The Work That Made Me: Ellena Mills
Ellena Mills is head of design at Howatson+Company, bringing expertise in traditional print advertising, digital design, and branding. She has delivered impactful work for a range of clients, including iSelect, Crown, Energy Australia, Asahi Premium Beverages, Specsavers, AFL, and led the rebrand of the iconic triple j.
In 2022, her work earned her recognition as the #4 Designer globally by D&AD. Ellena has served as a judge at prestigious national and international award shows, including AdFest, AWARD, and D&AD New Blood, and she was recently announced as a juror for the D&AD Packaging Design Jury in 2025.
LBB> The ad/music video from my childhood that stays with me
Ellena> Growing up in the early 2000s, one ad campaign that has always stayed with me is the iconic Apple iPod commercials.
You know the ones, the black silhouettes bursting with energy, dancing against bold coloured backgrounds. The simplicity was beautiful, just a white iPod and earbuds standing out like a statement piece, and yet the visuals communicated so much. Pair that with music tracks that were the heartbeat of the culture back then, and you had something unforgettable.
I admired how perfectly they captured the emotion of being immersed in music through the TVC and OOH without saying a word.
LBB> The ad/music video/game/web platform that made me want to get into the industry
Ellena> As a designer, I have to admit it wasn’t a flashy ad or video that pulled me in. For me, it all started with the tactile nature of print. I was the kid who collected swing tags, business cards, books, and magazines. I loved analysing the textures, print techniques, and designs.
Those little pieces of print work sparked something in me, and ever since, I’ve carried that obsession for craft and design into everything I do.
LBB> The creative work that I keep revisiting
Ellena> The Sundance Film Festival branding. Porto Rocha created the festival’s core identity, giving it a consistent, cohesive brand presence while still staying flexible enough to evolve over time.
I keep coming back to it because I love that the whole identity revolves around a single, simple idea. A film-inspired aspect ratio serves as both the logo and a framing device, overlaid on footage and stills.
It is simple, but that simplicity is what makes it beautiful. Every design choice stems from that one foundational idea. It is a reminder of how powerful design can be when it is built on a clear, thoughtful concept.
LBB> My first professional project
Ellena> I believe it was a campaign for Specsavers. I was tasked with rolling out designs across OOH, brochures, and digital placements, and it was my first real taste of what it is like to bring a campaign to life.
Thinking back, I remember nodding confidently in meetings, then frantically Googling words like “MREC” and “scamps” afterward to figure out what they meant. Seeing it out in the real world for the first time was surreal.
I remember spotting a billboard and nearly bursting with excitement, even going in-store specifically to grab one of the brochures I designed just to take it home. That pride and excitement of seeing something I created out in the world hasn’t faded for me.
LBB> The piece of work (ad/music video/platform...) that made me so angry that I vowed to never make anything like that
Ellena> I know I am not alone in saying the Jaguar rebrand. It is such a frustrating example of what happens when decades of prestige and elegance are tossed away in one sweeping move.
There was so much equity tied to Jaguar’s identity, so much timeless luxury embedded in that brand, and it was just gone. And do not even get me started on the wordmark itself. A capital “G” awkwardly sandwiched between lowercase “a”s? It felt clunky, unrefined, and totally out of character for a brand synonymous with sleek, powerful design.
Jaguar needed a refresh, and it could have been an amazing opportunity to revitalise and modernise the brand to align with the tastes of a new generation. However, this rebrand felt like a complete misstep.
LBB> The piece of work that still makes me jealous
Ellena> Last year, I had the privilege of judging at AdFest, and the campaign that left me jealous was Dentsu’s 'My Japan Railway'. It was a masterclass in turning something as mundane as everyday commuting into a meaningful, unforgettable brand experience.
The thoughtfulness and precision in the execution were nothing short of stunning. Each handcrafted stamp was beautifully designed, so deliberate in its detail that it felt like art. Every piece of collateral was cohesive, breath-taking, and infused with a deep understanding of how to connect with people on an emotional level.
What made me jealous wasn’t just the concept but the beauty of the design. The craftsmanship and care elevated the campaign to something extraordinary.
LBB> The creative project that changed my career
Ellena> I joined Howatson+Company in early 2021, when we were still a small team working hard to make a name for ourselves. Matilda Bay’s 'Rejected Ales' became one of those pivotal projects that helped us do just that. It took the Matilda Bay brewers 27 batches to create a beer that met their master brewer’s standards, The Original Ale.
To promote this perfect brew, a range of near-perfect rejects was released as the 'Rejected Ales' range, the best beers you were never meant to taste. Our approach to the packaging was to make it feel deliberately under-designed, as if it had been created by engineers focused solely on function.
From the cans to the boxes, every detail looked utilitarian, like it had come straight off the brewery floor—not a polished product for public consumption. It was the complete opposite of the loud, gimmicky craft beer designs dominating shelves.
That intentional design choice resonated. Rejected Ales not only earned industry recognition but also helped put Howatson+Company on the map as a serious player in design and landed me as #4 designer on the D&AD global rankings in 2022.
LBB> The work that I am proudest of
Ellena> That would have to be 'Exhibit A-i' for Maurice Blackburn. With cameras and journalists banned from offshore detention centres, we used AI and 300 hours of interviews with refugees to create the first visual evidence of their experiences. Every detail—down to tent colours and facial expressions—was carefully crafted for accuracy, with guidance from survivors and photojournalists to ensure the images felt authentic.
We designed the publication to reflect the gravity of its contents, with every design choice carefully considered. The buckram-coated cover, perfect binding, restrained typography and minimal palette echoed the seriousness of a legal document. Whilst the stock and physical weight of the book was also considered to ensure it felt heavy in the hand giving weight to the evidence inside.
The Exhibit A-i book was submitted to members of Australian Parliament, journalists in Australia and abroad, and made accessible to the public via a crafted OOH campaign, exhibition, and online through ExhibitA-i.com. Today, it stands as a permanent record of these atrocities and a testament to the survivors’ courage in telling their stories.
LBB> I was involved in this, and it makes me cringe
Ellena> Anything I ever designed at university. Looking back, I can’t help but cringe at those overly complicated layouts, questionable font pairings, and some truly unnecessary gradients.
What I learned from reflecting on that work is that every element on a page needs to earn its place. Everything should communicate, and if you are adding something just because “it looks nice,” then it does not belong.
LBB> The recent project I was involved in that excited me the most
Ellena> I am incredibly excited to have been part of the rebranding the Australian icon triple j. It isn’t just a radio station. It’s the thudding heart of Australian youth culture. It blasts on phones, in cars and on stages, nation-wide. Launching artists like Silverchair and Flume, it’s the country’s most iconic youth brand.
Yet despite having great content, the brand identity was outdated, static and didn’t appeal to young people today. It was time for a new identity that reflected the energy of triple j. We designed a new brand identity that’s always changing, always relevant. Able to keep up with the changing tastes of Gen Z, Gen Alpha or Gen-whatever-the-hell-comes-next.
A custom variable typeface was designed that changed based on audio inputs. The type was taught to respond to music and sound using machine learning, creating a reactive design. This was used to generate unique titles across triple j's programs. New brand guidelines were also made, featuring an updated logo and grid system inspired by triple j’s actual soundboard.
Successfully refreshing triple j's visual world, while preserving its core identity as a champion of youth culture and new Australian music. The rebrand received +54m impressions in 4 weeks. To date, triple j has had a 4% uplift in brand awareness (huge, considering it was in decline before the rebrand).
