Interview with Deborah Morrison

I cannot say enough good things about the founder of TX Creative Deborah Morrison (Deb). I only had the opportunity to take one class with her where we met on Friday nights and Saturday mornings (The Creative Lecture Series class) but she helped make it worthwhile and it was definitely worth it. I've also had countless friends tell me that her ADV 325 class is the best class they've ever taken.

Beginning September 2006, Deborah Morrison will be the Chambers Distinguished Professor in Advertising at the University of Oregon in the School of Journalism and Communication. For 18 years, Morrison was the leader of Texas Creative, the award-winning portfolio building creative program at The University of Texas at Austin where she worked to build partnerships with advertising agencies across the country and other portfolio programs for creative education. She consults regularly for companies and non-profits in creative brand-building, having worked with the State of Texas on Higher Education initiatives, with The University of Texas on their new brand campaign, NASA, the Texas Space Grant Consortium, and regional businesses in Texas. She firmly believes that advertisers can be agents of positive social change. Morrison is a member of the board of The One Club for Art & Copy in New York and a member of that club's education committee. She has served as an Addy judge in regional and international competitions for The One Club, as a AAAA panelist in Miami and New York, and led professional development seminars in creativityfor various national corporations. Her recent awards include Educator of the Year from Austin Advertising Federation, the Blunk Professorship at The University of Texas at Austin, and the College of Communication Excellence in Teaching Award.


In Pick Me by Nancy Vonk and Janet Kestin, they recommend The University of Texas at Austin as a good university to attend because "they turn out wildly talented, capable people who are educated in their disciplines and in the industry as a whole." Why do you think that UT has such a good reputation?

Texas has such a good reputation because so many people there worked so hard to make creative a strong and respected discipline. By having a dedicated faculty and students ready to take risks, great stuff happens.

What was the UT Advertising Program like before TX Creative was founded?

The moniker Texas Creative was given to us by none other than David Horridge (award-winning AD/CD/teacher). He was a student who worked his tail off and was putting together a book of work for me to take to a New York show. “The University of Texas at Austin Department of Advertising Creative Program” was a bitch to fit on the cover. We talked and came to Texas Creative…it was so beautiful, it stuck. Before that, good program, long name.

Why and how did you establish the program?

Leonard Ruben built the first creative program in about 1978. He was a great art director at Y&R in the 50s and 60s and came to Texas. He had the great idea to teach kids the beauty and craft of great ads. I took his courses, put a book together, but then entered the doctoral program. When he left in 1987, I took over – at first temporarily – and then won the spot as a faculty member. I enjoyed many good years there.

What's your personal creative philosophy?

Multifacted: Know your process. Break rules but do it well. Believe you’ll find the golden ticket.

I've heard from people about stories that you told in your ADV 325 class (Introduction to Advertising Creativity). I've heard that one time in class you said that your sons gave two certain body parts, that only males have, names. Would you mind sharing some of those stories?

Not sure about this. I’m sure I’ve told a million funny stories about my sons because they are such a great inspiration to me.

Would you rather be a creativity teacher or work in the industry?

I love teaching. That’s what really led me to turn from the job possibilities I had in New York to entering the doctoral program and building a teaching portfolio. Once I decided to do that and the senior faculty supported the idea of a creative program within the department, I was determined that we would build the best university program around. That’s what we did. Working as a creative director for a million years with such talented students is a good way to combine academe and industry.

Have you met Phil Knight or Dan Wieden yet?

Not here. Dan Weiden is such a great supporter of the UofO program, it is much appreciated.

I read in HOW Magazine that Milwaukee, San Diego, and Austin are the top three up-and-coming creative cities in the US. What do you consider to be the creative cities in the US?

Richard Florida’s great take on creative cities shows us that these will shift and evolve as populations shift. Portland is a major center, as is Austin, the Raleigh-Durham area, and Boulder. Florida’s theory shows that there are indicators that can predict how a city nurtures/grows its creative populations. Fascinating stuff.

Do you miss Austin?

I miss some people in Austin. I miss a few fun restaurants. But my family and I are having so much fun in Eugene..mountains and snowboarding an hour away, the coast is an hour away, terrific quality of life…that we have found a new and wonderful home.

What should students learn in a good portfolio program?

A strong portfolio program should approach conceptual thinking with intellectual rigor. There should be a strong convergence between media ideas and executional ideas. Importantly, university programs should lead the way in talking about responsibility and ethics, but don’t always do so.

What are the characteristics of a Creative?

Intellectual curiosity, visionary, risk-taker, loves details and nuance, generator rand implementor, works and plays well.

What should aspiring AD/CWs do outside the classroom to prepare them to be better AD/CWs?

Eat at the great buffet of life and art and culture. Look at advertising, but study people and ideas.

Getting work produced is so much more than "I like your script now let's go shoot it." It is about selling your idea to your partner, selling your idea to your CD, your CD selling it to the GCD, and the GCD selling it to the client (but not all agencies have so many people). Based on this procedure, do you think that classes beyond the typical AD/CW classes (such as business etiquette, presentation skills, salesmanship, marketing, career workshops and others) should be offered in a portfolio program?

Definitely classes should tackle these subjects. Much like ethics and responsibility, these issues should be the running themes of many classes in a program rather than entire courses dedicated to only this. Our Creative Lecture Series last spring was also good way to get these themes discussed..don't you think? Those kinds of opportunities are invaluable.

Do you think portfolio programs should take into account the current and future trends of interactive and viral advertising when teaching jr. creatives? What about direct mail and direct marketing?

Wow. The convergence + the immense growth of so many creative content opportunities tells us that 1 -- careers can shake and rattle in so many ways and 2 -- advertising curriculum has to keep up. That's not easy. But we should be ready to bring smart and engaged people in, to flexibly reform classes, and to help guide trends, not just react to them. Academe should be a partner with industry, not simply ask for money and support.

I just wrote a column on this for Talent Zoo...you'll see it next week or the next, I believe.

What are One Club Board of Directors meetings like?

Great fun and I’m so honored to be there. They’re funny folks, dedicated to doing good work and that always shows.

What are your favorite ads of all time?

I get ad crushes all the time. I love ads that use humor well. I’m in awe of advertising that is simple, elegant, smart. I love print ads that reinvent the format or make me smile. My current crushes are on Comcast, Petsunite, Coke, United, Nike, and the stuff out of Singapore for the Anglican Welfare Council.








from petsunite.com and ad-rag.com

"The future of the communications industry rests on the fresh ideas of students studying right now. To understand the creative process, to know that creativity cuts across disciplines and job titles and industries, is to position our students for leadership in advertising and journalism. That's what I want for students: a place where they understand the power of new ideas."
- Deb Morrison, from University of Oregon website.