Los Angeles-based creative director Vikas Bhalla’s interests in design and advertising were sparked at an early age. “I grew up in Santa Monica near the Binoculars Building in Venice,” he told Adweek. “I couldn’t believe how cool it looked. It blew my mind.”
Noting that the classic bright yellow “TV Is Good” billboards from ABC likewise struck a chord, Bhalla recalled, “I came to find out they were both done by Chiat\Day. That began my obsession with advertising, and more specifically, Jay Chiat and Lee Clow.”
As part of Adweek’s AAPI Creative Spotlight series—made in collaboration with Asians in Advertising—Bhalla’s work excels by remaining delightfully open to new experiences. “I’m a huge believer in collaboration. I think a good idea can come from anyone and anywhere,” he explained.
On his proudest work: For Bhalla, his first major work remains a career highlight. Referring to the “ConQwest” video for Qwest Wireless, he said, “It was 2004 and my first real project out of school was nothing like what I learned in school.”
Bhalla continued, “It was so exciting to make, it changed my entire career path and I can’t thank Marty Cooke and SS+K enough for the opportunity.”
Bhalla reflects that his position as a creative director allows him to experiment. “There are not many jobs in the world that allow you to learn so much random stuff and still be relevant in the field,” he noted.
On what he hopes to learn in next year: As for how that might translate to future endeavors, he has some surprising conclusions, saying, “Some of the things I’d love to learn include After Effects, beat-making, improv and the piano.” He then joked, “The latter of which I imagine playing nights at a hotel lobby after retirement. Dreams.”
You can learn more about his work at his website.
To view the entire AAPI Creative Spotlight series for 2022, click here.
