Tim Batterham on How Dyslexia Shapes His Creativity and Not Having a Plan at Dig
When Tim Batterham was a child, a creative career felt inevitable, almost preordained, not because of a family history in creative fields but because of his dedication to doodling.
Now a senior creative at Dig, the world feels like Tim’s creative oyster. Speaking to LBB, he shares his excitement about joining the agency, and highlights the agency's tight-knit team and iconic Australian clients.
He also reflects on the creative challenges across various categories, including finance and FMCG, and the thrill of mentoring young talent, whose fresh perspectives both inspire and push him to stay at the top of his game.
LBB> Have you always been a creative person, even as a child?
Tim> I guess you could say that. I feel like my career was strangely set out from a young age – not because design and advertising are in the family – but because I always enjoyed drawing and art, and someone once said, ‘hey, you could be a graphic designer!’ and it stuck well before I knew what a graphic designer was. So, I leant into the art and media subjects at school and ultimately studied design and found my way into advertising.
Ironically, I don’t think that's necessarily what made me ‘creative’.
I’ve always felt like I had to do things my way. Mainly because doing things the way I was told never seemed to make any sense. I’m dyslexic, so often, when I was told how to learn something or do something, it didn’t always click for me the same way it did for others. My brain didn’t always work that way. I had to look at stuff from my angle and find a way to complete the task that made sense. Turns out that angle often challenged the norms – and I guess that’s what creativity is about.
LBB> You've recently joined Dig alongside Nicole Conway—what excites you the most about this new creative partnership?
Tim> There are two big ingredients when it comes to making an agency hum: the people and the clients. Dig is in a great position on both fronts. They’re a lovely, tight-knit crew rallying around an iconic list of Australian clients. No one is here to rest on their laurels, so I’m excited to build on the momentum and help foster some great work.
LBB> With your experience across significant brands like BIG W and Commbank, how do you plan to bring fresh ideas to Dig's diverse portfolio?
Tim> Honestly, I don’t have a ‘plan’, but that’s the point.
Marketing is often trying to find the silver bullet - the data-led blueprint that solves everything, but usually, the most influential work grabs people's attention by doing things no one quite saw coming.
So, really, the plan is not to follow any specific plan but always follow your gut and constantly question whether what you’re doing follows chartered waters or sets sail in a new direction.
LBB> Dig is known for its upward trajectory in recent years. How do you see your creative approach aligning with the agency’s vision for growth?
Tim> In today's media landscape, if you’re forgettable, you’re likely wasting your money. Create work that stands out and captures people’s attention; the rest should follow.
LBB> You’ve worked across various sectors, from retail to tourism. Which category challenges you the most creatively, and why?
Tim> In my experience, each industry provides a very different set of creative challenges – but that keeps us on our toes. For example, in FMCG, the creative bar is set very high, so it’s challenging to come up with something fresh. In tourism, the challenge is often communication across cultures so simplicity can be essential. There’s a lot of red tape in finance, so the challenge is sometimes doing something unexpected in an industry that’s usually very risk-averse.
LBB> Having mentored creatives at AWARD School, how do you think the next generation of talent can impact the industry’s future?
Tim> I’ve been very fortunate to work with some awe-inspiring young talent in this industry, from AWARD students to fresh starters and junior to mid-weight creatives. This industry works best when it’s full of fresh perspectives, and that’s precisely what the next generation is bringing. It’s humbling when young creatives come up with a great angle that you know you’d never have dreamed of yourself. That excites me. And scares me – because they’ll be taking my job someday soon.
LBB> Nicole mentioned that Dig feels like the perfect creative playground. How do you balance creativity with the strategic demands of your clients?
Tim> Regarding commercial creativity, I think the two are intrinsically linked, so I don’t see them as a balancing act, to be honest.
I’ve always thought of strategy and creativity as a question and an answer. The more exciting and unexpected the question, the more potential for an exciting answer. Don’t believe me? Just watch The Assembly on ABC.
LBB> What unique perspective do you bring to the art direction role at Dig, especially in light of your extensive experience in digital and traditional media?
Tim> Art direction should always fall from the more significant thinking behind a campaign. It should create a mood and reflect the emotion you’re trying to elicit, regardless of the media. I often like it to simplify things. It should help make the message clear without saying too much. But sometimes it should blow shit up.
LBB> What personal or professional goals are you looking to achieve as you settle into your new role at Dig?
Tim> To help build the agency's local offering and be part of shaping a team of inspiring people who have fun working together to make culturally relevant work that’s less expected and more effective. Easy, right?
LBB> What are the trends in the region you’re expecting to see take off in the next year?
Tim> This might not sound very contemporary, but I’m enjoying the creative love of returning to the humble piece of OOH. Everyone got into hacking the media and seeing how far it could go – which is excellent. But there’s been some incredible work recently that’s started taking it all back to being brutally simple, which can be awfully difficult.
Work like Windows for British Air and Unexpected Encounters for Lacoste made me fall in love with how simple and well-crafted things can be. I’d love to see more of that.
LBB> If you could change one thing about the industry, what would it be and why?
Tim> Less ego, more empathy.
