Look What They've Become
Nicola Mansfield
Where are you working and what are you doing?
I am the Global Creative Director for Jurlique, an Australian natural skincare brand. I am responsible for the brand at all levels, including work with our external ATL agency, and with our internal global creative team on marketing and POS, packaging, press, VM, retail design, experiential and new product development. As well as my team in Sydney, I have designers working on collateral for each market: Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, America.
What was your first job?
I had the choice of a job with a big name agency (though no name here!!), or a little agency/publisher where I would be the only designer. I surprised all and chose the later - I was desperate to get my hands dirty. And I did!. I learnt about so much more than pure design: client and studio management, print production, and the value of other folk and their input. I didn’t stay long, but it gave me a great sense of how design fits in the bigger picture which has helped enormously in my career. Then I went on to the big name agency!
What’s been your most memorable career project?
Mmm, there’s been many. Maybe a pitch at Wolff Olins for UEFA’s World Cup. To be an australian female, working on the plum job in the business was a treat (and ruffled a few of the boy’s feathers). It was enlightening to think culturally as well as commercially, to excite passion as well as purchase, to create mascots as well as marks. And to be cool in a relevant way with THE most massive target audience. Lovely, challenging brief.
You’re obviously kicking goals at the moment but what did you want to do when you were a kid?
Too long ago! Park ranger, lawyer, psychologist, boutique hotel owner - pick the year!
What’s been the biggest challenge in your career so far?
Establishing relevance of my skill set in different markets. I’ve bounced between a few different countries, and even ‘global’ brands have more meaning in some markets than others – you can’t rely on the work making the impression. In these instances it’s you on your own, your portfolio speaks no shorthands, you have to articulate everything.
Who’s been your biggest influence?
There have been people I’ve watched along the way who were producing beautiful things (over the years - yes, showing my age - David Carson, Studio Dumbar, Farrow Design, North) but working at Wolff Olins was about getting exposure to some real visionaries, whether strategic or creative, and seeing how it can make so much difference when all that vision comes together. Great times.
If you could work on any brand, what would it be?
This is such a hard question as there’s so many! It would need to be a really hairy one: a strategic agenda, a perception challenge, huge reach, enormous potential and big budget. That brief sounds like The Catholic Church!?! I can see it now: God - the brand. Or not.
What do you do when you’re not in the office?
Spend time with my little folk, good food and wine, and go very fast to get to gorgeous place to do nothing!
Strangest client request?
At the end of the day, if a client request makes sense, strategically and creatively, then it’s not strange – no matter how odd it seems. Things that seem weird (no logo, an angel ID, everything in 5 languages, print in 12 colours, make the type smaller) can be visionary if you are insightful enough to understand the reason behind the request. Never scoff, seek to understand.
Any advice for young guns?
Surround yourself with smart people; be involved, stay close to them and learn. Aim to strike the balance between thinking big picture and beautiful crafted detail; one is no good without the other. Keep your eyes open; the world around you is the greatest inspiration. Don’t be precious about taking feedback; listen, hear, then respond. Never imitate; innovate.
