Alexandra Taylor
Former Executive Creative Director, Saatchi & Saatchi
Independent Creative Director | Founder, Art of Art Direction Masterclasses
Topic: Horror Stories & Industry Fk-Ups**
Every great creative career has its horror stories.
Alexandra Taylor takes the audience behind the scenes of some of her most iconic advertising campaigns to reveal the moments when everything seemed to be falling apart—ideas that refused to work, clients who lost faith, and creative decisions that appeared destined for failure.
Looking back, she believes those moments weren't signs of failure at all. They were evidence that the work was pushing into new territory—where genuine creativity lives.
Through candid stories, humour and hard-won lessons, Alexandra explores why the most frightening moments in the creative process are often the ones worth embracing. If you've never questioned whether your idea is good enough or wondered, "How can I make this better?", perhaps you haven't pushed your creativity as far as it can go.
A revealing and entertaining talk that may change the way you think about creative failure—and why your biggest "f**k-ups" could be the first sign you're creating your best work.
About Alexandra:
The first female in the world to receive the prestigious D&AD President’s Award for her outstanding contribution to Advertising.
The first female in the UK to be featured in the D&AD Masterclass Art Direction book, which showcased advertising’s greatest Art Directors of all time.
The only creative (and female) ever appointed as Executive Creative Director reporting directly to Charles Saatchi on the iconic Silk Cut brand.
The first female to be both nominated and win a silver D&AD pencil in the same year, for ‘Best Art Direction’, be elected three times onto the D&AD Executive Board, be awarded seven silver D&AD pencils, nine silver graphite pencils and over 250 wooden pencils in the D&AD Annual, including countless awards at Cannes, and has sat on a record-breaking number of juries worldwide.
The first female (and creative) to be appointed by the late luminary Paul Arden, during his reign at Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising, to succeed him as ‘Head of Art,’ and the first female in advertising to be nominated as a Director at D&AD, alongside the renowned film director Jonathan Glazer.
The first female to be exclusively spotlighted in ‘Archive’ magazine – unveiled with the launch on the eve of the Cannes Advertising Festival.
The first documentary on women in advertising, ‘Mad Women’ by Channel 4, celebrated Alexandra as a pioneer for rising to the top in a massively male-dominated industry.
Every great creative career has its horror stories.
Through candid stories, humour and hard-won lessons, Alexandra explores why the most frightening moments in the creative process are often the ones worth embracing. If you've never questioned whether your idea is good enough or wondered, "How can I make this better?", perhaps you haven't pushed your creativity as far as it can go.