Page 10 - AdNews Magazine Jul-Aug 2020

Creative Sides
A garage with an art director
Steven Babbage, a senior art director at Ogilvy, follows his passion after hours.
WORDS BY
CHRIS PASH
In search of the after hours creative pursuits of adland, we discover Steven Babbage with pots of acrylic, experimenting with different styles and techniques.
Art meets commerce in the garage. Steven Babbage has always been keen on art and design. “I was a big fan as a kid and all the way through school. I really enjoyed putting in the extra work.”
The now senior art director at Ogilvy in Sydney followed his passion after school to college and then to the workplace.
“Then I had more of a role as an art director, everything from pack- aging to shopper marketing to brand development and design,” he says. “It’s been broad all the way through. For a long time I also worked in direct marketing. It was pretty quick response stuff and it allowed
for a lot of design focus.
“The last 10 years have been more mainstream advertising. Everything
including TV branding.”
His creative side is painting. He works at home, learning, improving,
picking up new techniques and materials. Experimenting.
“It’s a good release, a freedom to it,” he says.
Unlike the day job, he chooses what he wants to paint and how he’s
going to do it.
“One of the other most rewarding things for me is the people I have
done paintings for, whether a commission or a gift,” he says.
“And just still seeing it on their walls, that’s the biggest reward. A
pretty good note of approval.”