Creativity Squared: Bernardo Dalla’s Endless Curiosity

I am a naturally curious and creative person. To me, asking questions is more than just a skill—it's a doorway to endless possibilities. It's these innate traits, coupled with my patience to try new things, that ultimately steered me towards the path of art direction.

 

As a kid, I used to ask endless questions. On road trips with my family, I used the long travel times to ask deep questions about life, existence, why we do certain things, and why things turn out the way they do. Of course, I still ask the question "Are we alone in the universe?".

 

As a natural explorer, this curiosity leads me to treat each day as a new road to learn and do my best. At the end of the day, after tossing a lot of ideas out and nailing great ones, this trial and error makes us advertisers feel alive! This is my purpose as an art director as finding good ideas or designs gives a sense of fulfilment and alignment.

 

Curiosity might be the key to enhancing creativity as in my belief, it is something you learn and practice – a lot. As with any other skill, creativity also needs to be improved. Some people are very creative on certain things, but it requires polishing when you start serving/selling your ideas to others and understanding industry demands and standards. It evolves by breaking through common ideas and bringing meaningful insights to the brand we are evoking.

 

By embracing curiosity, we unlock uncharted avenues that fuel our creativity (even a course you desire to get better at), propelling us toward innovative solutions and new horizons. I am in this constant state of asking, learning, and implementing. Let's keep asking the questions!

 

In today's world, advertising and innovation are inseparable, especially with the rapid advancements in technology, such as artificial intelligence and its generative capabilities. In this dynamic and ever-evolving landscape, how should we evaluate a piece of work?

One criterion stands out: purpose. It is crucial to maintain a focus on the idea, execution, and overall success of the campaign. 

It's how you show up and why. Campaigns that seamlessly blend innovation with the purpose resonate most profoundly as people/consumers are waiting for that connection to be established among the brand, culture, and themselves. We all want to see the meaning behind it! In other words, make me laugh, understand the point, or take action.

 

The way I judge campaigns is based on analysing great insights that blend the brand and the culture, either as a conversation, a trend, or a way to express something meaningful. At TBWA\Chiat\Day LA, for example, we create campaigns and ideas based on authentic connections, such as the following that I participated in:

 

At the beginning of 2024, we developed a campaign for Jack in the Box in partnership with Loungefly, which markets its products with unique photoshoots that cue the brand they’re partnering with. We developed the idea of treating the merch as food, so we created content that placed the Loungefly products where you’d find their food equivalent at Jack, ultimately resulting in the "Merch Meal" with all food-looking products riffing off the Jack in the Box "Munchie Meal". 

In addition to that, the Loungefly Fandom is big on ASMR videos, so we tapped into that fandom by creating a JACKASMR video featuring Jack himself and Loungefly collab merch. Also, we released a video featuring fans ordering the merch instead of food at a Jack in the Box location. After the partnership kicked off, we sent out merch boxes to influencers that riffed off Jack in the Box's iconic Munchie Meal with the “Merch Meal".

 

Another standout campaign from 2023 was "Dogg in the Box," a brilliant collaboration that marked a cultural shift, blending the iconic figures of Jack Box and Snoop Dogg. This partnership led to the transformation of a Jack in the Box storefront into a "Snoopified" haven. Faced with the task of boosting Munchie Meals sales, we enlisted the expertise of the renowned connoisseur of munchies himself, Snoop Dogg.

This resulted in creating "Tha D-O-Double Jack" and an array of 61 Snoopified items, all available through an immersive and unforgettable experience.

 

The creative process is a road with many intersections that expand and contract as you go through a tunnel. I start with brainstorming, Google, Pinterest, Twitter (X), Reddit, and others to find out what people are thinking or saying about the topic. I do that with zero limitations and allow myself to consider all thoughts that come to mind.

 

The brainstorming usually happens either on a blank sheet of paper or on the notes app. I write all relatable words and things about the topic and attempt to connect them. There, we will be able to find bad and good ideas through trial and error, which is the fun part of it because that's how we get great insights and ideas.

 

This process makes me think of Albert Einstein who once said, “I think 99 times and find nothing. I stop thinking, swim in silence, and the truth comes to me.” I believe this quote applies daily in my work life. Sometimes after thinking, researching, and connecting the brand, brief, and insight, you just need to sit on the ideas and see it from another angle with fresh eyes. That way, I can put it in a deck and see it again with new lenses.

 

Having delved deeper into the complexities of the creative process during my master’s thesis research at Florida International University, I discovered invaluable insights that fuel creativity.

From the expansive realm of divergent thinking, where various paths are explored and connections forged, to the focused filter of convergent thinking, where the optimal ways are selected, each step moves us closer to that "Aha!" moment. It is within this journey, navigating between exploration and refinement, that great cultural insights and ideas are born.

 

I grew up in the lovely island city of Vitória-Espirito Santo, Brazil, with a lawyer father and an artist/architect mother. Growing up, I was surrounded by both creativity and logic, which sparked my curiosity and drive to learn. I've always been drawn to exploring new ideas and making them a reality, fuelled by a passion for creativity and a determination to keep growing.

 

My family and I used to sail on a catamaran boat, venturing into many sea adventures. This helped me explore new places and, most importantly, taught me patience.

 

All this exploring sparked my passion for creating videos, designs, and ideas, which later evolved into crafting campaigns. Although I started college in Law, I always felt the urge to create. To improve, I stepped out of my comfort zone, worked on side projects, took courses, found mentors, and eventually pursued a Master's program at Florida International University and Miami Ad School in advertising in Miami-FL.

 

As an art director, I believe in being determined and adventurous. I'm always eager to try new things to enhance my work, whether it's in design, video, or motion graphics. I thrive on pushing boundaries and tackling challenges head-on to achieve outstanding results.

 

Success for a team hinges on problem-solving. I've learned that a dynamic, diverse, and positive team enhances our ability to excel. Embracing different perspectives and backgrounds fosters creativity and innovation. Ultimately, building a team of good-hearted individuals and nurturing a culture of diversity leads to greatness in our work.