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Design

Clever French Literacy Campaign Will Make You Look Twice at Ads

By Emily Temple on

French ad agency DDB Paris recently won a Yellow Pencil (one of the highest awards given by the UK’s Designers and Art Directors Club) for a literacy campaign that cleverly transforms common advertisements into emblems of illiteracy awareness. The ads, which we found translated into English over at the Huffington Post, even fooled us (and we are relatively literate, we assure you) for a moment — that’s how attuned our eyes and brains are to traditional advertising cues. We just glossed right over that huge “Unfortunately.” Check out the award-winning campaign after the jump, and let us know what you think in the comments. … Read More

Design

Gorgeous Pharmaceutical Ads from 1930s France

By Caroline Stanley on

Who knew an advertisement for a urinary vaccine could ever be described as stunning? Spotted by the always fantastic 50 Watts, this collection of vintage ads from 1930s was scanned from the pages of Ridendo, a medical and humor magazine distributed to French physicians. Modern pharmaceutical companies should take note; we find these beauties a lot more eye-catching than most of the drug ads that we see today — not to mention persuasive. Click through to check out a few of our favorites from his stash, but don’t blame us when you’re suddenly craving a Serenol. … Read More

Photography

Gorgeous, Magical Photos of the City of Versailles

By Emily Temple on

If you had asked us earlier this week, we might have told you that there was no way for the French city of Versailles to get any more beautiful. After all, Louis XIV didn’t call himself the Sun King because he thought he shouldn’t live like a god, and the countryside was no slouch to begin with. But Jean-Francois Rauzier’s magical manipulated “hyperphotos”, which we spotted over at Faith is Torment, might just have us eating our words — each one shows a beautiful element of the city folded in on itself in multitudes, creating complex wonderlands that seem perfectly encapsulated and infinite all at once. Click through to check out Rauzier’s Versailles Ville series, and then be sure to head over to his  website to see zoomable versions of the photos, not to mention more of his great work. … Read More

Partner Buzz

Choose Your Favorite Act in ‘Chase The Music. Own The Stage.’

By Doug Levy on

For nearly two decades, France’s Cognac Blues Passions festival has been celebrating all things blues and roots in the world of music. With its “Chase the Music. Own the Stage.” talent quest, Hennessy is taking part in the celebration as well, giving two international acts their chance to join the bill at this year’s fest, alongside Sting, the Cranberries, rising star Selah Sue, and a soon-to-be House-less Hugh Laurie. Following an initial round of submissions, the judges have narrowed this year’s hopefuls down to the top 10 finalists. Two of them will be heading to France from July 3-8 for the 19th annual Blues Passions event, and you can help them out now by voting and commenting on their entries. Click through for a few of our favorite contenders, then head to the Talent Quest page on Facebook to hear them all and get behind your personal pick. … Read More

Pop Culture

France Is Going to Build “Napoleonland”

By Emily Temple on

You may not think that the life and conquests of a neurotic military and political leader would be good fodder for an amusement park, but it seems that the French do. Oh yes, “Napoleonland,” which is being promoted as a Disneyland rival, will feature attractions like a battlefield ski run “surrounded by the frozen bodies… Read More

Pop Culture

Have Your New Sneakers Delivered To You By Pigeons

By Emily Temple on

Yes, this is real. After launching their website, eco-friendly French shoe brand JoJo realized that their shipping costs were much too expensive. They started looking for a creative solution, and boy did they find one: breeding super strong uber-pigeons to carry their wares to their customers, training them to recognize their destination with consumer-submitted photographs. One customer compliments his feathery courier, gushing, “She was totally professional. Unbelievable, she came to the right window. There’s a little bit of shit on it, really, but apart from that, honestly, perfect service. On time, perfectly packaged.” Click through for the video and let us know whether you would order your fashion accessories by carrier pigeon in the comments! … Read More

News

Conversation Pieces: 5 New Articles Worth Discussing This Weekend

By Paul Hiebert on

Welcome to Conversation Pieces, where Flavorpill curates five articles from the past week that you should read. Some are long, others are short. Some are from major publications, others aren’t. The only thing all these articles have in common is that they’re interesting. This week we examine the legacy of Barbie’s boyfriend, Ken, whether the internet reduces your ability to feel pleasure, the nervous history of public speaking, what you can learn from a spiteful homeless man, and more. After the jump, find something exciting to discuss this weekend in the home, at the bar, or on the street. … Read More

Daily Dose

Daily Dose Pick: The Obscene Image

By Tanja M. Laden on

L’image Obscene (The Obscene Image) examines a tradition dating back to the Middle Ages, in which European medical interns use their surroundings as canvases for vivid and bawdy illustrations.

Whether decorated with crude drawings or elaborate murals, the walls of Parisian hospital break rooms are the subject of this new book by Marie L. Bouchon, with images by photographer Gilles Tondini. Featuring French text and English translations, it reveals an ephemeral practice that also provides a window into the contemporary work culture of French hospitals. … Read More

Daily Dose

Daily Dose Pick: Bernard Tschumi

By Shana Nys Dambrot on

Bernard Tschumi Architects design buildings, bridges, and plazas that blur the boundaries between art, society, symbol, and function.

They are responsible for some of the most staggeringly original and unforgettable — and sometimes controversial — edifices and public projects, both built and imagined, in the modern world. From the 1983 high-profile urban sculptural experiment of Paris’ Parc de la Villette, to the more recent Blue residential tower watching over New York’s Lower East Side, Tschumi’s progressive vision of fractured, expressive architecture embraces new materials, vibrant color, and the element of surprise. … Read More

Daily Dose

Daily Dose Pick: Illustrated Three-Line Novels

By Tanja M. Laden on

More than a century after this collection of short news items appeared in a French newspaper, Joanna Neborsky’s contemporary illustrations accompany the text in a different kind of graphic novel.

Journalist Félix Fénéon anonymously wrote more than a thousand brief reports for Parisian paper Le Matin, a selection of which have been translated by Luc Sante and republished in Illustrated Three-Line Novels: Félix Fénéon. Bringing new life to the Frenchman’s historic accounts, Neborsky’s artwork elegantly draws on the past for inspiration. … Read More