led me to designing and co-directing the
2016 title sequence for them, and then
the FITC title sequence the following
year,” says Gavin. “Those big portfolio
pieces really helped pave the way for my
directing career at Aardman. They’re
huge opportunities that helped my
career – I’m immensely grateful.”
Graphic designer and past D&AD
speaker Rob Janoff has discovered that
saying “yes” to a speaking gig – if the
timing is right – almost always leads
to another opportunity. “A new client
resulted from a talk I did in New York,
who happened to be a publisher. After
designing her logo, she persuaded me
to write a book and let her publish it,”
he says. “I used to think designing the
Apple logo was a lucky break for me,
but now I realise we make our luck
happen when we take advantage of the
opportunities that come our way all the
time. We may not recognise them, but
when they intersect, at the right time
and place, with your unique talent, the
magic of ‘luck’ happens.”
THE KEY TO A GOOD TALK
While there’s no set formula for a great
talk, those we asked pinpointed three
key qualities: honesty, authenticity and
stories. “I care a lot about vulnerability;
people who don’t mind showing
their weaknesses,” says Rizon. “Being
authentic is the way to connect with the
public, especially if you’re not the most
experienced speaker. A good bag of
humour is, of course, always welcome.”
Surviving in a thriving creative
industry can be difficult, and hearing
how other people overcome failures
and setbacks in their work can help
make sense of your own career path. “I
enjoy and benefit most from those talks
that are honest, unfiltered, raw – where
speakers aren’t just showing you their
highlights, but giving real insight and
showing some vulnerability,” says Luke.
“Memorable speakers tend to be extra...
extra funny, extra loud, extra honest.”
“A talk has to be equally informative
and entertaining,” adds Forward Festival
director Othmar Handl. “You can share
the most interesting insights ever,
but it still won’t be memorable if your
presentation is boring. Just as much
as you can be the born entertainer: if
there’s no content to your talk, then it’ll
be nothing but a good laugh.”NURTURING CREATIVES
Bringing together the best international
and local creative heads, Forward
Festival in Vienna is a platform
for creatives coming from diverse
disciplines. Aimed at both industry-
leading and aspiring creatives, the
two-day event offers talks, workshops
and live art sessions. “It’s more than
just another creative happening. It’s
less about putting people on a stageto show their PowerPoint
slides and more about
sharing personal stories.
Stories of success, but
also of failure, growth and
ideas – stories that make an
impact and inspire others,”
says Othmar. “Forward is
all about connecting, exchanging and
being part of an exciting experience.
It’s inspired by our hometown’s vibrant
history of Viennese Modernism, where
diverse artistic disciplines influenced
each other. We think support and
collaboration can go a long way, so we
aim to push people forward by bringing
them together.”
Having previously organised music
event STEP FORWARD in Vienna for
two years, Othmar was inspired to
create something more meaningful. “I
was surrounded by all these creative
people and I noticed that there was
something missing in Vienna. There
was no such thing as a space to connect
all these talented people. So I made it
my goal to fill this gap.”Forging relationships with the local
creative community throughout the
year enables Othmar to keep a good
balance between local and international
creatives, and pay attention to
gender equality and different social
backgrounds. “We try to make sure to
cover different fields such as graphic
design, photography, architecture, street
art, motion design, AR, VR... you name
it.” Taking a broader view of digital
technology for its 2020 edition, the line-
up for this year’s Forward is an eclectic
mix. “We’re introducing people such
as Gerfried Stocker, art director of ARS
Electronica, and AI artist Refik Anadol.
We’re looking forward to influential
players like Mozilla, Spotify and Google
in the mix, while still staying true to
local creatives.”SWITCHING THE FORMAT
Following two consecutive years
running ambitious multi-venue
festivals, Birmingham Design Festival
festival directors Luke and Daniel have
streamlined their approach
for 2020. “It’s no secret that
events are very hard work”,
says Luke. “We invest
hundreds (more likely
thousands) of hours and
rely on the goodwill of our
team, volunteers, speakers
and sponsors to make it
all happen. It can feel a bit
like an emotional roller-coaster with no
end!” They’re now trying an alternating
format: a huge, multi-site, multi-day
festival one year, followed by a more
compact and traditional conference the
next, Luke explains. “We started with a
loose, long-term plan of getting the first
festival under our belts, building on that
momentum the following year and then
perhaps looking at changing the format
to keep things fresh and interesting.”
Expanding this year’s conference
to include a day of workshops, some
exhibitions and other treats, they’re
also planning the 2021 festival and even
looking ahead to 2022 – something
that would be less feasible if they were
trying to deliver the same size festival
year on year. “There are some things weKEY CREATIVE EVENTS“IT’S ABOUT
SHARING STORIES
THAT MAKE AN
IMPACT AND
INSPIRE OTHERS”
OTHMAR HANDL