We are delighted to welcome Todd Osborne to our team, a Project Manager who is not only process-driven and inordinately organized, but creative, to boot.
With a background in advertising, Todd has worked across marketing departments and agencies in Sydney, Melbourne, London and Tokyo. He brings extensive experience to BrandCulture, where he is leading several complex wayfinding projects for Transport for NSW.
Outside the office, Todd is also a dad, a twin, and a skier – he spends at least a week on the slopes every year. He’s pretty good at après skiing, too.
Having worked with lots of advertising agencies, how did you find yourself working in design?
I have always enjoyed the design space. I actually studied print, design and photography before landing my first role in advertising at DDB Sydney, before heading to London to work for Saatchi & Saatchi in a production manager role. The quality of the work and creative thinking, and the process behind everything, was pretty amazing.
I learned how to manage the creative process with really particular people who were anally retentive in every possible way – and it was a great experience. It is such a high-profile London agency, I was really lucky I landed there.
What do you enjoy about operations and project management?
All those years in advertising taught me to prepare for the worst. It’s quite useful knowing how to handle last-minute dramas that might land on your desk at 5pm on a Friday, although that doesn’t happen often in design studios.
I like things to be organised and run well, while also enjoying production and implementation – I consider myself a creative producer: I like to add value to the creative process rather than simply being a doer. The processes at BrandCulture are really strong: every project is well-planned and you can see the forward thinking across each one.
You’re managing a few wayfinding projects at BrandCulture. What have you learned about the art of wayfinding design?
I’m far from a wayfinding expert, but I can think of parts of the city where it is really hard to find where you need to go – it’s interesting getting to know the design methodologies that lie behind helping people find their way.
Does your organisational prowess impact your life outside the studio?
No. I have a three year old and three month old, so usually when I get home the house looks like a tornado has swept through it.
