Winners & Shortlists

WORLD'S FIRST COLOUR GUIDE BASED ON WORDS

TitleWORLD'S FIRST COLOUR GUIDE BASED ON WORDS
BrandTN REKLAME
Product/ServiceTN REKLAME
Category A02. DIMENSIONAL MAILING
Entrant Company TN REKLAME Hellerup, DENMARK
Advertising Agency TN REKLAME Hellerup, DENMARK
Credits
Name Company Position
Lisbet Kroll TN Reklame Art Director
Lisbet Kroll TN Reklame Graphic Designer
Thomas Norgaard TN Reklame Creative Director
Thomas Norgaard TN Reklame Copywriter

The Brief

TN Reklame is a small ad agency that specialises in copywriting and copy-based communication. We wanted to promote our skills and reach out to potential clients and agency partners. Marketing professionals and ad people with high demands that are hard to impress. At the same time, we also wanted to generate as much publicity as possible within our business and hopefully create a viral effect. All for a limited budget.

Creative Execution

This is the first time a colour chart has been translated into words, and by developing the 'Danske Toner' guide, we demonstrate our take on words and the Danish language quite literally and convincingly. While the creative use of the traditional colour chart, which the target groups are already familiar with, ensured maximum attention and impact. By creating a physical item with practical usage, we also ensured that TN Reklame will be part of the conversation and remain firmly placed on many desks in the future.

Describe the creative solution to the brief/objective.

Finding the right linguistic nuances when communicating is of course just as important as finding the right colour. Therefore, we developed 'Danske Toner' (aka Danish Tones), the world's first colour guide based on words. 'Danske Toner' lets you browse through the tones and nuances of the Danish language (examples have been translated). From PEACE, over UNREST, to WAR. From UPTURN, over ZERO GROWTH, to FINANCIAL CRISIS. From LOVE, over IGNORANCE, to HATE. The colour of each theme matches its subject. So that emotional themes are red/pink, financial issues are blue, environmental issues green and so forth.

Results

We mailed the guide to selected, potential clients and some creative blogs. Within weeks, we were featured on 1000+ advertising and design blogs, interviewed in Danish media and got mails from people, not only from Denmark, but all over the world, wanting to buy a guide - even though it's in Danish. We have been contacted by clients and agencies wanting to work with us, and recently we decided to launch the guide commercially on the Danish market. So the DM has turned into a commodity. This means that our investment will be multiplied 20+ times by this sale alone.