By Design: Lorenzo Fruzza on Intention, Nuance, and Visual-First Storytelling
Fresh out of Camberwell’s illustration BA and starting a promising career as a ‘visualiser’, Lorenzo Fruzza was destined to take the scenic route to chief design officer. Following roles at AMV BBDO and Naked Communications, Lorenzo Fruzza joined Havas in 2016 – being promoted to head of design at Havas London in 2018 and then chief design officer in 2023.
His time leading the agency’s design thinking and output has yielded its most successful design awards era to date and, more importantly, helped broaden its offer with meaningful, design-led work. From brand repositioning's for The Open University, to identity platforms for the Department for Education, through to integrated design campaigns for social good such as 'The Black Plaque Project', and a new brand identity for Asda, design sits firmly at the heart of the agency.
LBB> Tell us about your current role and design specialism(s)?
Lorenzo> I’m currently the chief design officer at Havas London. We’ve gradually widened our remit to include branding and identity design to complement our though-the-line communications. To do this, we’ve developed a new design discipline - BrandEx(presssion) design. I’ve found it really powerful to have a dedicated and completed discipline which really gets to the heart of what we do.
LBB> What drew you to design in the first place and how has your design career evolved?
Lorenzo> I actually started life as an illustrator but have always been obsessed with how we tell stories and communicate visually. Be it graphic, fashion or interior design, I find the challenge of understanding how a story or feeling comes through the visual language incredibly compelling.
The world of branding and comms have always provided a shifting, challenging landscape to practice in. I guess my career has evolved and been shaped by this. The continually changing world of communications has highlighted to me, the need to have a refreshed approach to design.
LBB> What aspects of design do you get really nerdy about personally?
Lorenzo> System design. Though it sounds a bit dull, it’s the single most liberating term for designers in the ad world.
It recognises that we are not just designers who can do branding, digital and comms, but practitioners who can join all those disciplines together and solve brand challenges holistically. Understanding where a brand should look different, versus where it should feel the same are questions we can answer with a more systemic approach to design.
LBB> There are so many new design tools out - what tools do you like to use and why?
Lorenzo> Ha, still always have a pad and pen at hand. I find this is the best tool to think big and process stuff at pace.
I will often defer to drawing ideas out first to get a feel for layout or narrative or to try and spot some cute visual conde. More currently though, a lot of the AI/automated tools have been really useful in freeing up time to focus on the on the bigger thoughts and trying out more experimental ideas. I think it’s a powerful synergy, if used correctly.
LBB> Design Thinking - thoughts?
Lorenzo> It’s the most underutilised and undervalued aspect of what we do. Period.
Designers think strategically, conceptually and obviously about the craft itself. It’s maddening that people still think of it as something we ‘add on’ for certain projects. It’s inherent and valuable in every decision we make.
LBB> What are the most persistent misconceptions about your particular design specialism that you see across the advertising and marketing landscape?
Lorenzo> Following on from the last point, the persistent misconception I have seen is that designers are not capable of conceptual ideas. It is getting much better, and I’m happy to say Havas is a great place to be a designer, but as an industry we’re still battling an old model, where design is plugged into the process far too late and design thinking is not valued as highly as it should be.
LBB> Accessible design is an increasingly prominent topic - from your experience what are the most challenging facets of accessible design? And what does best practice in accessible design in your particular design specialism look like?
Lorenzo> It’s a really fascinating area for brands. There is definitely a tension between being accessible to everyone and distinctively standing out. That said, accessibility requirements are always a parameter for our thinking when we start a brief. This means we will always look to innovate within the best practice at the time.
Admittedly, our understanding of accessibility is always changing and evolving. But that just means that brands will need to find additional ways to express themselves within the needs of the consumer. And moving to a more systemic approach to branding is key to unlocking this.
LBB> What design controversies or challenges do you find trickiest to navigate or do you find yourself thinking about most frequently?
Lorenzo> I’m under no illusion that we’re in the business of encouraging consumerism (not all the time mind you). But the diverse spectrum of clients that agencies service, means that we are sometimes presented with ethical and moral challenges.
Thankfully I’ve always worked at agencies where this has rarely happened, and employees have had the right to refuse to work on such projects.
LBB> How do you think about the ethics of design?
Lorenzo> I don’t think of ‘design’ as having ethics. For me it’s a tool for creation.
I was always stuck by an exhibit at the design museum which spoke to this. It had two design innovations of the 20th century side by side. One was the plywood stretcher designed by the Charles Eames in 1941. Easy to produce and light to carry, this revolutionised medical care on the battlefield. Sat next to it was the Kalashnikov assault rifle, which has remained one of the most well-designed devices for killing people since its inception.
It was a stark reminder that design is neither good nor bad. Only the intention behind it.
LBB> What are some of your favourite examples of creative design solutions that inspire you?
Lorenzo> I was actually just looking at the new Lego rebrand this morning. They’re a brand which have always impressed me, with the purity of their product and how it translated to their brand. I remember seeing those iconic posters of crude blocks casting detailed shadow of what the child was imagining when building them. So simple and universal. How they’ve captured this essence through to their new branding is really refreshing.
LBB> Which design projects throughout your career have been the most satisfying to work on and why?
Lorenzo> A while back we did a book for Durex, as part of relaunching their brand proposition. It was a distillation of the current sexual landscape and featured the brands repositioning, as well as its new visual identity. We decided on the creative wrapper ‘The Sexual Liberation Pack’ which steered all the thinking behind the design decisions.
The result was a sensorial book that used every print texture under the sun, to guide the narrative, a variety of emotions and try to connect with them beyond the page. It was a beautiful example of how all of our design expertise came together in one place.
The visual storytelling was there in the narrative, the product design, the brand story and in the product concept itself (it came sealed in a giant foil which you needed to rip open and ‘liberate’ to begin your experience).
LBB> What’s going on at the moment in design that’s getting you particularly excited?
Lorenzo> I love the fact that proper visual communication is making a bit of a comeback. I think that so much of the comms landscape of the last 20 years has been dominated by words and communicating verbally. But thanks to the visual nature of a lot of the new channels, plus the need for translations, we’re seeing brands embracing a more visual-first approach to their storytelling.
LBB> Who are your design heroes and why?
Lorenzo> Not technically a designer, but I’ve always been inspired by Hayao Miyazaki. He is a master visual communicator. Both in his feature animations and manga, plus his static work, Miyazaki is able to have such clarity and conviction about what he’s trying to achieve and what that looks like. And what’s insane is that he does this at a micro and macro level.
I also think he is an exceptional example of the power of human nuance in design. His attention to detail means every expression has the perfect amount of charm in it, and that makes it feel so enticing and relatable. Approach is something that should translate to any design field.
LBB> Thinking of people at the beginning of their career, what advice would you give them for navigating this constantly changing field?
Lorenzo> Think big. The detail will come with time and practice, but big sticky design thoughts (Christ that sounds awful), is what will keep us relevant and valuable for years to come.
