D&AD Booklet

Beware, this is not going to get you a job. This is just a page or two of scrambled mumbo jumbo that might get you thinking about one or two things. The only thing that will help you get a job is you. You've got to decide you're going to put more into it than all the other people reading this and thinking; “I'm going to work really hard now I'm going to work hard all weekend, even all week, wow bingo jackpot, it's easy”. No, it's not like that, you've got to dig it out and build up your work. The good news is it's a laugh doing it, if you like doing it. A big help is to be interested in what you're doing. Find out the kind of ads you like. Analyse why you like them. Find out who did those ads and if other ads they've done are also ads you like. Develop your judgement. Develop your taste. Judgement is vital. Developing good judgement is really important. Work on your judgement. The best way to do this is to immerse yourself in great ads. Read as many D&AD's, One Show, American and Australian Art Directors Club Annuals as you can. Then read them again. (We've spent five minutes sticking this stuff down so we can get on with doing some ads). On some level you getting a job is irrelevant to anyone else, except you and your mum and dad. Very important is being honest with yourself. It's easy to look at your own stuff and think “Yes I like that”. It's like showing your crap paintings that you did at play school to your mum. She doesn't have a clue what it is she's looking at but she knows she likes it. Honest judgement will allow you to be less lenient on your own work and more generous to others. You may start to see what the difficulties in doing certain kinds of ads are, that will help you spot those difficulties early when doing your own ads. Ask yourself is this ad a good example of what I can do? Once you've got your judgement developed and you can tell the difference between good ideas and bad ideas you can think about art direction. (Look at the Economist, LWT and nursing campaigns in the D&AD Annuals). It takes the same amount of time to do a good layout as it does to do a bad one. It doesn't mean staying up all night making your layout pretty, it means considering how your ad will look on the page. Great ideas and great thinking will get you a job. You can do anything you want in your book, there are no rules and regulations. Imagine that each job interview you get is your one and only crack at getting that job. (This is a reality that is avoided both in your mind and the mind of the people interviewing you, because the suggestion of seeing you again down the line makes the rejection easier on you both). Easier = comfort, comfort = complacency. Easier words are no often better for you than the truth. Use the kind offer of another interview to knock socks off the agency next time, (this time it really is the last chance) give it everything. Why didn't you do that in the first place? Always do yourself justice, you're up against good people. Believe us we've seen them. Before you go and see anyone find out what ads they've done and what accounts they work on. It's good to go and see people whose works you like. That way if they tell you your book isn't good enough you'll believe them and be more inclined to do something about it. Try to surprise the people interviewing you. Give them more and better stuff then they expect. Think of it like a hot date with someone you are seriously mad for. Pullout of the stops, impress them. Make them think “I've got to see more of this”. Make them think “If I'm not on the ball here I could miss out”. Getting a job is supposed to be important to you, put some emotion into it. Imagine that you've got until tomorrow morning at 9 o'clock to do one ad that will decide whether you get a job in a great agency or not. Do you work all night and give it your best shot? Or do you think “I'll knock something out in half an hour and hope they go for it because I'm gonna be dead witty at the interview”? Ask yourself am I doing myself justice? Ask yourself am I giving a good account of myself with this work? Ask yourself would you give yourself a job? Ask yourself how long you want to be looking for a job? Try to set your own deadlines, don't get caught up in the vagaries of other people's diaries. Keep it positive. You'll achieve more if the work is done in an enthusiastic mood. Put a bit of flourish into your work. Lethargy can persuade you against doing anything. It's hard to find reasons to do things sometimes. If you're not sure what to work on next or whether to try a stunt on an agency just ask yourself what else could you be doing that's as interesting? Don't let crap get in the way of you getting a job. What is crap? Crap is not doing more work because you've got five campaigns in your book and you just can't get any better. Crap is not making decisions on your work based on your own personality and culture. Crap is not being different enough to stand out from the crowd. You're not crap are you? At the moment your target audience is creative directors. Come on let's see it spacecadet. Look outside advertising for your influences. Go to the theatre, visit art galleries, ride on a bus you've never ridden on, watch lots of movies, read everything, tune in to different radio stations, listen to all type of music. Working on something different will give you an advantage straight away. Put thought into the briefs you work on. Lots of students often do the same briefs from the D&AD Workshops. So at any one time there could be 100 books doing the rounds all with; for example, a campaign on national coaches and super glue. Find out as much as you can about the product you're working on. Many great ads have come out of a great fact. There's nothing wrong with putting a bit of thought into the way your ideas look: in fact art direction can enhance good ideas. You could have one campaign with 120 good ads. There's nothing wrong in thinking differently about your presentation if your ideas are good. Lots of student teams go around with an art portfolio with six or seven campaigns in each. You could have two or three print campaigns and some simple TV ideas shot on video. (Use the nineties). You have to stand out. It's all about standing out. Do more than one book. Do six books. People won't buy anything if you bore them. You'll find yourself in situations where you might be told your work is good but they'd like to see some more in a few months. Why not turn up in a few days with another book? Do lots of work. Remember the more ads you do the better you get. The harder you work and the more ads you do the quicker you'll get a job. Check: is there more to the ad than you've expressed? Isolate what is interesting about a product. Find the soul of the product. Do not assume anyone is interested in looking at your work, it's got to grab them. People don't buy newspapers or watch television to look at ads. You have to stop them and make them look. You're competing against documentaries, page 3, movies, eastenders, news at ten, the archers, Oasis, Eric Cantona etc...remember is an entertainment industry. Be time-conscious. The people you are seeing are probably seeing you in a state of flux between jobs or after work/before going home or worse before starting work. This means they've got dinner, work, the kids, the traffic, the client on their mind. Be human, make it simple for them to get at your ideas. Propel your ideas at the prospective employer. I.e. Make them look as good as you can. (Of course do not spend time making dodgy ideas look slick). Have a good positive attitude. Be nice and be polite. If two teams going for a job have got really good books (it's possible), which team will get the job?

Tom Carty & Walter Campbell
Creative team (1998)