Truth be told, my friends and I have a mention in this book as one the top 50 ideas selected in this first volume of Killed Ideas. Subsequently we have two different editions of the book: the special edition for finalists, and the soft cover copy that the general public can get their hands on. As a matter of fact, I have some copies to give away…so keep on reading and you too could have one free of charge courtesy of myself, my friends, and the folks at Blurb!

Why choose your top 5?

Truth be told, I love a good look at not only ideas that fell either through the cracks or by the wayside, but also creativity at it’s finest. Was our idea the most creative in the book? It’s not an apples to apples comparison, everything was very good in it’s own right. There are of course those ideas that standout to me as having been very good, so why not highlight them for the world to see? On that note, I give you my top five.

Note: There is no good way to link sections on the Killed Ideas voting site, so if you want to see any of the ideas, please visit Killed Ideas. If you’re one of the folks below with content online, post a link in the comments!

5. Conversation under any condition

I have a soft spot for clever commercials (the crew and I have made a few in our time). I haven’t seen the video for this, but the book does a fine job at laying out the very clever spots. The premise is about using the weather as a clever diversion in an otherwise awkward situational conversation one might run into (ever ask when a woman is due who isn’t pregnant? One of the spots plays on those lines). Given that most of the brands in the book are either removed or blurred, it’s hard to make our who these television spots would run for, but I’m thinking a certain 24 hour weather network.

4. Darin

No one understands just how hard voiceover work is, be it from the standpoint of the actor or the writer. Reading these funny spam oriented radio ads promoting, you guessed it, high speed internet service with spam blocking, warmed my otherwise cold heart (I find most radio ads downright annoying, namely because radio stations play more of them than music…but that’s a rant for a different time). I haven’t heard them, but it makes me want to cast some one to read them outloud so I can get the full experience.

3. Arts Funding Cuts

I find a lot of editorial illustrations to be rather dull. This one however hit very close to home, attacking the funding cuts in the Arts. It’s a clever piece of art beyond the editorial message it makes (a message made very loud and clear in my opinion). The colors are vivid, the flowers grabbing your attention and then one by one leading down to the stems where the blades of scissors wait to cut the beauty from our being. Fantastic! It’s ironic really; an idea that gets killed was attempting to save something else from getting killed.

2. Nail

If I were driving by and saw this on a billboard, I’d laugh. It’s clever, simple, and pretty much would have me exit the freeway to go to whatever building supply company put this ad up. Why? Because it just screams “We know the basics, we’re not going to bug you when you come in.” The description in the book says that it’s “a call to action” type of ad; I’d wholeheartedly agree.

1. Cat Adoption Team Identity

I am not a gifted graphic designer. Actually, I’m not a graphic designer at all. But this logo does stand out for two reasons: it’s simple and it’s self explanatory. I couldn’t even draw the sketch let alone the final product, but it’s just so damn good. I don’t know if I read the word cat or if the logo just says it to me. Honestly, I think that logo could come sit on my lap and purr, that’s how good it is. How this idea ever got killed I will never know, but of all the ideas in the book, this one makes me sad not to see out to the general public. In honor of it, I printed it and made it into a 3D boxy shape thing: it now hangs out with my cats at home. I still swear I hear that thing meow and purr.

So you want a copy?

I have five four three copies to give away. I’ll keep updating here until they’re all gone. So how do you win one of these awesome books? Pitch me. That’s right, give me your best I-need-this-book-so-bad-it-hurts story. Post a comment below, send me an email, hit me up on twitter. Give me your best shot!

Blatant self promotion

Voting has been extended until July 9th for the people’s choice. This is where I say, hey go vote for “By the Campfire”, it’s awesome (Learn more about the spot). That ladies and gentleman, is self promotion.