Graham Fink

Graham Fink, the creative director behind the British Airways commercial Face, believes that any project, design, or artwork attains its deepest meaning when centered around a primal truth.

One of the world’s most highly awarded creative minds, Fink proved his point by creating one of the most iconic TV commercials of all time — “Face” by British Airways. In it, people group together to form a face that morphs into a globe in a portrait of unity.

Fink works across many disciplines, from advertising to photography, film, and art. He believes the future belongs to those who, like himself, mix mediums, technologies, and new ways of thinking.

“I firmly believe that it’s this curiosity and unwillingness to settle for being in the bubble of your industry that drives creativity and progress,” he said.

Fink’s highly-awarded career has centered on the idea of challenging the ordinary. He’s pushed the boundaries in film, directed a music video for Enya, and melded art with fashion design.

Fink held senior creative posts at many luminary advertising agencies. He recently established himself in Seattle, where he is global CCO at the digital design studio This Place. He also launched theartschool, Britain’s most radical art school that has held sessions in the House of Commons.

Fink is unafraid to draw on a childlike curiosity and wonder to spur innovation. His most recent project, called “eye-drawings,” stemmed from a preoccupation with faces as a child.

“I would see them in clouds, rocks, fires and cracks in the walls and concrete,” he recalls. He wanted to draw them in a new and interesting way, so he met with research companies that specialize in using eye-tracking within ads.

Converging these ideas led to a remarkable example of the power of the collaboration between man and machine. Using this technology, Fink draws pictures of faces directly from his subconscious mind. With a laser near his head and eye-tracking software, he composes the portraits without conscious thought. “I have to trust my subconscious completely,” he says.

Faithful observance of the novel and unexplored defines Fink’s interdisciplinary excellence.

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