Short Story: Okan Usta is an Executive Creative Director who has worked at Droga5, Wieden+Kennedy, and 72andSunny on brands such as Google, Nike, BMW, IBM and he’s currently at Supercell mobile gaming company (Creators of Clash of Clans & Brawl Stars) where he helps lead the brand marketing creative. Okan is an idea-driven creative who is as passionate about the words as he is about design. He has great presentation and client management skills and is an inspiring creative leader. He’s won every major industry award and was named amongst the top ten creatives by One Show in 2014. He’s a long-time New Yorker, a US citizen, and is currently based in Los Angeles. After hours, he is a student of sketch & improv comedy and can be found writing and drawing for his instacomics series @DorkMatters.
Long Story: Okan is a hybrid creative who comes from an art direction background but operates both as a writer and art director for all mediums with a special love for TV and integrated.
He began his career at the age of 17 working as a cartoonist for several notable magazines. After much fun - and a hard dose of financial reality - he went to study visual communication design at MSU in Istanbul. While there he received both his bachelors and masters degrees.
He landed his first advertising job at a local agency where he worked as an art director for the Mercedes-Benz account. It was there that he realized that his unique cartoon/design background was the perfect trajectory for creating breakthrough advertising.
Next he joined DDB Istanbul and worked for two years on local and international brands before moving to New York City in 2005. In New York, he worked at Leo Burnett, Ogilvy and Droga5 over the course of 12 years. In 2017 he was hired by Wieden & Kennedy Shanghai as a CD where he leads a large team of creatives working on Nike, BMW and IKEA.
Throughout his career, Okan has worked for a diverse list of clients including Nike, IBM, Google/Android, Comcast, Etrade, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Coca-Cola, Philips, Herbal Essences, TEDx New York, American International Toy Fair and Brooklyn Film Festival to name a few.
He has won several advertising and design awards including silver and bronze Cannes Lions, a yellow D&AD pencil, gold and merit One Show pencils, a silver Clio, and a bronze London International Awards. He was also named one of the top ten art directors globally by One Show in 2014 and served as a jury member for the Cannes Young Lions competition. Most recently his Reactland project for Nike garnered international attention and won the 2018 FWA People’s Choice Award.
He also devised, designed and curated the Retired Metaphors Exhibition at the 57th Cannes Lions Advertising Festival, collaborating with 18 internationally acknowledged artists. A fun take on the overused advertising and design metaphors.
His work has been featured in numerous publications such as; Graphis Annuals, Communication Arts, Google Sandbox, FWA, Epica (Europe's Best Advertising), Eulda European Design Annual, Rockport L&L 11, and GMK Design Annuals.
Okan also studied improv theater, and sketch comedy writing at the legendary UCB Theater in New York.
AWARDS & RECOGNITION
Cannes Lions
One Show
D&AD
Cannes Lions
FWA of the Month
FWA People’s Choice Award
Google Creative Sandbox
Graphis
Clio
London International Awards
Communication Arts
"Named amongst the top 10 interactive art directors by One Show in 2014"