2 Minutes With … Lucia Orlandi, ECD at TBWAMedia Arts Lab

Lucia joined TBWAMedia Arts Lab L.A. in 2021, and she’s led some of Apple’s biggest campaigns, including the iPhone 14 launch and the brand’s privacy initiatives. She’s also helped the tech titan leverage TikTok and hyped the MacBook Air.

We spent two minutes with Lucia to learn more about her background, her creative inspirations and recent work she’s admired.

Lucia, tell us …

Where you grew up, and where you live now. 

I grew up in Limerick, Ireland, and also spent a lot of time in Italy where my Dad is from. I’ve lived in Dublin, Toronto, San Francisco and New York. I currently live in Los Angeles. 

How you first realized you were creative. 

I was incredibly fortunate that my parents encouraged all aspects of my creative expression. I would obsessively draw cartoon characters and try to rebuild scenes and different worlds. Everything from The Simpsons to Beauty and the Beast to Dragon Ball Z. 

A person you idolized creatively early on. 

Dolores O’Riordan (also from Limerick!). 

A moment from high school or college that changed your life. 

In high school, a teacher suggested I try technical drawing, as I had an interest in math and art. I hated it. But because of this, I quickly discovered what graphic design was, and that opened up a whole new world of what was possible and ultimately helped me figure out what I wanted to study at university. 

A visual artist or band/musician you admire. 

Hilma af Klint, Judy Chicago, Peter Shire (and the rest of Memphis Milano), Peter Saville, and more modern day: Rosalía.

A book, movie, TV show or podcast you recently found inspiring. 

Triangle of Sadness. One of the best films I’ve seen in a while.   

Your favorite fictional character. 

Bart Simpson. A classic.

Someone or something worth following in social media. 

Too many to think of, but here are some that cover photography, illustration, film and fashion: @samyoukilis, @josephmelhuish, @colorpalette.cinema and @muleboyz 

One of your favorite creative projects you’ve ever worked on.

The relaunch of Mailchimp while I was at R/GA. We redefined their entire customer experience, and led their brand campaign. I look back on that whole project very fondly, especially building the brand world of illustration. It was absurd, playful and with purpose.  

A recent project you’re proud of. 

The launch of the MacBook Air 15″. A simple design-led idea, bringing to life a timeless MacBook icon—the pointer.

Someone else’s work that inspired you years ago. 

I got my start in design and digital, and something that really inspired me years ago was this interactive film experience RO.ME by Chris Milk, Google and North Kingdom. It was one of the first uses of WebGL that really pushed the boundaries of immersive storytelling and what was possible at the time. 

Someone else’s work you admired lately. 

The artwork for Róisín Murphy’s album Hit Parade. It’s AI-generated, by artist Beth Frey. I love how Róisín embraced AI in a way that is original and not derivative. 

Your main strength as a creative person. 

My mix of imagination and pragmatism helps keep me balanced, and you need a bit of both to get to good creative work.

Your biggest weakness. 

Knowing when to shut my laptop and take a break. I know I’m always more inspired with time away from a screen.

One thing that always makes you happy. 

A good meal with loved ones.

One thing that always makes you sad. 

Inequality. 

What you’d be doing if you weren’t in advertising.

Making some kind of art.