Breaking In

In addition to being one of Germany’s most awarded creatives and President of Miami Ad School, Europe, Oliver Voss is also an artist.

Here is his “Riesen-Nixe” (grand mermaid) in Hamburg’s Lake Alster.

You can find his online portfolio here.

SG: …I don’t know if you were going to ask this, but I’m going to say it anyway: I think one of the things that’s really important with the junior portfolios is that they represent something outside of just who they are as it relates to advertising. So when people put together their books, if they are a screenwriter, or if they are an artist, or if they have a T-shirt company, or if they walk dogs on the side—whatever makes someone memorable—I think when that’s included somehow in their portfolio, it gives whoever is interviewing them something to relate to other than an ad and it gives them a talking point. So if you have something that’s interesting—that you grew up on a horse farm or whatever it is—then people are like, “Oh yeah. I remember that person’s portfolio, isn’t that the guy who grew up on the horse farm?”

WS: That was one of my questions, and you answered it.

SG: Oh, there you go.

WS: What do you think about long copy? Is that important these days?

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If you missed it, check out some great work from Colin Byrne.

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WS: How finished does work need to be?

CB: If they have just a really beautifully polished piece of design, that has its merits. To survive in this industry you have to be versatile. Being a creative thinker, capable of originating ideas and then bringing them to life beautifully, makes you more employable. The same applies to being able to write and bring the idea to life through language. Don’t think that agencies are merely looking for creatives who can originate ideas—they want people who have a point of view on how the finished product should look and behave, also.

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WS: What do you think of things that aren’t ads and don’t have anything to do with ads?

CB: It’s great to see if someone has other skills that could be put to use and nurtured within the agency. Some agencies look at non-advertising skills and interests over and above industry experience. It’s a creative business so showing some individuality is key, right? I like to see what people are interested in—that they have a geeky side or a techy side. That stuff can be nurtured and put to use; it’s a bonus. If they keep falcons, or got a bronze medal at the Lithuanian Ball Dancing World Cup in 1996, I struggle to see why that makes them more employable.

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Colin Byrne is a Creative Director at VCCP London.

AKQA Christmas Video

Trident web film

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In case you missed it, check out some great work from Michael Russoff.

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WS: So do you look for evidence of their personality?

MR: Yes, and their heart. I want to be able to feel a person through a book. Like humanity. That’s the main thing I look for in a book is humanity, because I think if you’ve got that, and if that comes through for different brands in your work, then you’re going to touch people in some way. And then it’s interesting. Then you’ll connect with people. I’m not interested in arrogance or bravado. Or cleverness, even. I’d much rather see someone with a big heart in their book than a big brain. I think that means a lot more in a book.

WS: What do you think of sketches or scamps versus finished work for books?

MR: I actually prefer scamps. Somehow, if it’s very finished you’re sort of saying, “It’s finished” as a student. It’s like a full stop when you finish something really well. You’re kind of saying, “Here it is, judge me, it’s not changing.” Whereas if you have a scrap of paper, there’s more emotion, there’s more fluidity. It’s like, “This is just a stage. This is just a process. I know it’s not about this. This is just to show you.” It says more about the person—the attitude of the person doing it.

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Michael Russoff was formerly Creative Director at Wieden+Kennedy, London. He is now a freelance Creative Director, songwriter and vegetable farmer.

Honda – “Grrr”

Honda – “Choir”

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In case you missed it, check out some great work from David Carter.

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WS: Do you have any other advice that you’d give to someone who is just starting out?

DC: Putting a book together is a lot different today. I don’t think people actually have physical books anymore, really. They just do everything online. I would say that fewer “great ideas” is better than more “okay ideas.” I would try to solve some tough strategic problems. I think anybody can do a good ad for highlighter pens, or White-out, or stuff like that. I think it’s more important if you can work on harder things. Unless it’s just such a great idea no matter who it’s for.

This is just my personal taste but I gravitate toward simpler [ideas]—the simpler the better—and more so in print than anything else. If it’s a really “designy” thing, I don’t have time for it, and I think most consumers don’t have a lot of time for that anymore, so I think the ideas have to be more simple and clear. What else? It certainly seems like, in this day and age, having interactive ideas is very important too.

WS: Do you have any thoughts on presenting those?

DC: If you don’t actually know how to build a site and it is just purely a spec thing, just comp a couple of the pages so you get what the idea is. As long as it is communicated clearly, I think [that’s okay].

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David Carter is Senior Creative Director at BBDO New York.

Starbucks Love Project

HBO Voyeur

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If you missed it, check out some great work from Matt Orser.

WS: What do you look for in a student book? And what impresses you?

MO: I want to be jealous. If I see something that makes me think, “Wow, I wish I did that.” That’s it. That’s all I look for. Because if I was inspired enough by one thing that I saw, that would make it memorable and make it good. It seems like it’s easy but it’s not. It’s really hard to do.

WS: Do you think a student book needs to be finished, or could it just be sketches?

MO: I think student books definitely should be as finished as possible. And I think that everything in the book should be very easy to understand. I feel like I see a lot of stuff nowadays where we’re doing a lot more integrated types of campaigns, especially within our books. And it is a trick sometimes to show it in the proper way, and if it is at all confusing, it just loses all of its importance. And that’s why it always has to be really finished, and tight, and solid because I need to be able to just flip through it. No one’s going to spend that much time. I think a book needs to be polished because then you just understand it quicker. That’s it.

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Matt Orser is an Art Director/Creative Director at RPA, Los Angeles.

MTV

Harley Davidson

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