ADC Awards, Advertising, Design, Digital/Technology, Motion/Film/Animation January 26, 2017
Inspiration Is Where You Find It
ADC 96th Annual Awards Jury Members share what inspires their own creativity
The clock is ticking on the ADC 96th Annual Awards Call for Entries! We’ve put together a world-class collection of creatives to serve as jury members, debating, discussing and eventually awarding the very best in advertising, design, illustration, photography, digital and motion from the past year.
As Jury Members, these creative professionals will be tasked with selecting the most inspirational entries. To get them ready, we’ve asked them to share where they find their own day-to-day inspiration.
“I find that watching and observing our audience in their natural environments can be the best inspiration. So often we try to solve advertising problems around the conference room table. Shame on us. Our agency believes if you want to move brands, you have to move people, emotionally. It’s simply the only way to change behavior.”
Danielle Trivisonno Hawley
Chief Creative Officer, Americas
POSSIBLE (USA)
Digital Jury
“I find more and more that my inspiration comes from television. We’re in such an amazing and transformational time for storytelling that you can’t help but be influenced by some of the great shows that are being made. I’m also inspired more by the way companies & startups are launching.”
Nick Barrios
VP, Group Creative Director
DigitasLBi (USA)
Digital Jury
“We’re in such an amazing and transformational time for storytelling that you can’t help but be influenced by some of the great shows that are being made.”
“I read very few design blogs and design magazines. And when I do, it’s to stay updated on the competition, trends and new technical possibilities — not so much for inspiration any more. I think the amount of design found at all times, across all platforms, both within and outside of the industry, is about to become a problem. It becomes clearer and clearer that we duplicate each other’s work, consciously or not, instead of seeking and creating new, relevant expressions and solutions.”
“In short, I am looking for insight and strategy. Nothing is more inspiring than to work with a strong and relevant idea. So I try to fill my life with activities that are not classically seen as design – books, art, film, politics, architecture, music, games and people.”
Tonje Jæger
Creative Director & Senior Designer
Scandinavian Design Group (Norway)
Design Jury
“Original content Shows (HBO, CINEMAX, AMC etc.) have taken the 240 minute film to a 13 hour show… it allows the creators to explore so much more in depth with characters and storyline. I often find myself relating back to specific shows like The Knick, OA, Animal Kingdom or The Affair when comparing my creative to examples.”
Billy Jurewicz
CEO
Space 150 (USA)
Digital Jury
“Creative work is by nature inspiring, but in isolation, it can create an echo chamber of ideas. For me the greatest source of inspiration is people. Taking insight from customers, consumers and clients then creating something of true value from a brand, things that solve a need, and seeing them use it – that’s a whole new level of inspiration.”
Claire Waring
Executive Creative Director, SE Asia
Sapient | razorfish (Singapore)
Digital Jury
“I don’t know if there’s a single source of inspiration. I think the key for me is curiosity. I firmly believe that taste and recall are the triggers to great ideas. In order to fill that tank you have to constantly be in search of what you don’t know.”
Keith Cartwright
Executive Creative Director
BSSP (USA)
Advertising Jury
“I firmly believe that taste and recall are the triggers to great ideas. In order to fill that tank you have to constantly be in search of what you don’t know.”
“I draw inspiration from reading a ton of weird books on a range of weird subjects, which are literally galaxies away from anything related to advertising. Getting myself into an entirely different headspace helps me look at things through a different lens. Not sure how The Atomic Theory and the Description of Nature will help me create ads for CPGs or home insurance, but the hope is that one day it’ll manifest into something cool—or at the very least, inspire a banner with an above average click-through rate.”
Nellie Kim
Partner, VP, Creative Director
Lg2 (Canada)
Digital Jury
“I love ‘the rub of the people’, getting close to the everyman, observing the everyday actions of regular people. True insights aren’t borne out of ivory-towered strategic manifesto’s – they’re borne out of overheard conversations and nuance. When your work resonates with the everyman, it has a shot at becoming a part of popular culture and that’s the holy grail for us as an agency.”
Justin Gomes
Founding Creative Partner
FoxP2 (South Africa)
Advertising Jury
“I think that to be good at advertising, you have to be genuinely interested in humans, so I like to listen to and observe people wherever I go. I also love stories that I come across: stories friends tell me, a joke I hear, a piece of news, and of course literature or a film with a great script. Another inspiration of mine are problems: a real problem people face is already the beginning of an idea.”
Karolina Galácz
Deputy Creative Director
Y&R Budapest (Hungary)
Advertising Jury
“Inspiration comes from almost everything if you learn how to see. I most often seek for inspiration in my dreams. We sleep a third of of our lives, so why not use that time for some creative work? Dreams act as a blender, mixing ideas with who you truly are. You can ¨pre-program¨ dreams to take out of them some really good inspiration.”
Felix Hernandez Rodriguez
Creative and Art Director
Hernandez Dreamphography (Mexico)
Design Jury
“I most often seek for inspiration in my dreams. We sleep a third of of our lives, so why not use that time for some creative work?”
