AMV creatives on the art of mastering chaos

Anzhela Krikor Hayrabedyan and Luca Grosso are celebrating a decade in the industry and their seven Cannes Lions - including a Gold in Film and in Health & Wellness, and three D&AD Pencils, including the coveted Yellow Pencil to their names.

The creatives at AMV BBDO were heavily applauded on their #Periodsomnia campaign for Bodyform/Libresse.

The campaign, to launch the brand’s new Goodnight Towels, coined a new term ‘periodsomnia’ to put a name to the experience that millions go through at night. Many believe they’re alone in this, and the campaign hoped to tackle this invisible issue and provide comfort and community to all women.

Prior to AMV BBDO, the creative duo worked at Wieden + Kennedy and R/GA.

We asked the duo about a hero who inspired their creativity.

Krikor Hayrabedyan and Grosso: ‘Don’t judge a record by its cover’ some say. Oh hold on... It was about books, wasn’t it?

Thankfully we just made this quote up and no one is doing that, or maybe we all should because nothing epitomises music more than a record sleeve?

And who did it better than the legendary designer of the 4AD’s record label?

Very few could master that 12-inch square like Vaughan Oliver did.

Unlike his peers, Vaughan wasn't inspired by any other movement or tradition out there. He was his own thing. Whilst everyone else was sticking pictures of the band on the sleeve Oliver was dancing with eels strapped to his torso.

We often pinch ourselves about having been some of the lucky design students under his weird and wonderful wings. He would say things like "Anzhela, stop thinking about it" in an accent I barely understood to start with or "Luca, try using your left hand" to which I often replied 'but I am left-handed' clearly not understanding a word of what he meant to say.

He certainly would hate the idea of us working in advertising, but he'd probably laugh about it without denying that all of his creative output is the result of collaboration just like ours is.

Ok.. Let’s judge a record by its cover, especially if it’s one designed by V23.

His work isn't art (and don't you dare to call it that), it's graphic design and it only proves that graphic design can be emotional.

It wasn't business, it was personal for him. Enhancing the feeling of a record by putting himself into each piece of work, he was really just designing sleeves for his own record collection. If you ever wondered what music looks like just pick up a v23 record sleeve.

Music is textural, it’s emotions and it certainly can’t be made of plastic. Explaining why he was often calling the CD and its plastic packaging the worst invention of the 20th century.

And how can you possibly disagree with that?

He always wanted to remain anonymous, but how could he be? He was provocative, mysterious, and funny.

Teaching us the importance of play and experimentation, but also of mastering creative chaos and that a bag of Chinese crisps dumped on the ground can be a brilliant source of inspiration.

Creating some of the most ground-breaking record labels ever done, Vaughan turned the 12-inch square into music.

Never meet your heroes. Well.. we're bloody glad we did.

Anzhela Krikor Hayrabedyan and Luca Grosso are creatives at AMV BBDO