Man of No Account

1961
Sound
1m

Cartoon modernism meets modern banking in this innovative cinema ad for Barclays Bank

Banks are not often associated with modernist stylings, and the gobbledygook is normally left to the small print. But this cinema ad produced at the innovative Larkins Studio was an early sign of the dramatic social changes of the 1960s, which would see bowler hats replaced by paisley cravats before the decade was out.

This was the first UK cinema advert from the Larkins/Barclays partnership after overseas successes like 'Put Una Money For There' (also on the BFI Player). It was designed by Enzo Apicella, an Italian cartoonist who is best known for revolutionising restaurant décor - including establishing the style of the first Pizza Express restaurants in Soho in the late 1960s.

Animation Goes to Work

For those with an official message to get across, animation is the perfect messenger

Animation has an almost magical ability to charm and captivate. And those same qualities also make it a strikingly effective communication tool. It grabs attention, speaks to all ages, and can distil complex messages into simple and appealing visual metaphors. For government or other august bodies, cartoon antics have often been the perfect jam to sweeten the pill of official communications, whether to explain sweeping change or impart health and safety messages. And for the inventive animator, even the most utilitarian brief is no barrier to the most outlandish of treatments.