Agency life is different everywhere, of course, but mostly it's the same. And few art projects capture the clichés and peculiarities of that existence quite like Derrick Lin's photographs.
Lin, a brand strategist at Resource in Columbus, Ohio, has been taking photos over the past year of miniature figurines arranged in typical agency situations, from the mundane to the slightly less mundane. The results are amazing—funny, beautifully crafted and oddly poignant. And relatable to people in office jobs everywhere, not just in advertising.
Lin spoke to the Daily Mail earlier this year, and explained the project this way:
I have always been fascinated by all things miniature and by small details, so it occurred to me that the miniature figures, with the contrast of their size and their lively poses, could be a great medium to express our many emotions.
In the advertising industry, every day moves fast, and sometimes it can be stressful. Our work days are never short of those little moments any agency person will immediately understand. But I realized that those moments were actually universal and that anyone who works in an office could easily relate to them.
I try to find the amusing light out of our daily frustrations, be it stress, escape or imagination. I actually start with the captions. I look for a humorous and straightforward way to visualize each idea, and then I think about how to plant the punch line alongside the picture without being too obvious.
I use my iPhone and office lighting to take the photos because I want to achieve a friendly and "everyday" style. Shortly after starting my Instagram page, I had coworkers cheering for me and volunteering to be in the pictures, they are always encouraging me to share my series with the Internet.
Check out some of his recent photos below, and the whole series on Tumblr and Instagram.
Via Design Taxi.
"Can't believe we still have to come to work when it's this cold."
"Well, everyone is back in the office. Now what?"
"After counting the number of pitches won, campaigns released, and potential disasters avoided, we are ready to flip over the last page of the year."
"Sometimes it takes a lot for ideas to be noticed."
"Office holiday parties can be fun unless you happen to be an introvert."
"Office fridge cleaning day."
"Fetching the best ideas from our memories can be challenging some days."
"We're thankful our clients are spending quality time with their families."
"Sometimes we wish the client can see what we see."
"Waiting to see if we won a pitch makes time go by so slowly."
"At the end of each week, it's time to track all the work we did."
"Working in advertising means we are always ready to jump in and help put out the fire."
"Every vacationer knows there is a mountain of work waiting for them to come back."
"Our work is subject to rigorous internal review before the client sees it."
"On some days we wish there is more excitement in the office."
