George Lin (IDEA Grad 2009), Associate Creative Director at john st. Toronto, enjoys solving specific communication problems for mattresses 🛌, fried chicken 🍗 and beer 🍺
We recently caught up with George Lin (IDEA Grad 2009), for a grad spotlight on life after graduating from IDEA School of Design. Congratulations to George on his new job as Associate Creative Director at john st. advertising agency in Toronto!
“It didn’t take long for me to realize that I wasn’t cut out for Fine Arts. I realized that I enjoy solving specific communication problems, so I took a year off to prepare my portfolio to apply for programs in the commercial arts field.”
Congratulation on the new position as Associate Creative Director at john st. in Toronto! How did you land this gig?
This is actually my second time working at john st, so I guess you could call this a boomerang job. I’ve stayed in touch with people at the agency over the years, and they threw my name back into the hat when this opportunity came up.
“john st. has rapidly become one of Canada’s top creative advertising agencies. Through our commitment to strategic planning, we have an unmatched track record for work that works. Our philosophy is simple: in a world fast approaching commoditization, our job is to make clients’​ brands unignorable.”
Brickworks Cider:
Brickworks Batch: 1904 was made to commemorate the Great Toronto Fire of 1904. So, a homegrown campaign was created in 2020 to tell its origin story and pay tribute to Toronto, a city we love.
From streetcars moving at a snail’s pace, to raccoons plotting their citywide takeover, we let people know that Brickworks cider is Toronto to the core.
What types of projects have you recently or currently been working on?
I’m currently working on a campaign for Sleep Country Canada and another campaign for KFC. Right before switching over, I was working on various social campaigns for Stella Artois and Corona at draftLine. Mattress, fried chicken and beer. I guess that’s a pretty great trio for the pandemic lifestyle.
You began IDEA School of Design in 2006 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Kwantlen Polytechnic University. What made you decide to go to IDEA School of Design?
It didn’t take long for me to realize that I wasn’t cut out for Fine Arts. I realized that I enjoy solving specific communication problems, so I took a year off to prepare my portfolio to apply for programs in the commercial arts field. In 2006, I was accepted into the Illustration Program at OCAD and IDEA School of Design at Capilano University. After comparing my two options, I chose IDEA because it was the option that allowed me to keep my options open and to dabble in both illustrations and graphic design.
Dairy Farmers of Canada - Worth Crying Over
These days, you can't convince people to drink more milk, but you can remind them that it's in the dairy products they love. This campaign was designed around one simple message: Canadian milk is so good, losing even a single drop is a real tragedy.
What are your memories and highlights from IDEA School of Design and have you stayed in touch with your cohort or instructors?
We had an instructor named Andrew Samuel who is one of the co-founders of Saint Bernadine Mission Communications in Vancouver. Andrew taught us what a concept was and did not go easy on us during the reviews. I used to look forward to bringing Andrew my ideas and just having them picked apart. The tough love taught me a lot, I guess Andrew really was my first creative director.
And yes, I still keep in touch with a bunch of my friends. When you spend more than 10 hours a day for 3 years, you’re automatically pals for life.
Awards
In my years of working as an art director, my work has been featured in Applied Arts, ADCC, Marketing Awards, Webby Awards, Communication Arts and also a shortlist in Cannes.
Skittles #HouseThatTrickOrTreatsYou:
Teens have it hard. When they go house to house Trick or Treating it's less cute.
That’s why for Halloween, Skittles created a mobile haunted house and roamed the streets of Toronto to hand out Skittles to those who are too old to trick or treat.
You freelanced at various graphic design studios and web design shops after graduating from IDEA School of Design in 2009. Please tell us about freelancing as a graphic designer in Vancouver?
I graduated right into the last recession, so it took me a while to land my first gig.
During my freelancing days, I worked on logos, website assets and also quite a bit of production work. I took on every freelance job I could find. It taught me how to stay organized and manage my time well as a creative.
“Our goal is to prepare students for a creative career doing what they love, whether that’s graphic design, illustration, branding, packaging, advertising, interactive design, digital entertainment or concept art.”
Internships and Journey into Art Direction
After school, I did three internships at Spring Advertising, TAXI Vancouver and Rethink Vancouver. The opportunity at TAXI Vancouver eventually turned into a full-time job.
I spent my first two years at TAXI working on TELUS, Vancouver Aquarium and BCLC. It was like going to advertising school, except you’re paid a salary and all the projects were real. I learned how to be a better presenter in client meetings and how to communicate efficiently when I work with designers, photographers, illustrators or video editors.
Then in 2013, I joined the wonderful folks at Cossette. I spent almost three great years there making work for McDonald’s, Royal Roads University and Ronald McDonald House BC with some of my favourite people.
IAMS Cat Food
IAMS Cat Food wanted to remind cat owners to feed their cats the right food for the life stage their cats are in. That's why we created a video campaign.
In 2015 you moved to Toronto and worked as an Art Director at john st. What prompted the move and how is agency life in "The Big Smoke" different from Vancouver?
