Individuals
Nick Asbury
Nick is a freelance writer and one half of creative partnership Asbury & Asbury.
Q
Where did you study?
I did an English degree at Oxford.
Q
Please tell us the first year you appeared in the D&AD Annual?
2006, alongside my wife Sue, for an exhibition we designed for 26’s ‘From Here To Here’ project. In 2007, my ‘Pentone’ project made the Annual in Writing For Design. In 2009, I won a Yellow Pencil for ‘Corpoetics’, a book of corporate poetry. In 2010, I was one of the judges in Writing for Design.
Q
What makes a great idea?
Whether it survives a good night’s sleep. I’ve had a lot of great ideas that turn out not to be so great the next day.
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Creativity at its best…
…is largely unnecessary. We convince ourselves we’re solving a problem on behalf of a client, but usually the client would be happy with much less. It’s for our own satisfaction that we spend hours making it better. That’s not a bad thing – it’s quite touching in a way.
Q
Where do you get your inspiration?
Most ideas come from something you’ve spotted in another field, which you then transpose into your own field. An idea like Corpoetics came about because I was reading about found poetry and wondered if the same thing could work with corporate language. Pentone comes from looking at Pantone and imagining how it would work with the written word.
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Who has inspired you most during your career?
The Grim Reaper. The thought that we’re all going to die soon is a great motivator. Thanks for asking.
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What has been the biggest challenge of your career so far?
Being asked to write the horoscopes in a retailer’s magazine, including subtle plugs for their products. Death felt closer at that moment.
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What’s the best moment of your career so far?
Getting into the Annual for the first time, winning a pencil, and being asked to judge were all big moments. People moan about awards bodies, but the good thing about D&AD is that it provides some defined career milestones in an otherwise very formless industry. We need that kind of ritual and ceremony – without it, we’re all just drifting from one project to the next and before you know it you’ve had a career.
