Top 10 Creatives in OOH ’24: Brandon Sweeney
OOH Today highlights the artistry of the top creative professionals in the Industry
by Amber Larkins, OOH Today
We are sharing more information about each person on our list of the Top 10 Creatives in Out-of-Home.
Today’s spotlight focuses on Aramark.
Brandon Sweeney was once a welder. He is a Michigan native. He graduated from Kendall College of Art & Design during the Great Recession. His persistence in his graphic design passion led him to an entry-level billboard design position. Sweeney worked his way up to the Southeastern Regional Art Director in Charleston. He designed out-of-home advertising campaigns for brands including McDonald’s, Sonic Drive-In, Charlotte Panthers, Michelob Ultra, and more.
He has won over 40 awards in his career including: Best in Show and Gold Medals for Sonic Drive-In. He also won Silver Medals for Merchant Chevrolet & Ravenel Ford, Solar Eclipse Live Feed, and Kuhn & Kuhn Law Firm.
He believes that awards come when you focus on client relations first.
“The idea of “making a sale” has never been the focus of my work. My goal is to make the client feel the value of OOH and grow the opportunity through great design work,” Sweeney said. He believes in finding solutions to client problems that consistently surpass expectations to build long-lasting and trusting relationships.
“I have loved designing for billboards because it has offered me a canvas of epic proportions, allowing myself to unleash my creativity on a grand scale while captivating audiences with larger-than-life visuals,” Sweeney said. “The challenge of distilling a message into a concise yet impactful visual composition pushes me to innovate and think outside the box to create memorable and impactful advertisements.”
Though certain aspects of billboard designs, such as legibility and visibility can be objectively assessed, Sweeney says OOH contains many subjective elements that are influenced by individual preferences and the intended audience.
- Simple: The message should be straightforward to understand at a glance. Avoid cluttering the design with unnecessary elements. Simplicity ensures the audience can grasp the main idea within seconds.
- Memorable: The creatives should leave a lasting impression on the viewer’s mind, whether through striking visuals, clever wordplay, or unique concepts.
- Impactful: The OOH creative should have a significant effect on the audience, whether it’s evoking an emotion, prompting action, or changing perceptions. Tap into human emotions, and use bold colors and fonts.
- Get to the core message: emphasize what sets your client apart from their competitors and make sure it shines authentically and compellingly.
“I know this may seem like an obvious approach, but I’ve found that in OOH it is very easy to divert from this path when clients push for multiple messages, unnecessary imagery, and every possible way to contact them,” Sweeney said.
To stay relevant, you need to be open to new tools. Sweeney has been in the industry for over 12 years and has seen many new opportunities with different programs and technology that can help revolutionize the OOH Industry. AI is another tool he believes designers need to lean into and that he is already using in many aspects to help expedite the creation process and curate unique concepts.
“As the AI industry continues to grow, I see all new possibilities that we haven’t dreamed of to help make OOH continue to stand out,” Sweeney said. Sweeney looks forward to leveraging new tools to help his clients grow.
“Seeing my work help my clients grow their business and revenue is the true drive, and it is a gratifying experience that fuels the passion for my billboard designs,” Sweeney said. But he also deeply appreciates the operation teams that install his artwork: “They work non-stop in all conditions to make all of us designers look like rock stars. Cheers to all of you!”
- Advertisement -
