My idea was simple - end inhumanity: Cannes Lion Gold winner Jawaad Saleem
Art director Jawaad Saleem shares concept behind Cannes Lion Gold-winning campaign
Despite being one of the principle architects behind the award, Saleem was quick to credit the contribution of his team in the project. PHOTOS: PUBLICITY
KARACHI:
If Jawaad Saleem’s father had his way, the young graphic designer would have ended up doing a dead end accountancy job pushing endless copies of financial documents. Who knows what would have happened had his fate and passion for visual storytelling not intervened? However, one thing is for certain. Saleem would have definitely been robbed of an opportunity of a lifetime — designing a Cannes Lion Gold Award-winning advertising campaign.
“I was doing an internship at National Bank of Pakistan (NBP). It was a really tiring and monotonous routine for me,” Saleem told The Express Tribune. The thought of pursuing something that he truly enjoyed had not escaped him. Crediting his twin brother and a friend for encouraging him to pursue his true calling, he said, “They are one of the main reasons that I am here today.”
Fresh off after receiving a Cannes Lion Gold Award for an Amnesty International campaign, Saleem is still unwinding from the high after receiving one of branded communications’ most coveted accolades.
Elaborating upon the concept behind his Amnesty International campaign he explained, “My idea was very simple — end inhumanity.” To ensure that the concept was more thought-provoking, Saleem made four illustrations, all of which depicted crucial aspects of inhumanity such as humiliation, torture, voiceless-ness and isolation.
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Saleem got the inspiration for this idea from a book based on the life of a prisoner at Guantanamo Bay. According to the Pakistani-born artist — currently based in Frankfurt, Germany — the beauty of the campaign laid in the fact that it was “simple, short, to the point and easy to understand.”
“You can easily comprehend the visuals without any text,” Saleem shared. It should come as no surprise that the campaign did not go through many iterations or last-minute fixes with the designer proclaiming how even the client’s gave it a thumbs up after the first presentation. “They [the client] loved the campaign in the very first presentation and didn’t request any changes at all.”
Even the chance of attending the award ceremony was one that countless people in the world of advertising would leap onto without giving a second thought. “All the living legends from my profession, people whom I had grown up idolising and admiring were there under the same roof,” he recollects. “The fact that they were appreciating my work was a great source of encouragement for me.”
Despite being one of the principle architects behind the award, Saleem was quick to credit the contribution of his team in the project. Currently employed in the newly-formed Ogilvy Design section of Ogilvy and Mather (Germany), the team comprises of four artistes hailing from different cultural backgrounds.
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“The group is led by Helmut Mayar, who has nearly two decades worth of experience in design and also comprises Lothar Mueller [creative director] and Asae Tanaka [art director].”
Despite having established a solid footing in the world of design and advertising abroad, Saleem still harbours a strong desire to contribute to the Pakistani design and advertising community.
“Of course I would love to work for my country,” he remarked. “I think it is the first and foremost responsibility of every communication designer to contribute to their society and give a voice to the suppressed. And if a good opportunity comes along, than why not!”
But for a switch to happen, Saleem believes things may have to improve drastically in Pakistan’s advertising circles. “Sadly I am a witness to that myself. I have seen talented artists but unfortunately they were client-driven and lacked creativity, which should have been their main focus,” he noted. “But recently, many Pakistani designers have started emerging and competing on the international level which is a good sign.”
Published in The Express Tribune, July 1st, 2016.
If Jawaad Saleem’s father had his way, the young graphic designer would have ended up doing a dead end accountancy job pushing endless copies of financial documents. Who knows what would have happened had his fate and passion for visual storytelling not intervened? However, one thing is for certain. Saleem would have definitely been robbed of an opportunity of a lifetime — designing a Cannes Lion Gold Award-winning advertising campaign.
“I was doing an internship at National Bank of Pakistan (NBP). It was a really tiring and monotonous routine for me,” Saleem told The Express Tribune. The thought of pursuing something that he truly enjoyed had not escaped him. Crediting his twin brother and a friend for encouraging him to pursue his true calling, he said, “They are one of the main reasons that I am here today.”
Fresh off after receiving a Cannes Lion Gold Award for an Amnesty International campaign, Saleem is still unwinding from the high after receiving one of branded communications’ most coveted accolades.
Elaborating upon the concept behind his Amnesty International campaign he explained, “My idea was very simple — end inhumanity.” To ensure that the concept was more thought-provoking, Saleem made four illustrations, all of which depicted crucial aspects of inhumanity such as humiliation, torture, voiceless-ness and isolation.
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Saleem got the inspiration for this idea from a book based on the life of a prisoner at Guantanamo Bay. According to the Pakistani-born artist — currently based in Frankfurt, Germany — the beauty of the campaign laid in the fact that it was “simple, short, to the point and easy to understand.”
“You can easily comprehend the visuals without any text,” Saleem shared. It should come as no surprise that the campaign did not go through many iterations or last-minute fixes with the designer proclaiming how even the client’s gave it a thumbs up after the first presentation. “They [the client] loved the campaign in the very first presentation and didn’t request any changes at all.”
Even the chance of attending the award ceremony was one that countless people in the world of advertising would leap onto without giving a second thought. “All the living legends from my profession, people whom I had grown up idolising and admiring were there under the same roof,” he recollects. “The fact that they were appreciating my work was a great source of encouragement for me.”
Despite being one of the principle architects behind the award, Saleem was quick to credit the contribution of his team in the project. Currently employed in the newly-formed Ogilvy Design section of Ogilvy and Mather (Germany), the team comprises of four artistes hailing from different cultural backgrounds.
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“The group is led by Helmut Mayar, who has nearly two decades worth of experience in design and also comprises Lothar Mueller [creative director] and Asae Tanaka [art director].”
Despite having established a solid footing in the world of design and advertising abroad, Saleem still harbours a strong desire to contribute to the Pakistani design and advertising community.
“Of course I would love to work for my country,” he remarked. “I think it is the first and foremost responsibility of every communication designer to contribute to their society and give a voice to the suppressed. And if a good opportunity comes along, than why not!”
But for a switch to happen, Saleem believes things may have to improve drastically in Pakistan’s advertising circles. “Sadly I am a witness to that myself. I have seen talented artists but unfortunately they were client-driven and lacked creativity, which should have been their main focus,” he noted. “But recently, many Pakistani designers have started emerging and competing on the international level which is a good sign.”
Published in The Express Tribune, July 1st, 2016.