is present on their tiny pictures you can hang on the wall or place on your table. In a Moscow New Age shop I once found some of Letun's pictures and immediately bought it. They traveled with me everywhere and now they hang close to my bed. When I wake up I usually look at them and my mood goes higher. Here are some of them:
The complete set of their pictures can be found here: http://letunkartinki.livejournal.com/

"Why not?"

"I'll sing you my song"(I have this picture hanging beside my bed)

"Thoughtful floating cat"

 "Sudden hedgehog!"

And the rain has decorated the city...

An absolutely foreign land.

 Steps on the snow

Me and you are somehow alike!

http://letunkartinki.livejournal.com/