Elissa O’Brien is strategy director and co-founder of Outlaw. The Bristol-based agency works on branding and packaging for clients like Peroni, Mitchum and Gü puddings.
Design
What would your monograph be called?
100 Things I Didn’t Want to Do: Why Boundaries Maketh the Woman.
What recent design work made you a bit jealous?
The Longbottom & Co Mary range by Derek&Eric. The design is beautifully arresting and deliciously crafted. I love all the hidden details that make you smile.
It’s clever, considered and delightfully different in a category that’s increasingly chaotic. Who doesn’t want to drink from a can showing Queen Mary in a tomato headdress?
Derek&Eric’s work for Longbottom & Co
What’s an unusual place you get inspiration from?
Daytime reality TV. It’s a perfect window into the Great British psyche.
As a strategist, it can be tempting to get swept up in exciting, yet niche, micro-trends that feel cutting-edge, but have limited relevance outside of Hackney.
Whilst there’s absolutely a place for these, nothing helps you understand the general population and its idiosyncrasies better than Four in a Bed or A Place in the Sun.
Name something that is brilliantly designed but overlooked.
Sanex roll-on deodorant. I challenge anyone to find a better piece of user-centred structural design for under £2.
It fits perfectly in the hand, the lid fits on the body when in use, and the roller ball faces down rather than up when not in use, meaning you can use all the product inside.
It’s proof that value products don’t need to feel cheap and great design is a reason to believe.
What object in your studio best sums up your taste?
A custom ‘Elissa’ desktop Henry Hoover, made for me by Rex, our design director. Why would anyone want to use a boring and technical Dyson when a happy little red chap can help you hoover your living room?
It’s a reminder that soul outshines performance every time. And it helps me keep my desk crumb-free.
Elissa O’Brien’s mini Henry Hoover
What feedback felt brutal at the time but turned out to be useful?
When it comes to experience, there’s no substitute for time. It’s not something you want to hear when you’re early on in your career and hungry for progression, but it’s true.
In his book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell popularised “the 10,000-hour rule” – if you want to truly master something, you need to practice and perfect it for 10,000 hours. So while talent and aptitude are important, experience is what really makes the difference.
What’s an underappreciated skill that design leaders need?
I think self-reflection and self-awareness are undervalued qualities in design leadership.
As a leader, you don’t just set the bar, you also set the tone. How you handle difficult conversations, setbacks, and manage team dynamics are vital to the environment you create.
You don’t always get feedback from your team, so being honest with yourself on what you could do better, and how your actions influence others, is important.
What keeps you up at night?
How to deliver exactly the right amount of strategy. Too little and things are unclear. Too much and things are overcomplicated or constraining. It needs to be just right. Like porridge.
What trait is non-negotiable in new hires?
Proactivity and a fire in the belly. It’s impossible to be everywhere at once, so people who take initiative, ownership, and bring things to the table are essential.
Complete this sentence, “I wish more clients…”
…dropped their poker faces, especially in a world of Teams presentations.
The best presentations feel like conversations, full of energy and discussion. The worst feel like presenting into the void, with no reactions from rows of tiny faces at the top of the screen.
Any agency worth their salt loves challenge and dialogue, so let us know what works for you, what doesn’t, and why. And don’t be afraid to let it show on your face.