for the Digiday Programmatic Marketing Summit, May 6-8 in Palm Springs.
Nothing is manlier than a mustache, just ask DDB New York’s senior art director Matt Knapp and senior copywriter John Downing, the men behind Man Art.
Man Art is their line of prints and, now, mugs for sale that showcases iconic facial hair styles like the Hulk Hogan’s horseshoe mustache and the Tom Selleck stache. Knapp and Downing took time to talk mustaches.
How did you guys come up with the idea for Man Art?
Matt: So often in advertising, your ideas are at the mercy of factors beyond your control. We wanted to come up with something that scratched our “creative itch” but at the same time gave us some experience (albeit on a small scale) of running our own business. Mustache prints just seemed like a good place to start. Minimalist art combined with a novelty that just doesn’t seem to get old.
Do you think mustaches are a wardrobe essential for men at creative agencies?
John: I hope that never becomes the case. While a strong stache is an invaluable asset, a mandatory stache is going to see a lot of innocent people added to the national sex offenders registry.
What is your favorite print that you guys have for sale?
Matt: Selleck. It sells the most.
For Movember, what facial hair style are you going for?
John: Matt had a pretty amazing handlebar.
Matt: Yeah, but it wasn’t for Movember. I grew it in case I had to do any post-Sandy looting. People actually avoided me in the street, so I’m sure they would have handed over their non-perishables if it came to it.
John: Unfortunately for me, Movember is simply an annual reminder of how little I gained from puberty.
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