Many students are curious about how it all works, when it comes to the Roger Hatchuel Academy Selection. The Alternative School for Creative Thinking has managed to train, select and send Romanian talent for several years to Cannes and have them experience the exclusive courses held by amazing & highly skilled teachers at the Roger Hatchuel Academy. We are continuing our series of Roger Hatchuel Alumni interviews with Anca Ifrim, who has become a design expert and a successful executive creative director in her own right.

How did you feel when you found out you won the local Roger Hatchuel Academy contest?

I was aiming for Young Lions Design at the time. So, initially, I was disappointed. In hindsight, it was the best learning opportunity at the perfect time.

What activities did you have during the academy?

Inside the academy, seminars & workshops in the morning. Then, we were encouraged to check out the rest of the festival for part of the day. We’d share these experiences back “at base” in the evening.

What does Roger Hatchuel Academy mean to you?

An international community of young, fresh, creative minds.

What was the best part of Roger Hatchuel Academy?

The “muchness”/ abundance of everything: people, nationalities, cultures, ideas, campaigns, advice, information, emotions.

Do you recommend Roger Hatchuel Academy? If so, why?

Of course. Do everything that opens you up to anything

Do you have any advice for the new applicants?

Do the hard work. Passion trumps talent. That catchy one-liner or minimalist logo you famously know has weeks of research behind it & tens of less successful iterations.

How has RHA influenced your life?

It was my first touchpoint with the advertising industry. It has shaped the vision of how the industry should look like, in its best form.

Has it changed your perspective on your career?

As a graphic designer graduate, advertising isn’t something I was aspiring towards. It gave me hope that one can do decent creative work in a commercial framework.

Top 3 skills you’ve improved:

Social skills, lateral thinking, general creative mindset.

Top 3 speakers:

George Lois and what was memorable from his talk:

“The minute people force you to do bad work, you’re through. You’ll never be great.”About Andy Warhol on the Esquire magazine cover:” – Andy, I’m gonna put you on the cover of Esquire.

– How?

– I’ll have you drowning in a giant Campbell Soup can.

– Won’t you have to build that giant can?

– No, schmuck! “

”Vivienne Westwood.Amongst the things she said: “the human genius can make the world a better place” / “culture is about human evolution in the pursuit of excellence” / “listen to your best self” / “the world has forgotten more than it remembers” and she almost shouted at the end: “Keep having opinions! It’s what will save us”.

Mary Lee Copeland.The most vivid speaker we’ve had, some sort of “emotional godmother”. A lesson in how to make emotion; emotion being defined as “a cluster of feelings, negative and positive”. We had to hold hands and look into each others’ eyes and somehow realize that storytelling is in fact the structuring of the emotional response from an audience.

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