5 Questions with Dan Viens, Creative Director @ Wieden+Kennedy
5 Questions is a series where we ask CMCI Studio alumni to share insights about the future of design and how to grow as a creative. To learn more about the Studio masters program check the details at the end of this story or visit our website.
This week we’re featuring Dan Viens, Creative Director at Wieden+Kennedy.
Dan was part of the inaugural class of the Studio program in 2010, back when it was known as Boulder Digital Works. Today he’s at Wieden+Kennedy. Over 8 years there his role has evolved into something pretty interesting:
“Some governments have a position called Minister Without Portfolio. It’s a job that means you weigh in on key cabinet decisions, but don’t have a specific part of the government you’re in charge of. I’m a creative and strategist without portfolio. Depending on the project I work as a creative director, a creative or a strategist. It’s a fluid situation that gives me the opportunity to take on a lot of roles, work on projects of all kinds and with lots of different people.”
Right after Studio, Dan spent a short time at Goodby Silverstein Partners working on the digital ecosystem for Specialized. When he arrived at Wieden, he spent time working on Old Spice and eventually landed on the Nike team. Today his work is focused on W+K’s technology group, contributing work to Anki, Coca-Cola, Converse and more.
Dan has worked on some epic projects since he left Studio. We wanted to know about his favorite:
“I have a couple favorites. Undoubtedly, Nike’s 2014 Risk Everything campaign for World Cup was the biggest, wildest, most difficult and most fun project I’ve ever worked on. We created massive, exciting brand films including a 5-minute animated film. Then we built a 200-person command center to respond in real time during the tournament. The command center included a digital puppeteering studio. We used that to do the first ever Google hangout with an animated character. We had a daily partnership with fresh content on ESPN each night and a massive partnership with Google that let people put their own spin on the animated world we created parallel to the on-pitch action. It was magic. Here’s the Google Hangout. I hosted it. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing.”
“Another favorite is Cozmo Lost in Reddit. It was a massive multiplayer game played live on Reddit. It introduced the world to Anki’s robot Cozmo and let people collaborate with him to beat a game where levels were modeled after well-known subreddits. It was crazy. Here’s a recap:”
5 Questions with Dan
What is the most important lesson you’ve learned over the course of your career so far?
[Dan] My career has been like a river. It’s flowed and wound without a straight trajectory. Sometimes it’s been exciting and mighty and sometimes it’s been wild and chaotic like a waterfall, but it’s always flowed and found its way.
Don’t assume other people are thinking deeply about your career, your contributions, or your role on a project. It’s great to have mentors, collaborative colleagues and an awesome boss, but even if you have those things you need to take charge of your work, your day and your career.
If you feel like you should be in a meeting invite yourself. If you feel like a meeting is a waste of time disinvite yourself. If you have an idea for a project you’re not expected to work on then pitch the idea (Don’t half-ass it. Develop it and share it.) If you feel like you’re not getting opportunities don’t make yourself believe that someone is actively working against you, they may just be wrapped up in their own shit. It’s your job to make your voice heard. If you find yourself in an environment where you don’t think your voice can be heard let someone know. If that falls on deaf ears, get out. And when you show up, do it with confidence and without ego. That is a powerful combo.
When you look at the current landscape of design and technology what are you most excited about and most concerned about?
[Dan] I’m stoked about augmented reality storytelling. I played around with Wonderscope with my daughter the other night and it blew both of our minds. Seeing a story play out in our house was super exciting. I think there are going to be lots of amazing immersive experiences developed in the coming years, but I’m most excited about things that feel like they are happening in front of me.
When you think about the designers of the future, what do you see as the most critical skills they will need in order to be successful?
[Dan] I think designers need to stop making things that make so much sense. I know the Internet and products need to work, but I think we’ve gone really far into the world of rational, sterile design systems. I want some mess. I want some surprise. I want designs that have a wink and a grin. I want to be shaken out of my pristine user experience with something memorable. I want some graffiti on the Internet.
How did your experience in the Studio graduate program impact your ability to be successful in your career?
[Dan] My time at Studio gave me three things that have helped me every day of my career.
- Respect for people who play completely different roles. Studio gave me respect and empathy for writers, developers and everyone in between. By working closely with our small crew I learned how important it is to put yourself in someone else’s shoes to see how they experience a project and what is important to them.
- Confidence to lead. I found there were a lot of projects there that I ended up leading. It happened naturally. Before that I was sometimes reticent to be at the front. Studio gave me the confidence to lead when I’m fit for the task.
- Have fun. Studio was a damn good time and I think working in design, media, and advertising should be too. My mom is a nurse. My wife is a pharmacist. Those aren’t arenas for fun. They have to be dialed all the time. If we can’t have fun who can?
What are some of the most important tools and processes you use in your job right now?
[Dan] The most important tool I have is the off button on my phone.
You can check out more of Dan’s work here. You can also follow Dan on the tweets here.
Follow the rest of our “5 questions” series here.
About CMCI Studio
CMCI Studio is a design graduate program at CU Boulder. Driven by a culture of collective creativity and fueled by design thinking, our mission is to transform our students into design professionals capable of leading us into the future and solving problems in a rapidly changing world. Our graduates have gone on to design and lead teams at Google, Apple, Spotify, Uber, Pinterest, Dropbox, Airbnb, Wieden+Kennedy, R/GA and many more.
We are currently accepting applications for our 2019–2020 school year. Get more details and apply at our website.
