Big picture energy: My approach to art direction
My approach to art direction starts with the big picture and carries through to the smallest detail. Early on, I align objectives, success metrics, and creative ambition, ensuring the work has both purpose and perspective. I push ideas forward with clarity, balancing vision with timelines, and performance without diluting impact. I’m drawn to visual balance, composition, and tone, understanding what belongs together and what resonates beyond the room it was created in. From concept development and storyboarding through to shoot direction and final delivery, I set a high bar for contemporary, premium execution.
I create with two things in mind at all times: the audience and the brand. I consider how the end viewer will experience the work — how it feels, how it performs, how it holds attention — while ensuring every decision strengthens the brand’s identity and direction. The goal is complete cohesion: visuals that feel unmistakably on-brand yet never predictable. I aim for work that feels considered and aligned, but often carries an unexpected twist — something that elevates it beyond the obvious and makes it memorable.
To spotlight the craft and dedication of citizenM’s copywriters, we created a concept centred around the “Copy Bible”, the internal guide that defines and protects the brand’s voice. Rather than simply documenting the manual, we brought its authority and influence to life through a visual narrative rooted in religious iconography.
As both photographer and art director, I shaped the visual language of the shoot to ensure the concept felt distinctly citizenM rather than purely theatrical. I chose a warm, saturated red lighting approach to echo the brand’s core palette, deliberately transforming the traditional church setting into something contemporary and unmistakably on-brand.
Thou shalt not write bad copy
The shoot took place in a deconsecrated church in Amsterdam, providing an atmospheric backdrop that reinforced the idea of doctrine, devotion, and discipline. Our copywriters were cast as opposing nuns (one representing “good” copy and the other “bad”) directly referencing the guide’s clear examples of what embodies the brand voice and what doesn’t.
behind the scenes
To celebrate citizenM’s social media team, we developed a creative vision that juxtaposed two contrasting worlds: the fast-moving, hyper-digital energy of TikTok and the urgency of the 24-hour traditional news cycle. The concept played with the tension between fleeting content and authoritative print media, positioning the team as cultural commentators operating at the speed of the internet.
The entire project was styled, shot, directed, and edited in-house by the Brand Studio team. From concept development and art direction through to shoot production and post, we led every stage of the process, ensuring a cohesive outcome that felt sharp, self-aware, and distinctly citizenM.
Tik Tok meets the real world
behind the scenes
