Most of what the general public knows about the advertising industry comes from an episode of Mad Men – in other words, people think it’s all about an impeccably tailored suit and a great pitch. However, the challenges of working within the modern advertising industry are simultaneously a lot more complex and a lot more mundane. Derrick Lin captured all of those moments in his amazing photo series. Lin is a brand strategist at an agency in Columbus, Ohio, and for the last year, he has been taking photographs of tiny figurines in typical agency situations. The results are pretty hilarious – and are most likely relatable to anyone who has ever had an office job. Lin explained his motivations in an interview earlier this year: > I try to find the amusing light out of our daily frustrations, be it stress, escape or imagination. I actually start with the captions. I look for a humorous and straightforward way to visualize each idea, and then I think about how to plant the punch line alongside the picture without being too obvious. I use my iPhone and office lighting to take the photos because I want to achieve a friendly and “everyday”style. Shortly after starting my Instagram page, I had co-workers cheering for me and volunteering to be in the pictures, they are always encouraging me to share my series with the Internet. And we’re so glad he did. Check out the awesome photographs below.
It is impossible to get our coworkers’ attention when they wear headphones. #adagency #miniature #AgencyLife #hello #headphones #hey #imtalkingtoyou #canyouhearmenow A photo posted by Derrick Lin (@marsder) on Apr 21, 2015 at 8:00am PDT
Monday comes too soon when we worked the whole weekend. #monday #coffee #caffeine #adagency #AgencyLife #miniature #sleepy A photo posted by Derrick Lin (@marsder) on Apr 27, 2015 at 5:58am PDT
Sometimes it takes a lot for ideas to be noticed. #tbt #adagency #miniature #creative #agencylife #creativeproblem #advertising #closeup #ideas A photo posted by Derrick Lin (@marsder) on Dec 18, 2014 at 8:25am PST
A lot can be achieved over a cup of coffee. #business #businesstalk #letstalkbusiness #coffee #starbucks #golf #miniature #monday A photo posted by Derrick Lin (@marsder) on Aug 4, 2014 at 8:02am PDT
People never seem to understand the true level of effort. #annoyed #itssoeasyforyou #surenotlikeimbusy #ihaveworktodotoo #miniature A photo posted by Derrick Lin (@marsder) on Jul 24, 2014 at 8:14am PDT
When lunches are stolen, we have to take drastic measures. #mysandwich #lunchthief #office #officefridge #rossgeller #miniature #monday A photo posted by Derrick Lin (@marsder) on Jul 21, 2014 at 7:59am PDT
When work comes looking for you, there’s no escape. #work #monday #run #pinmedown #miniature A photo posted by Derrick Lin (@marsder) on Aug 18, 2014 at 8:09am PDT
Sometimes it is hard to resist the urge in meetings… #diggingforgold #meetingetiquette #miniature #adagency #TGIF A photo posted by Derrick Lin (@marsder) on Sep 26, 2014 at 8:08am PDT
Working in advertising means we are always ready to jump in and help put out the fire. #adagency #agencyproblem #miniature #monday #firefighters #help A photo posted by Derrick Lin (@marsder) on Nov 3, 2014 at 8:13am PST
#TBT Nail salon… Who has time for that? #adagency #agencyproblem #remastered #miniature #salon A photo posted by Derrick Lin (@marsder) on Nov 20, 2014 at 7:59am PST
After counting the number of pitches won, campaigns released, and potential disasters avoided, we are ready to flip over the last page of the year. #adagency #miniature #happynewyear #agencylife #byebye2014 #NYE #newyearseve #advertising #calendar #countdown A photo posted by Derrick Lin (@marsder) on Dec 31, 2014 at 5:34am PST
#tbt Some conference calls give us gray hair. #adagency #miniature #agencylife #meeting #conferencecall #facepalm #areyoukiddingme #painter #ugh #1to87 #throwback A photo posted by Derrick Lin (@marsder) on Jan 22, 2015 at 8:06am PST
When traveling for work, it’s me against all other travelers at the coveted charging station. #adagency #miniature #agencylife #businesstrip #specialedition #airport #backoff #power #LGA #NYC #livegram A photo posted by Derrick Lin (@marsder) on Jan 16, 2015 at 12:23pm PST
It’s always a hit to morale when we have to abandon our hard work. #adagency #miniature #agencylife #agencyproblem #cancelled #abandoned #advertising #1to87 #monday #aborted A photo posted by Derrick Lin (@marsder) on Feb 9, 2015 at 7:49am PST
It’s great when people accept our meeting invites; even better when they actually show up. #meeting #adagency #miniature #agencylife #noshow #monday A photo posted by Derrick Lin (@marsder) on Mar 9, 2015 at 8:02am PDT
Panic ensues when our machine breaks down midway through the presentation. #adagency #miniature #agencylife #reboot #error #whatdowedo #panic #helpdesk A photo posted by Derrick Lin (@marsder) on Mar 12, 2015 at 8:12am PDT
Sometimes it seems all we do at work is kill trees. #savetheforests #paper #print #trees #adagency #AgencyLife #miniature #recycle A photo posted by Derrick Lin (@marsder) on Apr 6, 2015 at 8:00am PDT
We pull out big guns for big projects. #maythe4thbewithyou #starwarsday #starwars #adagency #AgencyLife #miniature #lego A photo posted by Derrick Lin (@marsder) on May 4, 2015 at 7:19am PDT