01
Nasty CNasty C
Creative direction for one of Africa’s biggest exports.
Brand / Music and Entertainment / Johannesburg / 2019
Creative direction in Toronto
Culture Cartel provides creative direction in Toronto for brands, product launches and artists who need one clear point of view across everything they put out. Jarryd McDonald, a former Executive Creative Director, sets the direction and holds the standard from the first moodboard to the last deliverable.
Brands we have worked with
- Nasty C
- Mabala Noise
- Kubota
- Decorex SA
- Polaris
- Club Car
- The Toro Company
- CLAAS
- JCB
- BOMAG
- Monster Energy
- CMO Council
- Argo
One point of view, every asset
The fastest way to weaken a brand is to let ten good suppliers make ten good things that do not belong together. Creative direction is the fix. One senior person decides what the work is, then makes sure everything that ships looks and sounds like it.
Where this has mattered most
An artist competing on a global feed. Nasty C is one of the most recognised artists to come out of Africa. The creative direction had to follow where his career was going, not where it had been: album packaging for Bad Hair Day, cinematic release posters, and tour creative for The Ivyson Tour carried from street to stage.
A label with dozens of launches running at once. At Mabala Noise, Jarryd served as Executive Creative Director. The risk was the standard slipping under volume, so the job became a system: campaign frameworks, release creative and event brands that moved fast and still felt right for each artist.
A product launch that had to become a template. For E-Kubota we directed all photography, video and catalogues. Tractors in real fields, under real skies, under a campaign line that did the work in three words: Basic. Reliable. Powerful.
An anniversary that needed a new story. For Decorex 25 we read 25 years as authority rather than nostalgia, and moved the narrative from trade show to design festival.
How we direct
We write the direction before we design it. A one-page brief that names the audience, the idea, the tone and the hard limits. It is the document every photographer, designer and editor works from, and the one we review against.
Then we stay in the room. Shoots are directed in person. Edits get notes from the person who set the idea. No account manager relaying feedback second-hand.
When to bring us in
- You are launching something and need the idea and the look set before production starts.
- You have capable makers but no senior creative lead.
- Your output has grown faster than your standards.
If the direction needs to land on film, see video production. If the brand underneath needs work first, start with branding. For artists, labels and cultural properties, see music and culture marketing.
How it runs
The process.
- 01
Point of view
Week 1
What the work should say, and what it should never say. Written down, short, and agreed.
- 02
Direction
2 to 3 weeks
Platform, look, tone and a handful of hero executions that prove the idea holds.
- 03
Make
3 to 6 weeks
Shoots, design and edit, directed by us whether we produce it or your suppliers do.
- 04
Hold the line
Ongoing
Review of every asset against the direction, so the standard does not slip under volume.
Questions
Asked and
answered.
What does a creative director actually do?
Sets the idea and the standard, then protects both. That means saying no to work that is fine but off-brief, and making sure photography, design, copy and video all feel like they came from one place.
Can you direct our in-house team or other agencies?
Yes. Some clients have production capacity but no senior creative lead. We set the direction, brief the makers and review the output. At Mabala Noise we built the creative department itself.
How long does a creative direction engagement run?
A single campaign platform takes about three to four weeks to set. Retained creative direction usually runs month to month, with a review rhythm agreed at the start.
What does creative direction cost?
Project-based platforms are scoped per brief. Retained direction is a monthly arrangement sized to volume. Pricing on inquiry.
Do you work with musicians and entertainers?
Yes. The roster includes creative direction for Nasty C and the creative behind artist releases and events at Mabala Noise. See our music and culture marketing page for more.