Two Craigs Launch Satirical Ads for Fictional Businesses

Photographer Craig Cutler and illustrator Craig Frazier, known collectively as the 2Craigs, have launched a new project: a series of satirical advertisements for fictional everyday businesses. Following their earlier collaborations—52 weekly visual conversations on PRINT and the "call and response" Project 2/Dialogue—the duo has pivoted to creating ads that mock the advertising industry's over-promising tone. The project began when Cutler and Frazier, lamenting the state of their profession and the impact of AI, joked about opening a muffler shop. Within 60 seconds, Cutler sent Frazier a photograph of old mufflers, and Frazier designed the first ad in 90 minutes. The ads, which include fictional businesses like barbershops, burger joints, donut shops, and vacuum cleaners, are designed in the style of classic DDB advertising, particularly Helmut Krone's work for VW and Porsche. The pair intentionally spell out "quality" in their fictional names to ironically signal that their products are mediocre. They have zero expectations for the project, emphasizing that there is no client and no money, only creative freedom and fun. The duo plans to continue collaborating, with a book of Cutler's photographs of his dog Jo in the works.