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Michael Salu
Creative strategist, creative director, writer and artist
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- LevelSenior
- LocationBerlin, Germany
- AvailabilityLocked Pro Plan feature
- ProfessionsCreative Writer - Creative Designer - Art Director - Creative Director
Projects
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About me
I am an award-winning creative director, writer, art editor/critic and artist. As a creative writer/thinker, as well as experienced, designer, creative director and visual artist, I now combine these skills to produce concepts and thinking spaces for brands really intent on exploring their relationship with their audience on a deeper sociological as well as economical level. My creative studio [SALU.io] produces narrative driven creative work across disciplines. My fiction, non-fiction and art have appeared in a range of publications including Granta.com, Grey Magazine, and the anthology Tales of Two Cities (Penguin Random House). My most recent stories appear in the inaugural edition of Freeman’s, a new literary journal which also features writing from a number of top writers including Haruki Murakami, Dave Eggers and Helen Simpson and online literary journal Catapult.co. Formerly I was the creative director and art editor of Granta Publications during which time I created original features with art and photography, publishing and creating work with of a host of established and new artists including Adam Broomberg and Oliver Chanarin. I created a distinct aesthetic for the publishing house across its magazine and book activities, collecting a number of awards including D&AD and Communication Arts along the way. Previously I art directed and designed a range of titles for the literary division of the Random House Group. Projects outside publishing included creating a brand strategy for Curzon Cinemas and work with artists such as Tricky. I often speak about art, visual culture and literature at many cultural institutions and educational establishments, such as a recent TEDx event (my talk focused on the economy of deception within images), Unseen Photo Fair, The London Literature Festival and The Photographer’s Gallery. Currently I am chipping away at my first full book, working on two film projects, Virtual Reality series and an art exhibition on synthesised violence. I split my time between Berlin, London and Amsterdam. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blSKwiKTsWU
Locked Pro Plan featureSkills
- Concepts
- Ability to Adapt any Creative Project and Branding Solution
- 5+ Years art Directing
- Creative Writing
- 5+ Years Project Management
- Typography
- Filmmaking
- Narratives
- Brand Storytelling
- Creative Storytelling
Work history
Currently
Creative Art Director
Freemans Journal
- Freelance
Ongoing art direction for the new literary biannual 'Freemans'.
Currently
Director
SALU
- Freelance
My multi-disciplinary studio. I work with a broader network of top talent to produce a variety of different creative work for creative clients.
2015
Director
American Suburb X
- Freelance
Director and contributing editor and writer for the photography magazine American Suburb X.
2013
Creative Director
Granta Publications
- London, UK
- Full Time
Creative director and art editor for all the activities of Granta Publications including two book publishing imprints and Granta Magazine. Responsible for developing the brand of Granta both on and offline. Picked up numerous awards and brought in countless artists and designers for collaborations including the likes of The Chapman Brothers and Sir Paul Smith. Creative Direction Commissioning Editor for print & online (art and photography) Creative brand and digital strategy Contributing writer Designer Illustrator Granta Magazine - Artistic Direction http://www.granta.com/Online-Only/The-Art-of-Horror - Commissioning Editor of art and photography http://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2010/september/granta-112-pakistan - Writer http://www.granta.com/Contributors/Michael-Salu http://blog.eyemagazine.com/?p=579 http://www.granta.com/Online-Only/Remembering-Tim-Hetherington Essay for issue 11 of Under the Influence magazine. Article on 'Taste' for issue 19 of Varoom Magazine - Digital and creative strategy - Viral and promotional solutions www.nothingbutamovie.com http://www.thisisnotapurse.com http://www.granta.com/Online-Only/Aftermath Granta & Portobello Books - Creative direction of all titles and digital marketing. Granta Publications - Brand development and implementation Creative collaborators and published artists include: Sir Paul Smith The Chapman Brothers Yinka Shonibare Nadav Kander The Royal College of Art Central St Martins The Photographer's Gallery Adam Broomberg Mishka Henner Ghariokwu Lemi Ian Teh The Archive of Modern Conflict A.L. Kennedy John Burnside James Jean Paradise Row The Zabludowicz Collection Magnum Photos Panos Pictures Brad Feuerhelm Kris Hofmann Catherine Anyango FUEL Publishing Pocko Big Active YCN The British Council Crane TV Owen Freeman Institute for Eyes Theo Tillberg Jocabola Monocle Melvin Galapon Meri Media La Boca Tom Darracott
2013
Brand Consultant
Curzon Cinemas
- London, UK
- Freelance
Created and developed the Curzon Cinemas brand. Brand strategy and development across media and physical spaces.
2010
Senior Designer
Penguin Random House
- London, UK
- Full Time
Design and art direction for the literary division of Random House publishing group. http://causticcovercritic.blogspot.com/2010/02/to-convey-idea-concisely-with-as-little.html Imprints: Vintage Classics Vintage books Jonathan Cape Chatto & Windus Harvill Secker Pimlico Bodley Head Square Peg Authors include: Kurt Vonnegut Margaret Atwood Christopher Isherwood Italo Calvino Fyodor Dostoevsky Sigmund Freud Marcel Proust Bruce Chatwin Patricia Highsmith Xiaolu Guo Arthur Conan Doyle Chuck Palahniuk Ian Mckewan Raymond Carver
Awards
2012
2012
Award of Excellence (art direction)
School of Communication Arts
Award of Excellence for the Art Direction of Looking for Transwonderland by Noo Saro Wiwa. Illustration by Rod Hunt.
2011
2011
Site of the Day
Favourite Website Awards
Site of the Day accolade for the online graphic novel 'Nothing but a Movie' http://www.salu.io/work-1#/bolano/
2011
Best cover of the Year
British Book Design Awards
Winner of the Best Cover of the Year at The British Book Design awards 2011 for Art direction. Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shtenygart (UK Edition). Design by La Boco
2011
Award of Excellence
School of Communication Arts
Communication Arts Award of Excellence. Art Direction for the Vintage Classics edition of Paddy Clarke Ha ha ha. Illustration by Rod Hunt.