TBWA\ANG Creative director invited to prestigious design jury
In 2019 the meme “Shredded fries” catapulted one local designer into new dizzying creative heights. Executive Creative director, Richard Agius at TBWA\ANG’s quick-thinking McDonald’s clap back to Banksy’s shredded painting, sparked a viral reaction and gained worldwide recognition.
Not only did Agius become an overnight talking point, but he also landed a number of prestigious design accolades. He even scored a highly coveted Gold award at the 2019 Balticbest awards for the outstanding entry, among others. Now, Balticbest has approached the talented designer to return, this time forming part of the elusive judging panel, alongside some of the industry’s most forward-thinking creative minds. What’s more, all Gold winners at Balticbest will be granted a submission entry into the coveted Epica awards. So, Richard will have quite a task to make sure the most deserved pieces make it to the global stage.
The aim of the Balticbest marketing and advertising competition is to recognise outstanding creativity. Entries will be judged by an international jury, who will consider the originality and quality of the creative ideas. This year, the awards will be held online during the last week of August due to the pandemic. Since the judging session will be broadcasted live online, unlike in most creative festivals, the entrants will get feedback from the jury. The jury will vote live and the winners will be announced instantly – right at the end of each category voting.
Agius is no stranger to the art and design world, having worked at design agency TBWA/ANG for 12 years and studied graphic design extensively. He’s managed creative directions and concepts for some seriously large global companies. When asked what it takes to stand out in a highly competitive environment, Agius replied: “For me, design and creativity is a way of life; it’s not just something you switch off when you walk out of the office. Whether it’s throwing a plate of food together in an interesting way, listening to music, or finding inspiration in the day-to-day intricacies of life. I try to see creativity in everything I do.”
Working in the advertising industry is all about remaining relevant and keeping brands as top-of-mind as the culture in which they live. Richard explained, “Disruption®, is a methodology that TBWA\ collective worldwide owns; it helps our team at TBWA\ANG be more strategic and creative and by identifying conventions in the market and overturning them with big ideas that reach our clients’ brand vision faster. As a result, TBWA\ANG provides clients with innovation and strategic creativity that has made them one of Malta’s leading and award-winning creative agencies for the past 50 years”.
When asked what makes a good design entry, Agius replied: “Relevancy is everything. We have endured one of the most horrendous years where so much has changed. Design must always be creative and innovative but culturally sensitive to the current scenario.”