Business

LONDON CREATIVE: Adeline Chong

Processed with VSCO with a6 preset

This week we caught up with Adeline Chong, Head of Design at Creative Agency Impero.

1. YOU BECAME A DESIGNER AT THE AGE OF 20 AND AN ART DIRECTOR AT THE AGE OF 24. WHERE DID THIS GREAT LOVE OF ART AND DESIGN COME FROM?

I was very rebellious as a child. Always doing the opposite of what I was supposed to do. My older sister was a straight-A student and went on to be a doctor, so I decided that academics was not for me — classic youngest child syndrome, haha!

I spent a lot of my time drawing instead of paying attention in class. When I wasn’t getting into trouble after school, I was playing with Photoshop and learning HTML coding. I was lucky enough that most people around me encouraged it, a few teachers saw through my bad behaviour and guided me towards the creative industry. My mum too, she always told me that I should do what I love.

2. YOU ARE NOW HEADING UP THE DESIGN TEAM AT CREATIVE AGENCY, IMPERO. WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO YOUNG DESIGNERS WISHING TO MAKE IT BIG IN THE BUSINESS?

Be curious about everything. The moment you stop learning it’s either time to reevaluate yourself, or move on.

3. YOU’VE BASICALLY BEEN INVOLVED IN EVERY KIND OF DESIGN PROJECT FROM WEB BUILDS TO CREATING BRAND IDENTITIES. IS THERE AN ERA THAT YOU PARTICULARLY LIKE WORKING ON?

I have a massive soft spot for my time at Manic in Singapore — I learned so much from my ex-creative director, Karen Huang. As a young designer back then, I was lucky to have worked on so many award-winning projects. However, gun to my head, I would have to say my favourite era is now. Watching Impero grow from 3 people to 30 has been incredibly exciting.

We have recently redefined who we are as an agency, focusing on making tired brands famous again, and it’s created an explosion of great work. We have an incredibly talented team and we’re doing work that we’re seeing all over the streets and around the world.

4. ARE THERE ANY PROJECTS THAT YOU’VE WORKED ON THAT REALLY STICK OUT IN YOUR MEMORY?

Relaunching Beefeater Gin’s brand world was and still is a big one. It was a big shift when we won the account. We went from being their digital & social agency to their global branding and creative agency overnight.

The rebrand has been huge, it’s been picked up by six countries globally and was Beefeater’s first Out of Home advertising campaign in the UK in 12 years. And not only that, it has led to a huge number of new clients and projects. It’s also put a great spotlight on my team members, which I am very proud of.

5. WHERE IS YOUR FAVOURITE SPOT IN LONDON TO ENJOY A SNEAKY G&T?

Netil360 for good vibes or Oval Space if I’m up for a cheeky dance.

6. WHAT WOULD YOUR PERFECT LAZY SUNDAY IN LONDON LOOK LIKE?

A long walk with my Swiss shepherd, Kaiser and hearty home cooked food on our terrace at home.

Website: www.weareimpero.com