87. BUDERENGEL AND FRIENDS
“The Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Ocean’s Edge exhibit was designed to give people a closer experience with the creatures just off Monterey’s shores,” explains creative director Vince Engel. “We wanted the campaign to tap into the emotional experience of those face-to-face encounters.”

Photographing real sea creatures proved impractical, so after considerable research, designers crafted lifelike props for the photo shoots. The unlikely inspiration for this campaign came from fashion portrait photography.

“There are so many glossy portraits of people in fashion magazines,” says Engel. “We thought, ‘What if we took that and mixed it up with the up-close feel of the aquarium?’” Working with photographer Matthew Welch, each shot was designed in advance. “It was a simple idea communicated with great photography,” says art director Ken Lin.

And the public loves it. “We’ve received hundreds of calls from people wanting to purchase reprints,” says Engel, “so we’ve done additional prints and sold them to cover the costs.” Working with the aquarium was a dream project for the firm. “They are very passionate,” he says, “and it shows in the work they allow us to do.”
Romy Ashby