Name: Adam Mileusnic
Company: twentyfiveandahalf
Title: Creative director
Website: twentyfiveandahalf.com
About the company:
twentyfiveandahalf is a branding and graphic design studio based in Manchester. We describe our offer as communication design that transforms spaces, places, brands and behaviours, as we encompass a variety of media and disciplines – but at the core of all our work are ideas that produce effective, measureable results for my clients and help them to grow their brands and businesses.
Adam Mileusnic
How did you get into your line of work?
My educational background is in graphic design, having studied at Kingston University. Being one of the UK’s top design schools, they have excellent industry links and I was able to gain an internship with GBH London – a studio consistently in the top five of the UK design league tables – where I worked for a range of clients from Puma, Virgin and Apple to boutique and luxury hotels and independent brands such as Philippe Starck, Mama Shelter (Paris) and FLOS Lighting (Milan).
Although a rewarding role, I really wanted to work for myself. After a brief stint travelling around Australia and South East Asia, I decided to establish my own practice just over two years ago. In that time I’ve built up a range of clients including the NHS, local councils, cultural institutions, galleries, architecture practices and even a lion conservation centre in Zimbabwe!
What do you do day-to-day?
My working week is balanced between the creative design process and the running the business side of my practice, where I work from my studio in Manchester city centre. It’s a small, young business full of the challenges that any business leader would be familiar with, and it’s still early days so every day brings new twists and turns!
What’s the most exciting part of your role?
The high point of any project, for me, is always the moment of creative spark. When you’ve hit upon the right idea, and know it will achieve the right results – it’s really rewarding and exciting.
Give us an overview of what you’ll be discussing at ABiC:
We have the last session at ABiC and want to make sure that everyone ends the conference abuzz with new ideas and practical tips. Our Brand Boost session will help attendees to look at their business with a fresh pair of eyes and see what their customer sees, in order to best think about how to take things forward.
What type of companies/individuals will find your talk relevant?
Any company looking to refresh or rethink their communications – whether that be new businesses starting from scratch, or established businesses looking to grow.
How will they benefit from it?
Businesses will go away excited and optimistic with a range of practical suggestions they can implement to help grow their business.
In your field, what exciting developments will 2012 bring?
Augmented reality is going to be a huge growth area, especially with the prevalence of smartphones. At the moment it’s still out of reach for most businesses, but as with all technology, it’s getting ever closer to being an accepted everyday tool.
How best can the travel industry use social media and the internet?
As with any industry, social media is all about being sociable! Don’t use a ‘top-down’ or ‘broadcast’ approach, but really listen to what your customers are saying and use their enthusiasm to inform your brand and tell your story.
What’s your favourite travel destination?
Ecuador. I was there last year with my partner and have never experienced such a wide range of experiences in such a small country. In the morning I was watching reindeer and wrapped up warm, and that afternoon drinking ‘chicha’ deep in the steaming rainforest!
Where’s your favourite place in London?
The Golden Jubilee bridges from Embankment to Waterloo. I used to cross them almost daily and they never failed to remind me why I loved London.
Sum up the capital in five words:
Energetic, resilient, confident, inspiring, ever-changing.
