Watch our Pep Talk with Freddy Taylor, associate creative director at Wieden+Kennedy
Interested in a career in advertising? Wondering what role in the industry might suit you, or better yet, where to even start looking for entry-level positions? This line of work can seem tough to navigate from the outside – thankfully, Freddy Taylor, associate creative director at Wieden+Kennedy London, joined us for a Pep Talk to answer all these questions and more. Tune in below as Freddy imparts some invaluable words of advice on how to make a splash in the industry.
The big talking points:
- What kind of roles are available in advertising? (6:00)
- How do you figure out which role might suit you? (9:08)
- Is it necessary to work in a creative duo? (12:08)
- Do you need a degree to work in advertising? (16:00)
- How is an advertising portfolio different to a design portfolio? (22:09)
- Can you create a portfolio without having any clients? (23:36)
- How to make your portfolio stand out (25:37)
- Where do you get creative inspiration from? (28:39)
- How do advertising agencies look for new talent? (30:37)
- How to approach agencies with your portfolio (32:47)
- Where are the good places to network, IRL and online? (36:38)
- Where to begin with personal projects (39:56)
What did I miss?
After an introduction from our host Steph, Freddy shared his pep talk with us: “Your point of view is unique – so use it to your advantage. The best ideas come when the room is filled with a whole host of people with different backgrounds, different views and different insights.”
He explained that, when you‘re first starting out in the creative industry, it can feel like your opinion matters less than that of others – but this is far from the truth, and your unique standpoint can actually put you at an advantage.
Freddy then jumped right in to answer all your questions about working in advertising, introducing us to the different types of roles that exist within the industry, providing encouraging words on whether to build a portfolio from scratch (his answer: yes, you absolutely should!) and sharing where he derives his own inspiration.
Meet the Guest
About Freddy Taylor
With over a decade’s worth of experience in the advertising industry, Freddy is no stranger to building a career from scratch.
Having graduated from the University of Edinburgh with a BA in graphic design, he found initial success through internships and junior design positions, before landing his first junior art direction role at the Netherlands-based communications agency KesselsKramer. After 2.5 years there, Freddy was asked to join Wieden+Kennedy, a global agency with offices from Amsterdam to São Paulo, and has worked with heavyweight clients from Nike to Sainsbury’s. Moving quickly from designing to art direction, Freddy now holds the title of associate creative director at W+K London.
Over the course of his career, Freddy has built a wealth of critical knowledge in his field – so if you’re wondering how to approach the advertising industry, his Pep Talk is definitely not one to miss!
About the Host
About Steph Fung
A 2019 graduate of LCC’s BA in graphic and media design, after working with the likes of The Face magazine, Studio Moross and The Mill, Steph built up a strong network before landing a role as a motion designer at Selfridges in 2019.
Today, Steph’s career continues to go from strength-to-strength – from building an impressive online presence to creating work for Vogue Singapore. Now working as a freelance 3D artist, Steph’s practice centres around her interests in interaction design and fashion.
