At Junior, Alan’s main clients include Griffith University, Bank Of Queensland and The Myer Centre where he’s involved with everything from concept development and strategy, branding, integrated campaigns and project management. Alan’s just completed the art direction and design for Harajuku Gyoza, a new Japanese restaurant on Brunswick St, Fortitude Valley.

When discussing his large scope of projects, and how he keeps on top of it all, Alan described…

I’ve always been interested in learning about new processes, technology and software and think that the more I know about all the various processes and media that go into developing a concept and bringing it to market, the more effective I can be at producing better ideas and solutions.

Every problem requires a unique solution, which is what I love most about my job. I get to play with lots of toys, use different techniques and work with a variety of very talented and interesting people.

Criminology Brochure for Griffith University.

Trojan Suitcase Campaign for Griffith University.

A tribute to his creativity, Alan is frequently recognised for his projects and just a few of his latest mentions include Bronze and Silver awards at the 2011 BADC Awards, Finalist in 3 categories of the Create Awards and a Gold Effie Award.

Alan’s website has so many more details of the campaigns he’s worked on – so check it out! You can also read his blog and watch ads on his YouTube channel.

How have you got to where you are today?

I’m originally from a little town called Omagh in Northern Ireland. I’ve been living in Australia for just over 7 years now. As a kid I was always into art and drawing.

I think I used to drive my parents crazy when I was really young. They’d come home to find I’d drawn all over the walls with crayons or whatever. Thankfully they saw something in that chaos and encouraged me to keep going. I was always the one at school who did art. I don’t think I really knew what area I wanted to specialise in at that point. I was into illustration and painting.

The idea of working in design came a little later once I started college. I studied at the University of Ulster, Belfast where I completed my degree in Visual Communication and a Masters in Applied Arts. During that time I tried out a few different things including design, illustration, web design, motion graphics and animation.

While I was studying I started working for a music magazine called ‘Amp’ as a junior designer. That gave me the chance to meet a designer called Keith Connelly, owner of Tonic design. I really liked Keith’s style and wanted to see how he worked. Keith was the lead designer/art director on the magazine. From that I landed a gig with Keith at Tonic.

I think that time working with the mag opened me up to a lot of contacts both in the industry and the city. I worked for a number of other companies over the next couple of years in Belfast including S&H Productions and The Motion Monkeys doing everything from art direction, design, illustration, animation, web design and audio-visuals.

I then decided to change up and make the move to Australia. I wasn’t sure if I’d end up staying. It was just the case of ‘Let’s see what happens’.

I toured around a bit before arriving in Brisbane at which point I had a meeting with Steve Minon from Junior. I came in on a freelance basis initially and was then offered a full time gig. I’ve been here ever since.

NRMA Insurance Hailstorm Campaign.

Alan’s piece for the Stop Flooding My Record Collection exhibition to raise funds for the Premier’s Flood Relief Appeal in early 2011.

Brand for photographer Jesse Smith.

In a few words, describe yourself…

Easy going, quiet, passionate, motivated and focused. Probably a little selfish but who isn’t. I try not to take myself too seriously, I think there’s enough creative ego’s floating around. I love music. One of my favourite things is collecting vinyl.

What are you spending your time on at the moment?

Well, with Junior it’s always busy with constant changes in projects, clients and staff, but on the personal side I’ve been making a bit of music with my brother who is a producer based in Edinburgh.

I’ve also been working on a title sequence for a short film for a friend which has been fun. Something a little different from what I normally do. On the art direction and design front I’ve just finished up all the material for Harajuku Gyoza, a new restaurant on Brunswick St.

Do you have a ritual for getting into the creative mindset? Or a creative process?

My morning routine usually involves a trip to the coffee shop and reading through a few of my favourite blogs. As far as having a creative process, it just varies from project to project.

To get those creative thoughts and ideas really flowing I often like to get away from the office for a bit! While I’m in the process of designing I usually listen to music.

I tend to work with writers and other creatives on projects so there’s normally a collaborative process involved. If I’m working with a writer at the initial stages of an idea, we usually go through a brainstorming exercise for a few hours.

Sometimes the best ideas come from random conversations. I think that’s the one the most interesting things about this job, finding solutions in unexpected ways.

What or who inspires you?

I don’t think there is any one thing or person to be honest. I take it from everywhere and everyone I meet. There is so much good work and interesting ideas happening all the time all over the world. I just try and absorb as much of it as I can.

I think the most important thing in this industry is to stay in touch with what’s going on, not just on a creative level, but where technology and communication is headed as a whole. It’s a constantly changing beast and if you stop paying attention you can quickly find yourself out of touch.

What are you most proud of?

Building the life I have with my wife. It’s taken a lot of hard work for both of us to get to where we are now but, at the same time, it’s been a lot of fun. I love what I do. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.

When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Probably a Fireman or something like that. I had no idea that I would end up doing what I do.

I was really into drawing and art but I don’t think I really knew what to do with it. I did know that I enjoyed it. As a kid I would just sit and draw or make things.

Other kids used to ask me, ‘Are you going to be an Artist when you grow up?’. I’d say ‘I don’t know’. I don’t think I really understood what being an artist was. I think the idea of building a career out of being creative came much later.

See more of Alan Crowne’s on his website and read more artist interviews.