Bill Dallenbach
The Golden Years:

If the 1960s can be looked upon as the dawn
of what is considered creative advertising
and the 1990s as its sunset - the 1980s was
creativity’s golden afternoon.

It was still a time when originality was in demand.
A time when a lot of advertising was in tune
with consumers; a time when people in the
business were aware of their responsibilities
to themselves as individuals in to the community.
It was a time when people were proud to be
in advertising.

Advertising photography was a mirror of the
spirit of that moment. It was a stimulus
that provoked people to respond.
It suggested, it teased and most times,
it complimented the viewer’s intelligence.

It represented craftsmanship combined
with visual aesthetics. There were no computers
that allowed one to correct mistakes in an instant.
Things were done in-camera or in the darkroom.
With the result that each photograph took time
and represented a labor of love.

The photographer was advertising’s rock star.
The icon with cult status .
The artist with an eye that could capture
a magical moment or turn an ugly duckling
into a swan with a blink of his camera’s shutter

Bill was Creative Director at Publicis Worldwide
Since he wrote those lines my very dear old friend
has left this world.