“As a young designer, every new assignment started with a frantic flipping of design books and then tracking awards websites. But after decades of dealing with visual problem solving, my mind has absorbed so much material that I simply need triggers to retrieve it.”
“Today, more than ever my inspiration is found in everyday objects: an unusual shape of an otherwise ubiquitous item or the sea of random imagery we process every day on social media. As for my retrieval process—I accidentally discovered the trick, and it works again and again, without failing.”
“My mental hard drive is best when I listen to live music, spitting ideas that take the shape of logos, interactive installations, and book covers. When not preoccupied with client projects, I come up with future Kickstarter ideas. According to Fast Company, ‘moderate noise levels increase processing difficulty which promotes abstract processing, leading to higher creativity.’ Personally, the level of focus I achieve during live performances results in my best design ideas. Songs with lyrics distract me, not being abstract enough for mind-surfing. Sure enough, my concert programs get covered with doodles and when I run out of space my companions sacrifice theirs. Oh, and I am talking about classical and jazz music—not sure about techno, but you can try! ”
Maya Kopytman
Partner
C&G Partners (USA)
Digital Jury
“I sometimes look at vintage book covers. They’re so graphic and communicate with an economy of means that appeals to me. But most often I find inspiration for my work in language. As designer director for The New York Times Magazine, I get to work with really interesting content. Particular word choices in the stories spur ideas for me.”
Gail Bichler
Design Director
The New York Times (USA)
Design Jury
“I find a lot of inspiration from the people who work at Brand New School day in and day out. It may sound corny, but we’ve got some of the best artists in the industry, who come from all walks of life and from all over the world. Each one brings their own fresh perspective to the work that is energizing and broadens my own viewpoint.”
Jonathan Notaro
Director & Creative Director
Brand New School (USA)
Motion Jury
“Inspiration comes from observations and contradictions, from powerful insights and cultural tensions. Knowing that technology enables opportunities, the magic comes from the creative striving to find extraordinary solutions for people. Knowing that impossible is nothing and imagination is everything – that’s a great source of inspiration.”
Elke Klinkhammer
Chief Creative Officer
McCann Frankfurt (Germany)
Advertising Jury
“I often go to film, tv – any type of video for inspiration, as it’s the medium that first really made me think about the users’ perceptions and the ethical impacts of (making) art and design.”
“Those topics feel ever-more relevant today — we have a lot of responsibility as designers to understand how our work, works – and how it affects people.”
“There’s so much good video going today, too — was especially hit by Black Mirror, HyperNormalisation and Viceland — they’re often pretty dark, but use commentary, hyperverite, remixing, and post-social methods in unique ways, to tell really compelling stories. Makes me excited to push and mix and invert to reach audiences, too.”
Marisa Gallagher
Head of Design and UX, Digital
Amazon Music (USA)
Digital Jury
“My easy and first answer is my students. I marvel at their ability to be tenacious, to address problems, to get into the joy of making good work even as they’re figuring out what that is. Those of you who know the great catalyst of being around this energy and love on a constant basis understand how amazing it is. I seek to do better work because I sincerely want them to see me as partner and collaborator.”
Deb Morrison
Carolyn Chambers Distinguished Professor of Advertising
University of Oregon (USA)
Advertising Jury
“When I first start a project, I try not to look online. Original thought rarely stems from a place where other people are posting things.”
Nils Andersson
Asia Creative President, Greater China President & CCO
TBWA\Shanghai (China)
Digital Jury
“I’m a big believer in boredom and real–life.”
“Boredom, when you’re stuck on the subway and your phone just died, when your plane is taking off and you have a window seat, when you suddenly start storyboarding on your shower glass door. Boredom and idleness are the seeds of creativity.”
“And real-life, I go to shows, museums, weird performances and whether good or bad, I’m always energized by the act of creation. Also, life has textures, smells, ambient sounds, and they’ll inform your work, making it deeper and more relatable.”
Nathalie de La Gorce
Art Director
Oxygen Media (USA)
Motion Jury
“Boredom and idleness are the seeds of creativity.”
“I find the inspiration in the problem and whatever tension we can discover; I prefer to think my way out of a box, rather than pull external elements in.”
Chris Beresford-Hill
Executive Creative Director, EVP
BBDO New York (USA)
Advertising Jury
“Living and working somewhere like New York City gives you the advantage to never really having to “seek out” inspiration. This city is filled with information that suits every platform – whether it be the people, sounds, exquisitely curated art or just a random street piece, the culture is just close at hand, you’re sure to find a jewel of an idea, big or small, that you can channel back into the work you do at the office. 2016 was a year to reflect and reorganize so this year we can be more creative and strategic!”
Camila De Biaggi
Executive Producer
MPC New York (USA)
Motion Jury
The ADC 96th Annual Awards Call for Entries is now open, with initial deadlines for all categories and disciplines taking place on Tuesday, January 31, 2017.