Vancouver was a smaller advertising town, so I’ve always wanted to test the water in a bigger market like Toronto. I find the Toronto agency a bit faster-paced compared to Vancouver agencies, which has taught me to work more efficiently.
Along with john st. you've worked as a Senior Art Director at DDB Canada, Associative Creative Director at draftLine YYZ (Labatt Breweries of Canada). What was this like? What advice would you give to our students who are considering becoming an Art Director?
DDB was a big agency (140 ish people when I joined) compared to draftLine (I was the 6th employee, and the team was at about 25 people when I left.) Within a big agency, the roles are more defined. Whereas in a smaller shop, everyone needs to wear many hats. Which a lot of the times force you out of your comfort zone and expands your skillsets.
I have two pieces of advice for any students that are interested in getting into art direction.
Learn to hone your communication skills. You should always be able to articulate the thinking behind your ideas, especially in a presentation with creative directors or clients.
Keep a Pinterest board and collect everything that interests you. People hire you for your taste, so make sure you’re curating it and stay curious.
McCafé Snow Report:
Placed enroute to Whistler, BC, this digital billboard uses real-time snowfall data to synchronize the whipped cream or foam levels on McDonald's espresso drinks to the amount of recent snowfall in Centimeters at the Whistler Blackcomb resort.
A lot of tools have changed since you were in school. Please describe your process and what’s in your design toolkit these days? What new tools have you learned since graduating?
Keynote. Microsoft Word. Photoshop.
Not gonna lie, I haven’t learned any new tools since I graduated. Most of my days are spent concepting with a sketchbook and building presentations in Keynote. I hire talented animators, motion designers, photographers, illustrators to help me bring my vision to life.
What’s in your communications toolkit these days and have tools changed much during the pandemic? How has your work life changed during the pandemic?
Probably the same as everybody else. Slack, Zoom, Google Slides. I actually really enjoy WFH, I find it’s easier to focus on work. My lunches have become more elaborate during the pandemic, so I’d say it’s a little win for me during this unprecedented time.
Do you have any side projects or passion projects on the go?
I do. I worked on a children’s book with a pal of mine who is a writer in Vancouver. The book is called The Ghost Who Cried Boo. It’s a story of a lonely ghost, whose circumstance gives him a lot of things to complain about. Every time things don't go his way, he pouts “Oh boo", scaring away everyone around him and causing him to live a lonely life. Eventually, he realizes that people aren’t actually running away from him because he’s a ghost, but because he’s always being negative. When he stops being such a pessimist and starts looking at the brighter side of the afterlife, he finally starts making friends.
We launched it through Kickstarter in February and it was actually fully funded in four days!
Crime Stoppers - Hotel de Jeunesse
A campaign that saved a trafficking victim's life. Illustrations in this campaign was created by Shannon Elliott (IDEA grad 2010)
Crime Stoppers - Hotel de Jeunesse
A campaign that saved a trafficking victim's life. Illustrations in this campaign was created by Shannon Elliott (IDEA grad 2010)
Crime Stoppers - Hotel de Jeunesse
A campaign that saved a trafficking victim's life. Illustrations in this campaign was created by Shannon Elliott (IDEA grad 2010)
What is your number one idea generation strategy?
I do a ton of research before I start, then I just ideate until I hit a wall and can’t think of anything anymore. Then I usually would take a day or two and not think about the project.
The time away actually allows you to internalize the problem subconsciously, which always helps when you pick it up again the next day.
For anyone that is interested in the process of ideating, I highly recommend reading A Technique for Producing Ideas by James Webb Young.
What is the best advice you've learned from a mentor, teacher or fellow student?
A good attitude is everything.
Describe a design or art direction fail that you learnt from?
I’ve learned to always trust my gut and speak early if something isn’t working. Whenever I second guess a gut reaction, the project usually ends up pretty disappointing.
Undercover AdWords:
Predator Watch is an initiative of Children of the Street Society that stops predators from engaging in online child exploitation.
Through a partnership with Google, we created AdWords using key terms normally restricted under Google's Advertising Policy.
These AdWords targeted online sexual predators precisely at the moment they searched for child pornography—reminding them that undercover officers are online.
What advice would you give to anyone considering applying to IDEA Bachelor of Design?
IDEA Bachelor of Design allows you to dabble in branding, illustration and interactive design, so don’t be afraid to experiment in all the classes to truly figure out what your special power is.
What advice would you give to IDEA School of Design students regarding summer internships, practicums, portfolios, and career advice?
Be punctual and professional. Talent is important, but a great attitude will take you much further.
When you start your career in the industry, don’t be afraid to network. Reach out to creative directors and senior designers for a 15-minute coffee to pick their brains on how to improve your portfolio. If any of them take the time to connect with you, thank them for their time and stay in touch. You’d be surprised how many students don’t follow up.
Lastly, where do you see yourself in the next few years?
I love what I do, so I’ll probably be doing the same thing.
For more on George see dearmrgeorgelin.com.
