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Ursel BARWINSKI
Creative Director | HEIMAT
Ursel Barwinski is a photographer and creative director who currently works at Heimat/TBWA, Berlin.
After her professional education as a photographer, she started a new career in advertising as a junior art director at Tillmanns, Ogilvy & Mather. While there, she worked on one of the agency's biggest clients, Ford, and received her first awards. Later on as an art director at Grey Worldwide, she worked on a list of international and national clients. She then moved to Vancouver, Canada where she pursued surfing and worked as a freelancer for local brands.
After moving back to Germany, she joined Heimat/TBWA, Berlin as a senior art director. Her track record of award-winning work soon earned her a promotion to creative director.
Ursel`s experience varies from working with big international brands such as Ford, Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola, Pringles, McDonald’s, Deichmann, Casper or Sneakers Magazine, all the way to local organizations such as Das Handwerk, the Jewish Council, the Cultural Heirs, German Federal Association of Funeral Directors and many more.
Her work was published several times at Lürzer's Archive Magazine. She has won many international awards, including Cannes Lions, D&AD, One Show, Eurobest, Epica, LIA, New York Festival, Webby Awards, ADC, ADCE and many more. Since 2021, Ursel has been a member of the Art Directors Club Germany.
In her free time, she shoots portraits on film to create her very own personalized flashing gifs and collaborate with different artists and brands.
questionnaire
1. What was your very first job?
When I was little, I always wanted to be independent and earn my own money. I started my first job delivering newspapers on weekends.
2. Please describe, in your own words, what your job is and what work it entails.
I’m a creative director art at Heimat/TBWA Berlin.
Together with my team, we develop creative campaign solutions for our clients.
3. How did you discover that the creative world was right for you? Was there a time in your life that you credit to this discovery? Was there a train of events that brought you where you are today?
When I was a child, I knew I wanted to do something creative with my life, even though my dad always wanted me to work in the financial industry. I am glad that I was able to turn my creativity into a career that I like.
4. In your constantly growing and expanding industry, how do you find inspiration to keep your work fresh, innovative and relevant?
I find my inspiration through traveling, visiting art exhibitions, reading magazines and following interesting artists on Instagram.
5. If you had to pick one piece of work or project that you are most proud of, more for the creative work and innovation rather than its recognition or industry "success", what would it be?
In our culture we don't really talk about death. It's kind of a taboo. With the "My Coffin" project, we started a public debate about bringing death into everyday culture. Germany's upcoming artists created unique coffins for influencers. Symbols of fear were turned into pieces of art. This work was for me a creative and culturally intensive experience.
6. Which of these disciplines are you most interested in seeing at CONNECTIONS? (ie photo, film, production, social, experiential, vr, cgi, animation etc)
Photo & Film.
