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Adrian Guerin

Art Director & Designer

Who am I?

Adrian Guerin

I’m an Art Director and Designer who dabbles in a bit of illustration and photography. I usually split my year between working in ad agencies, working with my own clients and galivanting across the world as a photojournalist. I also work locally as a photographer on both self-initiated projects as well as commercial jobs. I lived in London for 10 years and loved it, but now call Melbourne home.

While each year for me is colourful and varied; design and creative pursuits remain at the core of what I do. I love working with highly skilled, aspirational and creative people: younger, older, intern or ECD. Each person has a unique perspective and I enjoy the process of tapping into it all. I’m very easy to work with, mild-mannered and my ego is in check. I always have some sort of project on the go, whether freelance or self-initiated. I have lots planned for 2024 so if you’re interested in linking up, I’d love to hear from you. Scroll to the baseline for contact details and links to my other sites.

CV

  • Creative

    • Atomos

      Freelance Art Director & Head of Creative 2022-2023 (16 months); 2018—2021 (Intermittent)

      Atomos is a global brand who makes gear for filmmakers. I’ve worked regularly with Atomos as a freelancer since 2018, starting out as a designer and progressing to lead a small studio in Melbourne throughout 2023. I oversaw the creation of atomos.com - a huge undertaking which involved over a dozen new product pages; a new 100+ product render library and a suite of new video content and BTS imagery. I worked on UX across the entire site, as well as concepts for interactive elements and the creation of an online magazine. The website was part of a brand refresh which led to a new tone of voice and visual language across all aspects of the brand. I also set up a new workflow for the studio, managed communications with the web development agency and resourcing of designers.

    • The Royals

      Freelance Designer & Illustrator 2017—2018; 2022

      The Royals are an Australian Ad Agency with strong focus on inclusion, openness and diversity. I illustrated, designed and art directed a fundraising campaign for the homeless charity, Street Smart, which included a full-page ad in Broadsheet as well as the usual suite of digital media specs. The key message for the campaign centred around the statement ‘Everyone has the right to a home’. Type was placed within a diverse community of hand-drawn people from all walks of life. I also worked as a designer on accounts including Deakin University, Melbourne Football Club and iSelect.

    • TEAR Australia

      Freelance Illustrator (Client) 2017—2018

      TEAR is a charity working in partnership to end poverty, challenge inequality and build sustainable communities. I designed and illustrated the End of Financial Year fundraising campaign in 2017. The campaign was centred around the line, ‘Seeing the Extraordinary in the ordinary’ and used a vibrant colour palette and painted portrait to visualise the message. I also created a series of illustrations to appear on an animation for The Justice Conference in 2017.

    • The Wilderness Society

      Photographer (Client) 2018

      Wilderness Society is an Australian, community-based, not-for-profit environmental advocacy organisation. I have shot at various events including the 3-day training program, ‘Movement for Life’ in Sydney. I also shot on the lawns of Parliament house in Canberra for ‘Threatened Species Day’ among a number of other campaigns and events.

    • Enda Markey

      Poster Designer (Client) 2013—2020

      Enda Markey Presents is a theatre production company, specialising in musical theatre, concerts and cabaret and has been a regular client since 2013. I have created key art and imagery for a number of shows including ‘Do You Hear the People Sing’ and ‘Blood Brothers’

    • ACMN Advertising

      Poster Designer (Client) 2016—2018

      ACMN is the leading agency for marketing and advertising in the Australian and New Zealand entertainment industries. I worked on several shows as a poster designer, including ‘Madiba’, ‘Jekyll & Hyde’ and ‘My Fair Lady’.

    • Wieden + Kennedy London

      Freelance Designer, Illustrator & Photographer 2013; 2015—2016

      Wieden + Kennedy London is a creatively-driven, highly respected communications agency that produces provocative, culturally influential work. W+K work hard to cultivate an inclusive, vibrant culture within their walls and across their local community in London. I shot at agency events, including ‘Forever Curious’, a project that aims to inspire and develop curiosity and creativity in young people. I also designed and illustrated posters for company events as well as design for accounts such as Honda, Nike and Tesco among others. The agency held an exhibition of my photography in 2015.

    • AKA UK

      Art Director & Creative Designer 2008—2012 (Full-time)

      AKA UK is an independent marketing, creative and media agency specialising in culture and entertainment. I created brands for London’s entertainment industry as Art Director and Designer. The role involved pitching concepts for each show before working with Creative Artworkers to roll out the approved concept across media platforms including underground billboards, full page newspaper ads and digital banners. The role also included reading scripts, directing photo shoots and sourcing creative talent such as specialist illustrators and photographers.

    • Lunar BBDO

      Head of Design 2006-2007

      Lunar BBDO was 10-person media and creative agency launched by AMV BBDO in London in 2006. I joined the team as lead designer, responsible for all design, working closely with the founding ECD team.

  • Reportage

    • Life in the Crosshairs

      Palestine, 2019

      In the eastern part of the occupied West Bank, Israel is quietly carrying out a campaign to remove Palestinian communities from land it seeks to acquire. In 2019, I spent 3 weeks in the Jordan Valley working on a feature-length story on the forced displacement of these communities.

    • Magic & Madness: 26 Hours on a Saharan Freight Train

      Mauritania, 2019

      At 2.5km long, the iron-ore train in Mauritania is one of the longest trains in the world. Each day Mauritanians brave scorching temperatures by day, freezing cold winds and sandstorms at night, as they make their way across the country on this freight train. In 2019 I spent 26 hours in an open-air freight carriage for a short story and photo essay on this treacherous journey.

    • Risking lives for a livelihood

      Senegal, 2019

      In south-eastern Senegal, a tiny village called Kharakena lies just a few kilometres from the Mali border. In 2019 I travelled to the region to cover the gold miners who descend on the artisanal mines each day from all over West Africa, risking their lives for their livelihoods.

    • Trading Camels and Salt

      Danakil Depression, 2016

      The Danakil Depression in northeast Ethiopia is one of the hottest, lowest and most inhospitable places on earth; a vast wilderness of rumbling volcanoes, salt flats and sulphur springs. In 2016 I created a photo essay exploring the challenges of life in a challenging region.

  • Awards & Exposure

    • Wired Magazine

      2020

      Wired Magazine interviewed me about the experience of riding Mauritania’s iron-ore train across the Sahara for a photo project. Wired shared the piece to their 10.4 million followers on Twitter and 1.4 million followers on Instagram. The piece was also translated to Japanese for Wired Japan. Read the interview online.

    • Sony World Photography Awards

      2020

      My photo from the back of a Mauritanian freight train won the 2020 Sony World Photography Awards (Travel Category). The photo was featured on CNNBBCThe Guardian and many more global news sites.

    • Orient XXI

      2020

      My story on Israel’s ongoing campaign to demolish Palestinian homes in the Jordan Valley was recently published in Orient XXI. Orient XXI is a French publication dedicated to politics and reportage in the Middle East. Read the published article here.

    • Musée Magazine

      2020

      Musée Magazine recently featured my work from the salt flats of Senegal for a feature story on Earth Day.

    • The Guardian

      2017

      The Guardian featured my series from the Danakil Depression in the Travel section of the UK edition of their newspaper as well as the Photography section online.