thereismellowness

After founding with financing partners a plastic industry which pioneered specialities and covered the entire gamut of import and metal substitution, and manufacture of complex components and products to international specifications, I began to design regularly advertising campaigns. They were mostly self-indulgent, reflecting my view of commerce, ethics, and methods of utmost probity. In,each series there would be one which would also show what we did.

Given below is a sample of one such campaign, in the early 1980's, which, I was told, was probably among the first to include negative statements ("There is more to life than plastics"), and many of the components of which were subsequently emulated by many stylists. I was felicitated from all over the country, and by some from abroad, and the campaign was considered most welcome for the 'dignity of language'. One question which mostly came from advertising agencies, was about my use of capital letters, which, I was told by my friends, is conventionally never done. My only explanation was that using caps helped me to break the lines in order of my preference, without the necessity of having punctuation marks scattered all over. The other criticism was that it was too long, and people will not read it. My defense was that my logo, by then, had become known everywhere that mattered; and therefore, the message was the logo itself. The logo has been emphasized by occupying half the page, by being in the background of the text. It was not material to me whether people read the entire text or not; which, in any case, was true of many advertisements and commercials.

There were five ads in this series, with identical text, but with five of my photographs, which I chose to bring out elements of the text. I plan to bring to this website samples from other campaigns also, time and circumstance permitting.

(The text is shown below these pictures - left on left and right on right, the division being important, as a link from sublime to earthy. Click on these images to see an enlarged version.)

COME TO THINK OF IT
THERE IS MORE TO LIFE
THAN PLASTICS

THERE IS MELLOWNESS OF TWILIGHT
AND MUSIC TO SOOTHE, ROUSE OR PULSATE
AND THERE IS YEARNING FOR A NEED TO BE NEEDED
LOVING TO BE LOVED
LIFE IS LAUGHTER AND DESIRE
IT IS THE CRY OF A NEW-BORN CHILD
IT IS AN ECSTASY AND A WOUND OF HURT
IT IS A PARADIGM OF COMPASSION
AND FREQUENTLY A RESERVOIR OF SUPERSTITION
HATRED AND VIOLENCE
IN THE FACE OF EVIDENCE OF DESOLATION AND FUTILITY
LIFE IS HOPE
AND A COVENANT OF FAITH
LIFE IS A COMBAT, PERPLEXITIES AND DILEMMAS
AND SOMETIMES, TRIUMPH OF UNVANQUISHED WILL
IT IS UNQUENCHABLE THIRST FOR KNOWLEDGE
IT IS AN UNENDING SEARCH
FOR THE ELUSIVE MEANING OF FREEDOM AND TRUTH
IT IS IDEAS WHICH LEAD TO ARGUMENT
AND MORE IDEAS

IT IS FATHOMING MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE
AND RIDDLES OF THE TINIEST ATOM
IT IS CONVULSIONS OF EARTH AND EMOTIONS
AND IT IS RAIN ON PARCHED EARTH
GERMINATING AND RENEWING LIFE
IT IS COURAGE TO DIE, OR TO LIVE
IT IS THE CANOPY OF STARLIT SKY
ON SLEEPLESS NIGHTS
LIFE IS PLANTS AND RIVERS AND BIRDS
AND STRANGE INCREDIBLE CREATURES
LIFE IS LAPSE IN TIME
AND ROMANCE OF MOTION IN SPACE
LIFE IS LONELINESS IN A CROWD

LIFE IS SO MANY, MANY THINGS
AND SO MANY DIFFERENT THINGS TO ALL PEOPLE

AND YET SO MUCH OF LIFE
THAT MAN HAS FASHIONED FOR HIMSELF
HAS BEGUN TO DERIVE OR DEPEND
OR BE ENRICHED OR COMPLICATED
BY PLASTICS

PLASTICS:
IN OUR LIVES, AND PART OF IT.

AMAZING HOW THEY PERVADE,
INOBTRUSIVELY, BUT INEXORABLY
IN EVERY SPHERE AND NICHE OF MODERN LIFE.
UBIQUITOUS.
BECAUSE THEY ARE INFINITELY VERSATILE
PLASTICS HAVE EVOLVED RAPIDLY
BY RESPONDING COMPREHENSIVELY
TO MANKIND’S STAGGERING DEMANDS
ON THE RESOURCES OF THE EARTH,
IN VARIETY AND QUANTITY.

THERE IS NO ASPECT OF HUMAN ENDEAVOUR
OR ENTERPRISE
WHICH DOES NOT NOW DEPEND ON PLASTICS
IN ONE WAY, OR ANOTHER.

THERE IS SUCH A BREATHTAKING AFFINITY
BETWEEN MAN’S UNCEASING PURSUIT
FOR CHANGE IN QUALITY OF LIFE
AND PLASTICS
THAT IT PASSES EVEN UNNOTICED
THE SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN MAN AND HIS CREATIONS
IS TAKEN FOR GRANTED.
EVEN THOUGH PLASTICS ARE
ONE OF THE MOST ENDURING PARTNERS
OF MANKIND,
IN ITS HANKERING FOR PROGRESS.

AT PLASTICRAFT, THERE IS A FERVOUR
FOR FAMILIARITY WITH PLASTICS,
AND AN INQUISITIVE EYE ON THE FUTURE.

INDEED,
THERE IS MORE TO PLASTICRAFT
THAN PLASTICS.

PLASTICRAFT INDUSTRIES