Uprising: Eleanora Si Hoe on What Makes A Great Art Director

As a young creative person, Eleanora Si Hoe didn’t envision a future in advertising. Not unlike many young creatives and artists, she saw her future firmly residing in film, as an animator. When she started her creative journey, however, and developed her skills, graphic design became more and more appealing.

As she puts it, “As I began to explore graphic design, I saw myself more in advertising because it allows me to work on a wide range of touch points and different creative outlets.” For Eleanora, motion graphics, illustration, and graphic design all force her to think outside of the box to find creative solutions to convey key messages.

And from aspiring artist to an art director, she credits not one single moment as defining her journey, but many small opportunities to which she said yes.

“Of course, I couldn’t have done it without the support of my manager at the time vouching for me,” she says, “but it was a slow and steady progress of showing initiative and being open and ready for opportunities as they presented themselves.

Proving yourself to your bosses in a new industry is tough, but her background in animation gave her a fighting chance. To Eleanora, animation is a key influence on her work not only because of its technical aspects but because her skills empower her to tell a story.

These skills haven’t gone unnoticed at Tag, where Eleanora was appointed as a creative production leader overseeing their Dairy Farm account.

“As creative production leader, I help ensure the designers' smooth operations by trafficking new briefs, planning resources, and dealing with any issues that might arise,” Eleanora explains.

“As a junior art director, my focus will be on the briefs on-hand, which could be working on content calendars, key visuals, or a YouTube ad. But as the other designers finish their work, I’ll help to check them and provide feedback and guidance if needed.”

With various responsibilities, organisation is key for Eleanora, whose desk is frequently submerged in to-do lists.

“I also try to be forward-looking enough to try and predict any issues before they arise,” she says.

With a diverse portfolio of deliverables, from storefront murals to YouTube ads, Eleanora ensures creative consistency across a wide range of formats and channels. For her, it’s as simple as being sure to understand that each touch point will have its unique messaging and purpose depending on where it is on the consumer’s journey. 

“But to ensure overall creative consistency, we first must establish the key message that will run through all of them, and then, of course, having the key visual will help ensure they will have the same look and feel throughout.”

On top of it all, Eleanora also directs video shoots at Tag. When it comes to directing, the most challenging aspect is usually the number of cooks in the kitchen providing creative feedback. She credits being a part of a good team with her ability to succeed in this role.

“Everyone knows their role and what they’re in charge, of while still being open to collaboration with each other to get the best product possible,” she says.

“But more critical for me was learning to roll with the punches. Rather than getting hung up on any unpredicted problems, I aim to be more solution-based and to think on my feet to find creative solutions for anything that might arise.”

And her ability to collaborate effectively has earned dividends on a 7eleven, “Dabao flavours of Singapore”. The campaign promoted the brand’s ready-to-eat pack meals, wherein the company partnered with a popular hawker stall in Singapore to bring their dishes in-store.

“We had to produce five different interview videos of the hawker store owners,” Eleanora explains. “We really had to tap on the different skills of the copywriter, myself, and the videographer to create the best outcome in such a tight timeline.”

But through it all, Eleanora never switches the designer side of her brain off, always looking to keep her eye open for new and interesting trends, or analysing other ads to see what works or doesn’t work about them. This skill, Eleanora believes, is what makes a great art director.

“I think a great art director has a wide visual library and can adapt their personal style to fit the message or brand,” she says. “But more importantly, they have a great relationship with their team.

Still being younger than most of the designers on her team, Eleanora is all about developing good working relationships with all of them by not micro-managing, and by imparting her “Gen-Z enthusiasm” into the work.

To Eleanora, having rich life experience makes you a better art director. It helps in  on different aspects and perspectives of life to be able to connect with a wider audience by drawing on the world outside of design for inspiration.

In this pursuit, she is currently learning dance, German, and starting to dabble in architectural design. Whilst these skills might not directly translate into her graphic design skills, they have taught her different disciplines like patience and problem-solving.

“Having a different way of approaching design translates to me both as a leader and a designer”, she affirms.