Maya Brenner finding inspiration in front of a portrait of DDB’s founder Bill Bernbach.

Ever wonder what it takes to be an Art Director or Designer at an award winning advertising agency? We had the chance to get to know Maya Brenner who is a Senior Designer for DDB Düsseldorf and DDB Tribal Hamburg.

Maya has worked on projects for companies such as Volkswagen, Deutsche Telekom. With hard work and passion she moved up from intern to Junior Art Director to Senior Designer, showing that with patience and a playful work ethic that one can reach their goals in the ad world!

We hope that you find our interview with Maya inspirational as she provides some tips on how to start a your dream career in advertising!

How did you get your start in the advertising industry? Did you have to overcome any obstacles?

After studying digital media, I found a position as an intern. I wanted to try the classical part of communication design and chose to pursue a career in advertising.

There are always obstacles along the way. However, obstacles are subjective and how you deal with them is what matters the most. When encountering an obstacle it is important to stay focused and strive towards your goals. Knowing that your accomplishments will take you farther in your career is what will help you overcome anything that seems like a hinderance.

What makes a good Art Director?

A good Art Director knows how to enhance developed ideas by applying visual concepts that speak to the target group, not only on the informative level but also touching the emotional level as well.

Talented Art Directors have the ability to merge different aspects of design such as photography, illustration and typography. He or she should have the expertise to supervise in a way that leads to a final result that visually stands out and serves the purpose of the product being conveyed.

‘Talented Art Directors have the ability to merge different aspects of design such as photography, illustration and typography.’

What can one expect from working in agency environment?

Nice, crazy and passionate people. Sometimes long hours of work, friendship, frustration, fun drive inspiration and a sense of closeness to your coworkers via an intense work ethic.

What types of projects do you enjoy working on and why?

I love working on challenging projects in which all creatives invest their talents into and share their unique input, can lead to a prize winning campaign! Working with people who focus on the result and not on their egos is something that I really enjoy.

How has working at DDB helped you grow as a creative?

Working at DDB helped me realize that cooperation is key and that you cannot succeed alone. The more successful you become, the humbler you become. I also learned that advertising is not a serious business and work is play — if you do not enjoy playing with your assignments, then you will hate Mondays and your work becomes a means to an end.

Finding the right agency that matches your values and your personality is what matters the most. I found my home with DDB and the teams I have worked with have become like family.

What types of projects do agencies look for when viewing the portfolios of applicants? Are there ‘Dos’ and ‘Don’ts’?

Agencies look for talent that align with their creative agenda. They’re interested in your part seeing how your specific skills can help move a specific project forward and develop it further.

I personally enjoy viewing portfolios that feature personal work done by creatives. These reveal your skills and passion. These examples show how your design outside of a 9 to 5 job or university assignments. The rest you can learn at the agency if you are willing to and open to learning.

For ‘Dos’… it is important use your own ideas. Don’t ever swipe the work of others or steal ideas from projects that you were not involved in. If you do use ideas that do not belong to you, then it will eventually come out one day and then you’re ruined in the industry.

The motto of DDB Düsseldorf enlightens and empowers its creatives.

What goes into creating a CV or resume that would get noticed by a Hiring Manager?

I usually don’t look at the CV, I don’t care what the person studied or what they did in the past as long as they’re willing to bring along their passion.

The works in a portfolio reveal a lot about a person.

Why is it important to learn how to create vector graphics? How have you utilized vector graphics in your workflow?

It’s amazing how easy and fast vector graphics can be produced. Plus, they can be used in any media format, they are infinitely scalable and the potential to create artwork is immense — from realistic 3D approach to flat icons and much more.

What do you like most about Vectornator? Do you have a favorite tool within the Vectornator app? (If you have any questions about Vectornator or require a demo let me know).

The good thing about Vectornator is I can doodle on the go. As an illustrator myself, I love to start drawing as soon as I get an idea and most of the time it’s on my way to catch a bus or at a restaurant.

Maya exepermenting with color: ‘It’s amazing how easy and fast vector graphics can be produced.’

What types of tips can you give to people wanting to create amazing vector based graphics?

From my own experience I learn faster if I just try things out, play around and learn from my ‘mistakes’.

If I want to create amazing graphics, I first take an hour to find inspiration on the creative platform. Then I step back and do something else to let my inspiration develop and set in.

After a while, I start to design my own creative signature artwork based on the concepts that I imagined and implementing my original input. That way I can create something new backed by the collective creative knowledge.

Any other thoughts for inspiring future Art Directors?

Trust your own creative potential. Do it first for yourself and always strive for a meaningful outcome.

‘Working at DDB helped me realize that cooperation is key and that you cannot succeed alone.’

To learn more about open positions at DDB, make sure to visit their career page.

Team Vectornator hopes to inspire you on your path to becoming a professional creative. Make sure to follow our blog on Medium to learn more about various careers as we profile the top creatives from industries such as advertising, gaming, web design and more!

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