Advertising and Graphic Design Students Visited by Saatchi & Saatchi Creative Director

On August 26, Art Institute of California – Orange County Advertising and Graphic Design students had the opportunity to meet award-winning Saatchi & Saatchi creative director, Andrew Christou. Christou’s most recent work includes the Toyota Prius campaign that can be seen in print, television, the internet and outdoors.

“I was so intrigued with the concept and execution of the Prius ad campaign that I had to find out who was responsible for its creation and how ideas like this evolve,” said Advertising and Graphic Design Academic Director Catherine Stickel. “I reached out to Andrew and he was happy to come share his expertise with our students.”

Chistou spent several hours with the students discussing his career in advertising, the clients he has worked with, and what it takes to make it in the industry. He also showed samples of work he had done with clients like Pepsi, Nike, Coca Cola and Reebok.

During the Q&A segment, he eagerly fielded questions from the students. Here are some highlights:
· It takes commitment and passion for the creative process to make it in advertising.
· Having an understanding of the importance of branding and a compelling story behind a campaign helps the consumer to connect with the product/company.

“I can’t wait to see what Andrew and his team come up with next," Stickel said. "The students and I will be happy to welcome him back next year.”