you just got to laugh..

[Corigan]

Hey, Matt, I know this is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyy off topic, but man it's gonna be cold gearing up this afternoon . . . !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hahah, yeah. It's another one of those brutal kind of days. I was thinking of how nice it would be to have wally out there.. LOL.

I am sure that the image was a random clip art that was simply used by an artist and paid for from some stock photo company. There is no excuse for it being approved by PADI though.

Exactly my point, no excuse.

Matt

 

[pennypue]

Hey, Matt, I know this is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyy off topic, but man it's gonna be cold gearing up this afternoon . . . !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

COLD? COLD?

I've got SNOW, on the bleepin' ground!!! It's just not right.

Now having said that, most likely the marketing person who approved the design, layout and graphics for the piece is not even a diver. They may have tried a Discover Scuba, but people in marketing seldom have any requirement that they actually do or use what they market. There are rare exceptions, but in the case of scuba, or PADI, I doubt that it is required that an employee be certified. And even then, they might just be an occasional vacation diver!

 

[The Kraken]

I agree with you Pue, but I would think that the artistic director for PADI would have to have passed on the layout before it went to press.

 

[OE2X]

True but many clients have a hard time in the final say with the art director or designer. This is very true if the client lacks true advertising experience. They spend a lot of money for a pro that is supposed to know the market and how to advertise. At times I have seen creatives buffalo the client into thinking that their idea is cool and hip when in fact it is flawed. I've also seen the inverse where client is so conservative that you get an ad that is a page turner and no one notices it.

Now if the shot had the person squared away then it would have been cool. Personally I would have photoshoped the danglies out, which would have taken about 10 seconds.

Bottom line someone at PADI approved the use of this photo when it shouldn't have been. We can bash the creative types all we want, but we know where the responsibility lies.

 

[pennypue]

I agree with you Pue, but I would think that the artistic director for PADI would have to have passed on the layout before it went to press.

Ok boys, exactly my point. They DID sign off on this. But just how many artsy types do we have here on the board? Do you know many divers that work in the art field? NOPE. Cuz they don't care about the finer things in diving like the computer and engineering types do!! (99.2% of this board.....)

I wonder, does GUE have a photography specialty???

OEX2, I agree, photoshop could have removed the danglies very quickly which says to me that the person approving the photo had no knowledge that it looks AWFUL.

 

[immersed]

From the title of the catalog, it looks like the only people who receive it are in the business? That is, it doesn't look like it's something a prospective diver would pick up at an LDS.

they look for something really graphic, which this shot is.

For the unitiated, this is a pretty cool shot - the danglies look cool. Even for those in the know it has graphic appeal, despite the diver's obvious flaws.

I would be willing to bet that it is a stock shot - and I've seen a lot more divers who look like that than with properly stowed equipment.

Now if the shot had the person squared away then it would have been cool.

That's true, although squared away is most impressive as a closeup - at the range in the photo, we'd just see the diver's dark profile and wouldn't have even given it a second thought.

They DID sign off on this.

As OE2X pointed out, the ad people may have talked PADI into its being hip. If the catalog's intended audience is experienced professionals, they'd ask, "well everyone would know that you wouldn't dive like this and the rest of the photo looks great, right?" If it were going to newbies, they'd say it gives the employee an excellent opportunity to point out, "this is the kind of thing that divers get to see and we're going to teach you why this is wrong". In either case there'd be a lot of head bobbing and the objectors would likely give up.

In the ad world, there's also value in stupidity; if you're walking through a mall with a dive buddy you're more likely to mention the "stupid diver on the PADI catalog" than if it were unremarkable. The potential student headed the other direction hears 'PADI' and the photo has just done its job...

 

[OE2X]

Who was it that said that there is no such thing as bad press? The truth be told though there is such a thing as bad advertising. Much of it even when talked about does not sell the product.

To a noob or wannabee diver this stock photo shows something cool. Blue water, lots of fish and a graphic underwater environment. They don't know any better that the technique is poor.

The reason why this brochure raises ire amongst many of us is that it plays towards the perception that PADI doesn't represent high standards.

Penny - you are right there are a lot of techno minded people in the sport. There are a few of us that do work in advertising or creative fields though.

 

[OE2X]

? Do you know many divers that work in the art field? NOPE. Cuz they don't care about the finer things in diving like the computer and engineering types do!! (99.2% of this board.....)

Penny I sort of answered this in my last post but there are a few divers here that are artistic. You are probably dead on with your percentages though.

Have you ever heard of a glass blower called Dale Chihuly? Not sure if he is a diver, but one look at his work would suggest that he is.

http://www.chihuly.com/

 

[pennypue]

Penny I sort of answered this in my last post but there are a few divers here that are artistic. You are probably dead on with your percentages though.

Have you ever heard of a glass blower called Dale Chihuly? Not sure if he is a diver, but one look at his work would suggest that he is.

http://www.chihuly.com/

Had the lovely opportunity to see a showing a few years ago. (I'm a glass nut.)
I aspire to own a piece of his work!!!! Okay so just AFTER I win a very large lottery. I want a big installation. :11ztongue

I too come from an artistic background. And I've noticed the predominance of tech types. Although go over to the photo forums on the board and you'll find most of the artistic ones!!! (Even though you and I both know that the gearheads can still tox out on technical stuff there too!!)

But the real point is, given that the subset of divers with an artistic background is smaller, and that the subset of divers in the general population is not a majority, wouldn't it make sense that the number of divers in the advertising and marketing fields be pretty small? You'd think there would be a minimum cert and competency level for working for PADI...........<Big *&$^ eating grin>

 

[Rick Inman]

Personally I would have photoshoped ...

There, I fixed it...