Our Speaker Spotlight sets the stage to get to know our speakers on a more personal level and connect them with our growing community. Read the mini-interview below!
A bit about David
David O’Hearns has worked within the creative industry for over 25 years. Starting as a graphic designer following his graduation from Newcastle College, Dave went on to start up his first creative agency in 2004. Following multiple successes with the likes of Bentley, Amplifon and Swiis Foster Care, he founded his second agency, Dawn, in 2014. Since then, David and his team have created full brand identities, lots of rebrands, TV adverts, campaigns, and more, for some of the world’s most prestigious brands.
How did you start out in your career?
I started looking for my first role in 1997 by walking the streets of Manchester with my portfolio and asking agencies whether they would take a look at my work even without a job opportunity available just so I could practice. I eventually was asked for an interview but it was stopped half-way through as my work was too desig-led for the advertised role. They then asked the creative director to come in and after looking at my work they created a new Junior Designer role right there and then.
What are the signs of success in your field?
For me it’s all about the work. Not who you have worked with or which brand you have worked on but the overall standard that you have and apply to everything you do. There are companies that make a lot of money selling bad design, unfortunately, but it’s the high quality work that is crafted, cared for and has a real purpose that shines for me.
What is the best and worst thing about your job role?
Like life there are always highs and lows. The highs are when the work you create is appreciated and you get instand feedback from your client face-to-face in a meeting. The bad is when everyone has an opinion on design or want you to change something that you know is technically wrong OR will weaken the project. Everyone likes the idea of being creative but not everyone is. In fact, a study shows that only 2% of adults are compared to 98% of under 5’s!!
What can you advise someone just starting out in your industry to be successful?
Want to produce your best work. Have pride in what you do. Don’t settle for second best. Work at an agency and not at an in-house role (certianly in the early days) so that you can learn from others that have delivered their craft for years so you can be the best you can be. Understand what a brand is and how to make one. Make sure your work has meaning and that you understand business and the impact design can have on it. Don’t let people dumb down what you do. Everything on the planet has been designed. Both good and bad. Make your work sit on the good side.
How do you switch off?
Being an agency owner makes this very hard. Fitness is a big part of my life. I run a lot and go to HIIT Classes which both allow me the freedom to think and at times not think at all. I also make sure that our main family holiday is the holiday where my phone gets left at home for 2 weeks. No contact from anyone – complete bliss.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Believe in yourself from the start. I’ve ran agencies for 20 years out of 28 years in the industry and pretty much led the teams I worked for from the age of 23 (3 years after graduation). Sometimes the soft skills are not recognised or appreciated but when you look back you realise that being able to communicate and lead people is one of the biggest skills of all.
What is next for you?
I will continue to lead the agency but I would also like to get closer to CEOs and on the other side Colleges and Uni’s to help both leaders and students appreciate and be better at understanding what a difference creativity and good design can make to the overall economy. I would like to help guide companies create stronger brands from the start instead of the high levels of failure we see in the UK due to a lack of knowledge or support. Over 33% fail after 2 years and it rises closer to 50% in year 3 – that can’t be a good thing for us a country.
If you could do anything now, what would you do? Why?
I feel like I should say something work-related, but I would go travelling. I took a break years ago; it was one of the best things I have done. Exploring other countries and cultures is such a fulfilling and enriching experience. Everyone should do it at least once to see the world through a different lens.
What are your top 5 predictions in your industry for the next 5 years?
The landscape will become more competitive and proving your worth will become harder as people think I can do that myself, I know a friend, I can go on Fiverr… I can ask AI.
The industry will need to fight back and be more creative. Creating Brands for companies will become more important than ever due to increased competition and a very noisy world with communication and content going through the roof. Creativity will be needed more than ever so that it can stand out from the noise and defeat the drab social content a lot of businesses spit out. Being different for all the right reasons will be critical to success and challenging clients to let their guard down and stop being a ‘me-too’ company.
How did you find the TBI speaking experience?
I really enjoyed the whole journey with 2 Beers. The set up was slick and really well organised before and after the actual event and the whole experience was made easy. It was a pleasure to be a part of it.
Watch David’s talk here.
Thank you to all our wonderful speakers for taking part and contributing your knowledge to the community!