Todd Mueller and Kylie Matulick of Psyop directed this animation PSA designed to educate automobile, SUV and truck drivers about the effects they have on each other. Animated icons were created to follow and express the emotions of drivers as they commuted.
New Zealand’s Transportation Authority wanted to connect drivers to more than just their roads. Psyop and Clemenger BBDO Wellington, NZ, took viewers along for the ride.
“The painterly qualities of this world really appealed to the team, and we were thrilled to be working on a purely animation project,” noted Matulick. “The story is one that all audiences can relate to, whether they’re road warriors or casual commuters.”
“Emoticons” endorses friendly driving etiquette by showing how courteous driving habits can yield positive effects on the roadways and lead to fewer accidents. Promoting this kind of respectful driving through the use of visual cues, the Psyop design team worked closely to finesse the handmade aesthetic throughout the spot.
“Representing certain driving experiences was an exciting creative exercise,” said Matulick. “We were able to craft these little, individual stories about how driving by yourself is really a social experience and that happiness begets happiness, especially where driving is concerned.”
A Closer Look At Proposed Measures Designed To Curb Google’s Search Monopoly
U.S. regulators are proposing aggressive measures to restore competition to the online search market after a federal judge ruled Google maintained an illegal monopoly for the last decade.
The sweeping set of recommendations filed late Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Justice could radically alter Google's business, including possibly spinning off the Chrome web browser and syndicating its search data to competitors. Even if the courts adopt the blueprint, Google isn't likely to make any significant changes until 2026 at the earliest, because of the legal system's slow-moving wheels.
Here's what it all means:
What is the Justice Department's goal?
Federal prosecutors are cracking down on Google in a case originally filed during near the end of then-President Donald Trump's first term. Officials say the main goal of these proposals is to get Google to stop leveraging its dominant search engine to illegally squelch competition and stifle innovation.
"The playing field is not level because of Google's conduct, and Google's quality reflects the ill-gotten gains of an advantage illegally acquired," the Justice Department asserted in its recommendations. "The remedy must close this gap and deprive Google of these advantages."
Not surprisingly, Google sees things much differently. The Justice Department's "wildly overbroad proposal goes miles beyond the Court's decision," Kent Walker, Google's chief legal officer, asserted in a blog post. "It would break a range of Google products — even beyond search — that people love and find helpful in their everyday lives."
It's still possible that the Justice Department could ease off on its attempts to break up Google, especially if President-elect Donald Trump... Read More