In the spring of 2005, Vespa South Africa and Guerrilla Marketing launched an interactive email campaign aimed at advertising agencies, inviting SA’s brightest creative minds to design a unique Art Vespa and gave participants the chance to drive home on a brand new Vespa LX.
2006 marked a record number of 183 designs entered, double that of the previous year. Due to an overwhelming request for deadline extension, Vespa and Guerrilla Marketing granted entrants a month’s extra time.
The winner, Weber, submitted more than one design, but it was his “chicken runner” Art Vespa that guaranteed him the loudest cluck of all and a Vespa LX as a prize. The design that left a smile on the judges’ faces took him two hours to complete.
When asked what motivated him to enter, Weber replied: “When I received the email regarding the Art Vespa competition, I thought it was a brilliant idea. I literally couldn’t wait to start designing. I took a lot of time studying Vespa before starting the design. I was looking at the side view of the bike, and for some reason the front mud-guard reminded me of a bird’s beak. That was when the chicken runner design was born.”
Weber studied at Wits and Pretoria Technikon to obtain his National Diploma in Graphic Design. He has a passion for design and has been working for TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris for the past four years.
According to Weber, “Vespa epitomises Italian style. It symbolises a laid-back lifestyle, where life is about more than work; it’s about fun and experiencing the world in all its detail instead of letting it merely pass you by.”
Look out for the Art Vespa 2007 competition later this year. You, too, could be driving your own Art Vespa in the near future.
