We catch
up with Ali Rez and Ahmed Mustafa – creators of ADFEST’s 2020 identity – to
find out all about BBDO’s successes over the past two years.
Earlier this year, Impact BBDO’s creative
leader Ali Rez joined ADFEST 2019 as Jury President of Design Lotus and Print
Craft Lotus. In line with an ADFEST tradition, he and his team at BBDO were
then invited to design the identity for ADFEST 2020, inspired by the theme
‘Fired Up!’
Last week, we unveiled our 2020 identity
featuring a pencil matchstick that symbolizes
the spark of “Eureka!” that creatives experience when they get into their zone
and can’t stop writing, drawing or producing great work. Ahmed Mustafa, Associate Creative Director at BBDO Pakistan and Ali
Rez, Regional ECD for Middle East and Pakistan, were involved in the work.
Ali: what have you been up to since joining ADFEST 2019 as a Jury President? Any interesting projects in the pipeline?
My role has expanded to a bigger network
coverage, so I have gotten really busy with that. Since ADFEST, we had a
spectacular year at Cannes Lions, D&AD, AD STARS, Clios and Spikes, so I am
very thankful to the teams and our brand partners for that. And yes, a couple
of interesting projects for next year definitely on the table.
We gave you the challenge of designing the identity for ADFEST 2020, inspired by next year’s theme, ‘Fired Up!’ How did you approach this brief?
This was a dream brief – designing a theme
identity for an award show is always the opportunity to have a lot of fun. And
that’s how we approached it: “Let’s have some fun with it.” The design project
was a collaboration between Impact BBDO and BBDO Pakistan.
How did you land on the pencil matchstick identity?
We played around with a number of different
concepts, and narrowed them down to three. These ranged from metaphoric
treatments around human emotions to very literal depictions of being fired up.
The pencil matchstick to us is the perfect merger between the theme and a tool
used for creativity. It symbolizes the spark of “Eureka!” and the moment you
find your drive and can’t stop writing or drawing or producing great work. From
a physical perspective, a wooden pencil and a wooden matchstick seemed to
multiply well.
What gets you “fired up” as creatives at BBDO?
‘Fired Up’ can happen at so many points –
we define it as a momentous occasion which fuels inspiration and motivation. It
can be at the moment of a really good brief (such as this brief itself), or
when you’re stuck on a concept for a while but suddenly see the light flash in
your head, or when the client says it’s all approved and you can’t wait to make
it happen. All of this to a creative means they can set everything on fire. In
a brilliant way, of course.
Ahmed: BBDO Pakistan has been in the limelight lately thanks to the success of campaigns like Bridal Uniform, #ChildTruckFinder and ‘Face for Radio’. What’s behind the agency’s successes over the past year or two?
When it comes to awards there has never
been a single campaign where we treated it as just a trophy generator. If we
were to look at the projects that we have done in the past 2 years, the common
factor is that they always have a strong cause attached to it. Sure, almost all
agencies around the globe are doing campaigns that serve a purpose but
everything that we have done we have always been emotionally and passionately
invested in them. It has always been about making a difference and giving back
to the community. As advertisers, that’s the least we can do.
When did you join BBDO Pakistan? And what are your proudest achievements there?
So, I was one of the lucky few who have
been with the BBDO network since it started operating in Pakistan. There was a
transition in the middle where I was moved to Impact BBDO Jeddah for three
years. Then I came back to Pakistan and it’s been two and a half beautiful
years since. My proudest achievement here would be that I was the first to
bring a Cannes Lion to Pakistan for a local client. And what makes it even more
special for me is that “The world’s First Billbed” was a university assignment
that I did for an innovative design class, which was with some alteration
brought to life later.
How would you describe the creative scene in Pakistan right now?
The creative scene in Pakistan, you’ll be
surprised to know, is fructifying every passing day. The talent here is very
raw and there is the passion and hunger to go against all odds. Obviously,
there is the award trend that BBDO has started which has put the “creative
scene” of Pakistan on the map. Living here inspires me in many ways: there are
just so many pivotal points that we as designers and creatives can contribute
towards.
How do you convince your clients to get behind ideas like ‘Billbed’ and #ChildTruckFinder? How did you make these social causes feel relevant to their brands?
We go at them with knives and threats – ha,
ha kidding! Mostly we have been blessed enough to have clients that listen and
are open to such ideas. When they are not we do, in subtle undertones, guilt
them into doing it. If that doesn’t even work and if we are knee deep dedicated
towards the project, we just make it happen!
Now that 2019 is coming to an end, what are your goals for the year ahead – personal or professional?
Next year I wish to actively be a part of
award shows as a juror and I definitely would kill to go to Cannes. We just had
a baby boy so I wish to be a stellar dad (=
