This simple and fun full page magazine advertisement for Smartwool launched in Backpacker Magazine as the company expanded form their well-known merino wool blend socks into ‘next to skin wear’. We received special permission to animate Smartool’s ‘smart man’ as the advertisement’s central character – the first animation of ‘smart man’ within Smartwool’s advertising program.

In 2001, Smartwool was a fledgling presence within the outdoor industry – based in Steamboat Springs, Colorado and operated by the original founders, Peter & Patty. The company headquarters were in a small funky office building around the corner from FedEx and just up Elk River Road from 7-Eleven and The Truck Stop.

Megan created the Backpacker Magazine advertisement by placing our very first digital camera – a $700 auto-focus Minolta 3.5 megapixel – inside one of our personal gear compression bags to create the inside-out perspective. An application of ‘smart man’ looking in through the opening and a beautiful Colorado wilderness background finalized the scene.

This Smartwool Backpacker magazine advertisement is a great example of what can be achieved using  enginuity and limited resources within a very tight production timeline. The project began with a basic ad copy concept and a single product display image. There was no time to arrange a product photoshoot and no budget to hire a model for a full activty photoshoot. By incorporating the Smartwool man as the ad’s central character, we were able to create a full page advertisement quickly utilizing an internally sourced  image perspective and purchasing one stock image for the mountain background.

Today, merino wool blend clothing is well known and popular within the outdoor & casual clothing industries and Smartwool has grown into a far larger international presence – within VF’s new Denver, Colorado headquarters.

Review additional Print Advertising graphic design projects within our portfolio.