Erich Pfeifer
Location
Berkeley/San Francisco
Portfolio
One-sentence bio
Art. Music. Beer.
Creative philosophy or approach
DEDICATION TO CRAFT. It’s easy to dismiss the art of what we do as we create in a world of always-on, quick-turnaround, disposable content. Perhaps content has become disposable because we’ve dismissed craft. I would argue it is more important than ever to believe in the power of great ideas and sophisticated executions. Some believe being precious about craft equals missed deadlines and blown budgets. This is a false choice. As makers our craft is our secret weapon. It’s why brands choose to work with us. Regardless of the medium craft will always be king, queen, judge, jury and executioner.
Recent work I’m proud of
While I’ve done Super Bowl spots, relaunched brands and ran global accounts, I believe this digital campaign for Audi retail best exemplifies how the commitment to craft can lead to beautiful work regardless of how small the budgets or how small the screens. The goal--to personify Audi models while utilizing existing car footage. We dedicated one side of the frame to each model and collaborated with Patrick Clair to capture simple, powerful and striking images to personify those models. The relationship between music, sound design, type and elegant imagery elevated a seemingly unexciting brief to one of my favorite productions.
Link to campaign: https://www.erichpfeifer.com/audi?pgid=j82tiuio-9998addf-9c31-4d0f-835d-159747c2cb9a
Recent work I admired
“Hey, Siri play me something I’d like.” This may not be considered recent, but I still enjoy watching Welcome Home, the Apple/Spike Jonze collab for Apple’s HomePod. It’s advertising as art form and I never tire of watching it. While it may be considered a luxury to work with someone like Spike Jonze, he is essentially shooting a product demo. The idea is so simple it allows the execution to elevate to something special without being weighed down by a list of product features. Apple does this so well. Design led, culturally relevant, brilliantly executed. Inspired with each view.
