Small Japanese Soldier fishes for farmyard quotes

We at Small Japanese Soldier need help from you creative types for a book we’re producing – a pocket-sized book called ‘Can I See It On A Fish?’

We are hoping to distribute the book as an insert in a trade magazine; essentially as a bit of fun and not to be taken too seriously.

The title and whole idea for the book came from a presentation many years ago that one of the art directors here at SJS gave to an unnamed client, and went as follows:

At the height of Britpop and Oasis-mania in 1996, ‘mad cow disease’ made its first appearance as an alternative UK global phenomenon. An unnamed retail client asked us to do a multibuy campaign, so we decided to combine the two cultural happenings of the time to create a campaign using a side of beef as a background with the words ‘Mad For It’ branded on the beef.

Not the cleverest idea in the world, but nonetheless current, slightly humourous and we figured not many people put pictures of beef in their shop window.

We presented this concept and the client loved it, but just as we were about to go away covered in glory, one of them said, ‘I love it, but can I see it on a fish?’

Of course. So we think that it would be fun to produce a book full of similar quotes from clients collected from various creative agencies. There must be hundreds of ridiculous things clients have said about work in presentations and feedback given after work has been submitted that we can collate and put into a simple book.

Please e-mail me your comments and stories and we’ll sift through them and publish the best in our ‘Can I See It On A Fish?’ book.

Kate Baxter

kateb@smalljapanesesoldier.com