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No doubt storytelling is important— but only if you have a story to tell. Otherwise it just lays there flat like a buzzword that doesn’t provide any buzz or persuasion. Advertising needs the right destination, not just a time slot. Stories, backstories (real or otherwise) belong in the realm of content, where loyal or willing consumers actively choose to indulge in a brand's narrative.

June 1st marks the marriage of art directors and copywriters. It's also a birthday—the birth of advertising's creative revolution spawned at DDB. The legends were still vital, inspirational, and hard at work. Just being at Doyle Dane Bernbach was inspiring enough, let alone being on the 8th floor at 437 Madison Ave alongside people I've studied and admired ever since SVA turned me on to advertising...The best way to get better is to work around people who are better than you.

And craft should include where the audience will be most receptive to your message--and in a way, interactive, becoming a participant in it. While much digital content is thought of as interactive, I do think it’s mostly passive scrolling. Outdoor is different. It's about context. In media, they call it "Aperture." It should also be top of mind for creative work -- it's where the environment does half the selling for you. Here are a few student examples from our Online Ad

Lately, people talk endlessly about technology. More megapixels in Iphones and cameras. Generative AI enhancement. Diffusion models. But none of that decides what the image means.

What is takes to win...

Over 20+ years of working at some of the world’s top creative agencies—including Saatchi & Saatchi and DDB—I’ve always carved out time to teach in the Undergraduate and Continuing Education departments at the School of Visual Arts. In that time, my methods in work and in teaching have continually evolved to keep pace with an industry in flux. Through it all, I’ve realized that future art directors and copywriters still want the same thing: to build a standout portfolio and br

Today, your work can now look as good as everyone else’s — and everyone else’s can look as good as yours. And that’s the problem. In the blink of an eye, generative AI has surpassed Photoshop’s learning curve as the go-to tool for anyone building an art director or copywriter ad portfolio. So… what’s your advantage now? The answer: Stronger ideas. That’s exactly why more and more of our Continuing Education students enroll in SVA's Online Ad Portfolio course. To improve the