CREATIVE CULTURE HACKERS

Where do you find your inspiration?

Sometimes it’s art, sometimes it’s culture, mostly it’s deadlines.

What’s influencing the storytelling process the most right now, and how is it changing how you work? Lately, ads blend in with other types of content, so people tend to evaluate them the same way. They want ads to be clever or moving, not finger-pointy or hard-selly.

Geoff Baillie Associate Creative Director Rethink #1 Copywriter

What work or project did you admire most from the previous year that neither you nor anyone else at your agency worked on?

MSCHF’s ATM leaderboard at Art Basel Miami. People put their debit cards in the ATM, then it took their photo and ranked them based on their balance. And people lined up for it, it was the most popular thing at Art Basel. It’s the sort of thing we strive for with ideas – insightful and funny with a bit of subtext there if you care to look for it.

Where do you get your inspiration?

My answer, as simple or unoriginal as it sounds, is culture. What’s Twitter talking about this week? What are my friends talking about? What’s making headlines in the news? What’s trending on TikTok? What are my nieces and nephews obsessing about today?

Everyone needs time out. What creative work do you do in your own time? Does daydreaming count as creative work?

What makes an art director great?

Bautista Creative Director, Partner Rethink #1 Art Director

Great art directors work with great people. Early in my career, a mentor told me that the “director” part of our title is all about finding great people to bring your vision to life. Great ADs are collaborative from illustrators, editors, designers, colourists… it’s about building the right team for the job.

What was the thorniest challenge you faced in the last year and how did you crack it? Personally, last year’s biggest challenge was finding the right balance between WFH and returning to the office. Rethink has no mandatory return to the office planned. We’ve always embraced working remotely and we still find success.

What work or project did you admire most from the previous year that neither you nor anyone else at your agency worked on?

I always admire work that makes me laugh and nothing made me laugh more this year than Liquid Death’s Blind Taze Test.