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Interviewer >> This is five minutes with Steve Vranakis, Creative Director at Google Creative
Labs. Hi Steve!
Steve Vranakis >> Hello.
Interviewer >> Can you give us a quick summary of your career today?
Steve Vranakis >> I've worked in design agencies, digital agencies, advertising agencies, a
bit of everything. I started in Canada. I did a stint in San Francisco; a bit in New
York. I was in Hong Kong and this is my third time back in the UK; last agency I worked
for was BCCP.
Interviewer >> And how long ago did you join Google?
Steve Vranakis >> I have been at Google for about five months now.
Interviewer >> Cool, okay. How would you describe the creative industry in three words?
Steve Vranakis >> It's moving pretty quickly, I guess, yeah. It's a good place to be right
now.
Interviewer >> Okay, who inspires you creatively?
Steve Vranakis >> Who inspires me? I think, what we talked about earlier; I think coming
into an organization like this and looking at what the engineers do, up here and at Mountain
View and the crazy products and the stuff that they're creating and this future that
they're inventing, is very inspiring because it makes my bit that much easier, telling
people about it.
Interviewer >> What advice would you give someone who is looking to get into the creative
industry today?
Steve Vranakis >> I don't know, it's kind of weird, I find that that the best people,
and this is a sweeping generalization, that are in the creative industry, probably never
set out to end up in advertising and designing digital and these creative industries.
They had something in them that inherently drew them to this stuff so I think it's more
how they themselves find their inspiration and how they play that up in the real world,
will define whether they adopt.
Interviewer >> What do you personally look for in good creatives?
Steve Vranakis >> Like most people, I look at how people approach things. I obviously
look at the finished article - the design but much more I think I look at how they got
there, where they drew their inspiration from and then everything about it. I mean I look
at the idea, I look at the esthetic. I look at the narrative, I look at everything. I
think everything is so multi-layered this days that you can't just look for: “Oh,
that is a crazy line” or “That is a great core of thought” I think there is so much
in how it's crafted, how it's executed; everything about it in the detail is what I look for.
Interviewer >> One of my questions was going to be: “What is the best thing about agency
life?” But I'm going to flip that and say what's the best thing about working at Google?
Steve Vranakis >> The best thing, I think, about working at Google is I have no idea
what is going to happen, every day when I come into the office and I am not just saying
that so you would think: “Wow, these guys are so R&D”. Honestly, I come in, and stuff
comes in and I can't really talk about it and it is the remit of ideas that change the
world and that this whole approach to take in here is pretty incredible, yeah.
Interviewer >> What's the best brand you've ever worked on?
Steve Vranakis >> It has to be Google, isn't it?
Interviewer >> Okay, and what's the biggest risk you have ever taken in your career?
Steve Vranakis >> Probably the last campaign that I'm kind of noted for (inaudible) (03:33).
I think it wasn't necessary the biggest risk I've taken, I think you have applaud that
client, because it was a massive risk, with every one of those campaigns and successes
that you read and see about and you see there are a thousand that flopped, and there were
loads of people who flopped to the back of that, trying to replicate it so I think I
applaud that client for taking that risk because it paid off creatively.
Interviewer >> What is your favorite advertising campaign of all times?
Steve Vranakis >> Um, what's my favorite? This is really cliché because of everything
that has happened recently but I think “Think different” is probably one of my favorite
as is 1984, just because again, just instilling that philosophy - that ethos and those values
that a company stands for in a beautifully executed way, yeah.
Interviewer >> If you weren't in this industry, what'd you think you would be doing?
Steve Vranakis >> What would I be doing? I don't know, probably architecture. I absolutely
love architecture. I don't know if I am any good at it, but I love everything about it,
yeah.
Interviewer >> Okay, and what are your interests outside of work?
Steve Vranakis >> What do I do? I got kids these days, so I hang out with my kids. I've
got some projects on the side. We're lucky enough at Google to have time to develop things
that again interest us personally, so I'm doing things for Greece, back home, my homeland.
I'm doing things that are environmental, so I've got some ideas I'm doing on that. And
I just kind of hang out with my kids and do interesting things with them and teach them
about the world and design and arts and just creativity and stuff like that.
Interviewer >> Okay, nice answer. Let's move on to a quick fire round. FWA or Anime?
Steve Vranakis >> FWA.
Interviewer >> Canne Lion or DNAD pencil?
Steve Vranakis >> I would say DNAD pencil.
Interviewer >> Digital design or graphic design?
Steve Vranakis >> Is really a separation anymore? Mash-up.
Interviewer >> Okay. Creatives or suits?
Steve Vranakis >> [Chuckles] Suits don't exist here so I think again; it has to be creatives,
yeah.
Interviewer >> Apple or Android.
Steve Vranakis >> It's got to be Android, isn't it?
Interviewer >> Degree or no degree?
Steve Vranakis >> I think it's weird because I am kind of both. I would encourage my kids
to get a degree, to be honest. I think it is great to have.
Interviewer >> How about people looking to get into this industry?
Steve Vranakis >> Again, I think it's less to get a degree necessarily to get into this
industry. I think the fact that you've sat down and you've disciplined yourself and you
sat down and you've learned about something and you've explored and acted out your ideas
– that sort of thing. I think that just being able to do that is important, whether
it's, I'm less bothered on how relevant it is, obviously if you want to become a designer,
you need to know about type and design and that sort of thing but I think just being
able to just do something like that, yeah.
Interviewer >> Okay, WEB or mobile?
Steve Vranakis >> Again, I don't see the separation between them; I think they are not exclusive
to each other.
Interviewer >> Independent agencies or networked agencies?
Steve Vranakis >> I think you're talking about people, really good people are everywhere.
I think if independent agencies allow that much more freedom and risk taking, I would
air on independent but I think again there are a lot of networked agencies that have
some of the most talented people working at them.
Interviewer >> Outsource production or on-site production?
Steve Vranakis >> Both, I think you need to have a core competency internally but by the
same token, you need to keep bringing new people in to keep it fresh.
Interviewer >> Miami Ad School or Hyper Island?
Steve Vranakis >> What would I say? It's difficult.
Interviewer >> Watford or Bucks?
Steve Vranakis >> I think it's the same thing; it's kind of weird, because I don't want to
*** off any of the headmasters or anything like that. It's kind of weird, I think it's
what you get out of these places because I almost think like, a lot of the people I know
who went to Miami Ad School end up at Hyper Island anyway, so I don't think it's one or
the other, ideally that program would be delivering both.
Interviewer >> Yeah, the education is cross - over.
Steve Vranakis >> Yeah, exactly. Cross-over.
Interviewer >> Okay, and lastly, Don Draper or Roger Sterling?
Steve Vranakis >> I don't really watch much television. I would have to say Don Draper,
yeah.
Interviewer >> Okay, cool thanks very much.
Steve Vranakis >> Yeah.