Research into print based advertising

Print ads can still be the most powerful medium for getting your message across, as these highly innovative print advertising campaigns show.

This ingenious pad campaign by Ogilvy & Mather for travel brand Expedia uses airport IATA codes to great effect. The idea came about after the team noticed a woman walking through Heathrow with the word FUK hanging off her suitcase. 

With over 9,000 airports around the world, each with its own three-letter code to choose from, the team created a series of prints, using a tagline in the form of passport stamp, which says 'Find whatever floats your boat'.

To advertise the fact that you can get more than 620 miles out of single tank of fuel with Volkswagen's Amarok, ad agency Below developed a series of print ads, inviting people to 'turn on adventure'. The clever concept features three images with the groves of the car keys transformed into a city, safari and mountain landscape.

This beautiful print ad was developed by JWT, Buenos Aires for Argentinian magazine Alzas Bajas. The team created four paper art images, including this gorgeous wildlife scene. Each are accompanied a small amount of explanatory text followed by the tagline 'more information, less risk'.

A species in rapid decline, the African penguin needs help. South African advertising agency Bittersuite and SANCOOB, a non-profit organisation that aims to protect threatened seabirds, recently developed this innovative series of print ads to raise awareness of the penguin's critical situation. 

Inspired by the artwork of Dutch graphic artist M.C. Escher, two of the designs feature clever optical illusions to draw the viewer in for a closer look and get their message across. The third draws inspiration from optometrists' eye charts, featuring a timeline of different sized penguins to show the decline in the species.

To promote design tablet king Wacom's popular Bamboo products, art director and illustrator Maria Molina developed this set of prints under the tagline 'Creativity has no boundaries'. The series includes three illustrations, each featuring various designer tools with a twist. Bright colours, minimal text and simple graphics work perfectly together in this campaign.

This hard-hitting print ad campaiging against gun violence comes from advertising and marketing agency Grey New York. The campaign, which features three human targets, including a small baby, calls for an update to the USA's antiquated gun laws. The ad, commissioned by non-profit organisation States United to Prevent Gun Violence, features the tagline 'Bullets leave bigger holes than you think'.

After our recent Lego art feature, we couldn't help but include a print advertising gem for our favourite toy. Our infatuation with Lego starts at a very young age and it's our imaginations that really bring it to life. This campaign brings out the child in us all; showcasing what we actually see when we play with those coloured blocks.

 There is no text included within this ad, a decision which we at Creative Bloq would completely agree with. There are no words needed to portray the love of the product. This is a case where simple imagery speaks to itself and we think it speaks volumes.

"My whole life I've been a procrastinator, always putting off what I want to do and who I want to be until tomorrow. The Mañana Kid was even my nickname growing up. Last couple of days though, I've felt a small spark to make myself happier, to make the right decisions today. No more "Last Meals," no more "I can't," no more "Maybe." I'm not saying that all of a sudden I'm going to be perfect, just that today, in some way, I'm going to be better. Yesterday you said tomorrow - tomorrow is today."

This is a piece of print based advertisement which really jumps out to me, the simplistic aesthetic of the enhances the emotive connection with the audience and manages to shock the viewer so the information actually sinks in.

Yesterday you said tomorrow is such a simple collection of lexical items, and the definitive 'Nike - Just do it.' in the bottom of the design add masses of impact.