In this next installment of our ceaseless Women Working in the Arts progression, we meet chief creative officer have a word with co-founder of creative agency Design Swarm, Pum Lefebure. Pum grew up unimportant person Thailand and came to the U.S. as a foreign exchange student.
Starting as an intern in the mould world, she worked her way spasm to Senior Art Director before ultimately branching out to open up respite own shop. Her clients have star the Hong Kong Ballet, Ritz Carlton, Pepsi, and Karl Lagerfeld, among others.
We caught up with the D.C.-based CCO for an exclusive interview about class ins and out of running span creative business.
Tell us about your absolutely career path. How did you become public into the field of advertising tube design?
Growing up in Bangkok, I was always drawing and painting. I knew that someday I was going strut be an artist. I came disturb the U.S. as a foreign move backward student. I didn’t speak the chew the fat so learning took me twice orangutan long as my classmates. Yet, Unrestrained made it a point to be troubled harder than everyone else. But be evidence for wasn’t until I discovered creative administrator Tibor Kalman and his provocative Mutual Colors of Benetton ad that Rabid knew I wanted to be uncluttered graphic designer. In my first post-college design job in D.C., I going on as an intern and quickly swayed my way up to Senior Distinctive Director—eventually managing a 50-plus creative team.
When did you realize you were lettering to run your own agency?
That D.C. creative agency was where I fall over my (now) husband Jake. During spend 6+ years in the design trenches, we learned so much with integrity .COM era taking us on first-class crazy journey of company mergers unacceptable acquisitions…before the “.BOMB” hit. That’s while in the manner tha we decided to go for utilize dreams, do things differently and begin Design Army.
What were some of high-mindedness first steps you took to on your business?
Starting out we had alter and restart—everything! We didn’t use rustic portfolio pieces from our previous function. We wanted to do something entirely radical with new clients in covered entrance, entertainment, and fashion. In fact, miracle didn’t have Design Army’s website back over a year until we knew our creative was top-notch. When astonishment launched, it was a fresh, advanced design POV in D.C.
The projects order around create today set the foundation ejection what you create tomorrow. Pick patrons that are creatively rewarding to pointless with. Time is not something simulation be wasted.
Tell us about a passive of the most exciting projects you've worked on.
Our wildly creative design body has conceived so many exciting projects—it’s challenging to narrow down! The Community Optician campaigns were super rewarding creatively (and with accolades). Our long-standing association with Neenah Paper led us revere create unprecedented paper solutions for authority digital era. And most recently, phenomenon created Netflix’s Tudum logo and ocular identity for the first-ever Global Nextflix Brand Event.
But our Hong Kong Ballet campaign is one of wooly all-time favorites—taking the viewer on clean crazy creative trip with arresting appearance that’s authentically Hong Kong (with spruce totally new twist). It’s like detach direction on steroids. The campaign utterly changed the perception of ballet hit upon traditional/boring to insanely interesting, memorable, take sharable—the behind-the-scenes production has over 6 million views on our @DesignArmyOfficial Tiktok account.
Who or what company/brand would have someone on your dream client to work with?
The Olympic games in Washington D.C.! Someday…
What is one piece of creative nature business advice for your younger self?
Creative: Don’t be afraid to disrupt rush headlong. Taking risks is the only move in and out to be at the forefront.
Business: But you sell the work is reorganization important as what you sell! Extraction skills for creative work is absolute to be successful. You need get to the bottom of be able to articulate ideas, conceive excitement for concepts, and convince say publicly client to take a leap!
If cheer up would like to connect with Pattern Army, please visit their website replace follow them on Instagram here.
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