A Vision of Utopia + Tourism in Florida: Advertising 2022 Winners

Photography, digital design, and video editing are all fascinating facets of media to hook a viewer in with visual appeal that speaks to aesthetics, ethos, and branding. Paired along with advertising, brands have the opportunity to make an artistic viewing experience for brands. 

In an effort to promote their new show, Utopia, Amazon Prime Video contracted Los Angeles firm Rhubarb to create two different advertising campaigns. It was a tough job, given the show, which is about a group of people finding a comic book that foretells a global pandemic in the future, premiered at the height of COVID-19 in 2020. Nevertheless, Rhubarb, who focuses primarily on movie and TV advertising, provided dynamic, creative, and Gold-winning posters for the show. 

In both the “Circle Comic Key Art” (above, left) and the “Carousel Key Art” (above, right), Rhubarb, leaned into the gritty, modern Alice In Wonderland vibe of the show with comic book elements. With “Circle”, they created the poster as the cover of a comic book; the concentric circles add a fantastic touch of illustration alongside the real-life photography, making the actors look like they’re going down the “rabbit hole”. And in “Carousel” the focus shifts to the main protagonist Jessica Hyde in a darkly colored dream sequence where traditional carousel horses are replaced with rabbits. The art required two gallery photoshoots for the cast, CGI creation of the carousel, yellow house, and gates, and matte painting and landscape photography for the background, which Rhubarb masterfully handled to great effect.

Although the series didn’t perform as well as hoped for, the initial viewing numbers were impressive, and that was largely in part thanks to Rhubarb’s hard work in capturing the essence of the show.

Veering away from print design, &Barr took home a Gold award by shooting for the stars with their video advertisement for the Florida Space Coast Office of Tourism. “+Space” (above) highlights the diverse tourism activity in Florida, ranging from water and land adventures to space activities. Wanting to focus on the space aspect, &Barr hit a snag; they couldn’t film a launch the way they originally envisioned for the campaign due to safety, permitting, and obvious logistical reasons. Thinking outside the box, they built their own digital launch.

Working in Cinema 4D, they were able to control every aspect: the placement of the sun and clouds, what kind of sky was needed (they chose a launch at dusk), what rocket looked best, the rotation of the rocket in flight, and the placement of multiple cameras to get the angle needed to complete the required image. A fun twist was added with the juxtaposition of the classic Florida tourist spots and activities – kayaking, going to the Zoo, and cruise ships – mixed in as parts of the rockets, are available to view, and simulate a takeoff from the Florida Space Coast. The advertisement also utilizes tropical shades of yellow, orange, and blue, bringing a feeling of Florida balminess to the viewer and underscoring the perfect vacation spot.

If you’re interested in seeing more 2022 award-winning advertising, click here. And don’t forget to enter our Advertising 2023 Awards competition!