© Santi Urso
Creative Director
& Art Director
Born in Italy. Based in Amsterdam. Working worldwide.
About
Global Associate Creative Director at LePub
Amsterdam, Netherlands
2022 – Present
Senior Creative at Boomerang
Amsterdam, Netherlands
2021 – 2022
Senior Art Director at Saatchi & Saatchi
Melbourne, Australia
2018 – 2021
Art Director at Leo Burnett
Milan, Italy
2016 – 2018
Art Director at Duval Guillaume
Antwerp, Belgium
2015 – 2016
Art Director at KKLD
Berlin, Germany
2014 – 2015
Digital Art Director at Publicis
Rome, Italy
2012 – 2014
Experience
Teaching
Contacts
About
Cannes Lions – Gold – Brand Experience & Activation – The Closer
Cannes Lions – Gold – PR – The Candidate
Cannes Lions – Silver – Brand Experience & Activation – The Closer
Cannes Lions – Silver – Outdoor – The Closer
Cannes Lions – Silver – Outdoor – The Closer
Cannes Lions – Silver – PR – Sponsor Day
Cannes Lions – Silver – Promo & Activation – The Candidate
Cannes Lions – Silver – Promo & Activation – The Candidate
Cannes Lions – Bronze – Outdoor – The Closer
Cannes Lions – Bronze – Direct – The Closer
Cannes Lions – Bronze – PR – The Closer
Cannes Lions – Bronze – Media – Business Booster
Cannes Lions – Bronze – Film – Dream Island
Cannes Lions – Bronze – Direct – Sponsor Day
Cannes Lions – Bronze – Film – The Candidate
Cannes Lions – Bronze – Titanium & Integrated – The Candidate
Cannes Lions – x21 Finalist
Clios – Gold – The Candidate
Clios – Silver – OOH – The Closer
Clios – Silver – The Candidate
Clios – Silver – The Candidate
Clios – Silver – The Candidate
Clios – Bronze – PR – The Closer
Eurobest – Silver – Outdoor – The Closer
Eurobest – Silver – Direct – The Candidate
Eurobest – Silver – Film – The Candidate
Eurobest – Bronze – Media – The Candidate
Eurobest – Bronze – PR – The Candidate
Eurobest – Bronze – Promo & Activation – The Candidate
Eurobest – Bronze – Integrated – Business Booster
Eurobest – x5 Finalist
D&AD – Wood – Integrated – The Candidate
D&AD – Wood – Direct – The Candidate
D&AD – x1 Finalist
New York Festival – Grand Prix – The Candidate
New York Festival – Gold – The Candidate
New York Festival – Bronze – Dream Island
New York Festival – x4 Finalist
Andy – Gold – Idea – The Closer
One Show – Silver – Experiential & Immersive – The Closer
One Show – x7 Finalist
Epica – Silver – The Candidate
Epica – Bronze – The Candidate
Epica – Bronze – The Candidate
Golden Drum – Gold – OOH – The Closer
Golden Drum – Bronze – Integrated – The Closer
Golden Drum – Bronze – Motion Craft & Direction – The Closer
Golden Drum – x3 Finalist
LIA – Gold – Integration – The Closer
LIA – Gold – The Candidate
LIA – Bronze – Ambient & Activation – The Closer
PIAF – Gold – The Candidate
PIAF – Gold – The Candidate
FAB – Gold – The Candidate
FAB – Gold – The Candidate
Art Directors Club Italy – Gold – The Candidate
Art Directors Club Italy – Gold – The Candidate
Art Directors Club Italy – Silver – Business Booster
Art Directors Club Italy – Silver – The Candidate
Art Directors Club Italy – Silver – The Candidate
Art Directors Club Italy – Silver – The Candidate
Art Directors Club Italy – Silver – The Candidate
Art Directors Club Italy – Bronze – The Candidate
Art Directors Club Italy – x1 Finalist
Young Lions Italy – Gold – Print – PORCO2
Young Lions Italy – Gold – Digital – #ColpoDiScena
Young Lions Italy – Silver – Digital – First Time Child
Awards
Clients
Heineken
adidas
Lavazza
Mondelez
Philips
Barilla
Burger King
L'Oréal
Visit Victoria
Bank Of Melbourne
Devondale
McDonald’s
RMHC
AXA
PwC
City of Antwerp
Mini
Bayer
Panasonic
Baume & Mercier
Renault
Selected work
Heineken
The Closer
As more and more people are facing overwork and burnout, we wanted to remind everyone that logging off can be easier than they think.
So we created The Closer:
a bottle opener that automatically closes your work when you open a beer.
The device that we designed, manufactured, and shared with the world doesn’t just help people #WorkResponsibly, but helps the world be just a little fresher.
2022
Agency: LePub Amsterdam
Role: Global Associate Creative Director
Recognitions:
Cannes Lions, Clios, One Show, D&AD, Eurobest, Golden Drum, Andy, LIA
Heineken 0.0
Zero reasons
Let’s face it, people think there’s always a reason behind a non-alcoholic beer.
Dieting? Driving? Working late? Wrong.
We challenged those assumptions and invited consumers to own their “why”, breaking down stereotypes with a humorous twist. Because you don’t need a special reason to grab a Heineken 0.0.
