I worked as an Art Director at Leo Burnett for two years, this being my first job. I stumbled upon advertising after design school, it was mighty and you could really let your mind run free and connect any dots in the universe to tell a story. In the two years, my team and I worked on many films for Spotify, crafted billboards, thought of many 360 degree ideas, won and lost pitches and made case studies which I believe is the most scientific form of storytelling.

Here are some of my takeaways from the field that I’d like to remember as I explore new sectors.

Advertising is the most alive place to be 
As everything stems from culture; culture where something new is popping every now and then, culture of a country so varied and dynamic, culture that comes from the crazy and creative internet, it is a constantly evolving place. Adding a personal lens to the subject or rooting for the narratives you want to see in the world fuels the creative work, and there is no dearth about these two. It makes you sensitive and thoughtful towards everything you do and consume. 

Crafting case studies is like an action movie
Action movies are never just action movies, they are high drama based on a human truth of love or friendship or honour. A good case study too is more about the human truth than the creative execution. The directors of romcoms would make excellent case study directors and vice versa, no wonder the sound is almost always like a dramatic movie. The process of  making a case study is a great lesson in storytelling. It has made me relook at how I tell my story too.

Craftsmanship should never be secondary
With brands there is also a constraint of fonts and colours and in all this craftsmanship and design innovation sometimes loses its way. I was fortunate to be with people who were particular about the graphic design aspect of advertising and also gave room to experiment in and out of the brand rulebooks. When placed outdoors, one could really handpick the advertising that has been crafted vs the ones that have been information plastered.

Advertising People bring diverse culture to the potluck
As someone whose top artist on Spotify has been AR Rahman year after year introduction to quaint English, American, German and Japanese music and movies was quite enlightening. There was hardly a day when I did not expand my playlist or add a movie recommendation list. You could end up having the most absurd or the most interesting conversation over lunch. I have learnt about finance, music band formation stories, video games, dungeons and dragons; become a monodeal pro and a catan noob.

I will always remember the lessons learnt at work, be as motivated as a townhall at Burnett makes you feel and always try to learn from culture and give back to it where I go.