Hasta La Creative!

Pranav is an Art director and freelance illustrator based in Mumbai. He started his career at McCann Erickson as a trainee, worked at O&M for a year and currently working at Taproot India as an Art director.

A little about yourself:
If only walking years of my lifetime are measured, I’ve spent most of them from home to school, school to college, college to a job and then back home. Some years are spent walking hand in hand, some on a treadmill, some on trying moonwalking. Now I want to sleepwalk once.

Why are you into Advertising?
Though advertising pays less it gives me other perks like loads of freedom and fun while ‘working’. Maybe luck would side with us sometime and allow us ‘official’ access to all porn sites while we try to crack ideas for a condom brand.
As an art director, I feel advertising is the only field that allows a creative person to work on different fronts like photography, typography, illustration, films, animation and what not.

Did you attend school for fine art or design or Communications?
Yes. I’ve finished my applied art from L.S. Raheja, Bandra.

Tell us about the metals under your belt?
Clio, Spikes Asia, a few ABBYs, a shortlist at “Cannes Lions”, “One Show” Merit and recognition in books like The Work, Lurzers Archive and Campaign Brief.

Were there any particular role models for you when you grew up?
No, no one in particular. But different people have played different roles at various phases in my life.

Who was the most influential personality on your career in Advertising?
My bosses, Santosh Padhi and Agnello Dias.

Where do you get your inspiration from?
Anything I’ve observed for a while can end up inspiring me. So I mostly try not to forget things I see.

Tell us something about the Taproot work environment. We know lots of creatives would love to work with Taproot.
Well, work wise Taproot’s blog speaks a lot, but otherwise apart from an amazing view of the sea-link, our bosses have filled the place with bean bags, so we can brainstorm comfortably. Though, I’ve seen people sleeping on them during office hours (including myself). But we have sleeping bags too, for the hard working people who spend nights at the office and have helped Taproot accomplish so much in less than three years. So it’s cool.

What do you think of the state of Print advertising right now. At least here in India, the released work is most often too sad?
With my experience, I don’t think I can have a valid comment on the ‘entire’ state of the Indian print advertising.
Here in India we have lots of restrictions and rules on outdoor, ambient or any other lively media in advertising as compared to print. So, ideally print should become India’s strength.
But with the kind of change television medium has brought here 10-15 years back, it seems like people have started giving up on print ads too easily.
Then again, I think everyone deals with the change. I thrive on it, unless I don’t have clean underwear.

Do you think brands who’s advertising wins awards, do well in the market?
There are plenty of brands that haven’t won any awards and are doing well in the market. For me, a great ad is a great ad. I feel awards matter more to agencies and their creatives. And which client won’t wish to hire an award winning agency?

What advice do you have for aspiring creative professionals?
The world really likes India and Indian art forms. Everyone should try and explore it instead of aping the West.

Mac or PC?
Both.

Who would you like to take out for dinner?
Natalie Portman.

What’s on your iPod?
Currently Kolavari Di