2025
Agency: LePub Amsterdam
Role: Global Associate Creative Director
On St. Patrick’s day everyone is all about Ireland and irish beer. So, what about Heineken?
For one day we turned Irish too, by literally turning our beer and our billboards.
2024
Agency: LePub Amsterdam
Role: Global Associate Creative Director
Recognitions:
Cannes Lions – Shortlist
Heineken
Irish-ish for a day
Every step of crafting a Heineken is towards a balanced taste. But on the very last mile between the perfect pour and the first sip,
a wobbly table can compromise that perfect balance.
That’s why we created The Beer Level, a special spirit level filled with Heineken beer. Made in collaboration with the brew master Willem van Waesberghe, it’s been designed to ensure non-wobbly surfaces in every Heineken bar. Because a perfectly balanced beer deserves a perfectly balanced table.
Then, to help everyone to do the same everywhere, we also created a Mini Beer Level and distributed in all our bars.
2024
Agency: LePub Amsterdam
Role: Global Associate Creative Director
Heineken
The Beer Level
Everything that is done at Heineken is focused on a single moment: the first sip. Because the first sip of Heineken is not just any sip. Its refreshing taste is what separates work from after-work, day from night, duty from leisure, Agh from Aaahhh.
To capture the very essence of our beer we created a product film that literally follows the journey of a Heineken from the perfect pour to that first refreshing sip.
2024
Agency: LePub Amsterdam
Role: Global Associate Creative Director
Heineken
Beer Flow
A comfortable run doesn’t beat any records or get you first over the finish line. It gets you something a little different. Some call it runner’s high. Others call it ‘the zone’. Or just a clear mind. And the fastest way to get there? adidas Supernova.
2023
Agency: LePub Amsterdam
Role: Global Associate Creative Director
adidas
Into the zone
This Earth Day campaign focuses on a different planet, one that billionaires seem to be obsessed with, Mars.
We created a fake blend of coffee from the red planet called ¡Marte! (a play off their organic collection ¡Tierra!) to show people why Lavazza works so hard at protecting Earth. Because coffee grown on Mars would be worse than gas station coffee (sorry gas station coffee lovers).
2023
Agency: LePub Amsterdam
Role: Global Associate Creative Director
Lavazza
Marte
Oil Garden is an essential oil brand established in Byron Bay, its mission is to capture the power of nature in a single drop.
To relaunch the brand in 2019 we developed a campaign that communicates the essence of the oils, together with a versatile design system featuring every single ingredient in their products.
2019
Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi Melbourne
Role: Senior Art Director
OilGarden
Drops of nature
In order to trigger users’ engagement during the Olympic Games and enhance McDonald’s visibility as the official restaurant of the event, we developed a series of visuals which present each sport through McDonald’s iconic products.
2016
Agency: Leo Burnett Milan
Role: Art Director + Photographer
McDonald’s
Tasty Olympics
85% of italian enterprises are family run businesses. The worst problem for them is the relationships between fathers and sons, which can become hostile because of everyday close contact at work that threatens their business.
The solution? To split them up. That’s why we developed the Business Booster app, which helps collaboration while being apart. Business Booster became a TV series that boosted enterprises, strengthening family union, and also an online platform for family businesses.
2015
Agency: Publicis Rome
Role: Art Director
Recognitions:
Cannes Lions – Bronze
Eurobest – Bronze
Renault
Business Booster
During the financial crisis, people choose Dacia only for its low cost cars, but they don’t discern the brand from direct competitors. That’s why we had to increase the value of the brand to its customers, starting with small business owners.
Dacia offered its sponsor space on Udinese football jersey to small sized companies.
A life saving opportunity for business owners to become Udinese sponsor for one Serie A league game. The 3 winners of the online contest were guaranteed high visibility of their company name in PR, TV, digital and during live football matches.
2014
Agency: Publicis Rome
Role: Digital Art Director
Recognitions:
Cannes Lions – Silver, Bronze
Dacia
Sponsor Day
2013
Agency: Publicis Rome
Role: Art Director + Designer
Recognitions:
Cannes Lions, Clios, Epica, Eurobest, LIA, New York Festival, D&AD
To start building a positive corporate image, Heineken wanted to demonstrate that the Heineken brand attitude “Open Your World” is also lived and breathed within the company.
So to prove that the world is full of possibilities that can only be accessed when getting out of your comfort zone, we created a very special job interview to really put people to the test.
Heineken
The Candidate
Other stuff
I enjoy noticing the little moments when the sunlight hits life and turns it into a treat for my eyes. I like to call those Light Spills.
Ongoing
Instagram Stories
Light Spills
Photography
I’ve always hated the fact that only designers are able to have a good looking resume that’s easy to manage and gets you the job. So, after spending years helping friends and family, I created SpaceResume, a serie of professional resume templates designed for Google Doc, Word and Pages.
2022
Etsy
SpaceResume
CV Templates
Creativity isn’t just a gift reserved for a chosen few, it’s a discipline that can be learnt with practice. The Dojo Masterclass is an advanced Photoshop course designed like a martial art training, so you can become a black belt in the art of Photoshop.
2020
Skillshare
The Dojo Masterclass
Photoshop Course
A series of playful animations that break the boundaries of Instagram’s interface, exploring the possibilities of the platform.
2017
TheInstaTrick
Experiment
© Santi Urso