Update: No longer lost in San Francisco, we found our way back to Toronto!
My name is Michael Farley, a Canadian boy lost in San Francisco. I followed my beautiful wife here in search of a break from the Toronto winters, and fell in love with palm trees and taco trucks.
I was both an associate creative director and senior art director before I came here, working in interactive advertising and marketing. I have been in the interactive industry for 10 years now, putting me just about square in the middle of the boom, and I lasted through the bust. I wasn’t afraid then, and I’m still going now.
I’ve worked on tons of clients, some you may recognize. There has been Samsung, Citi Bank, Rolex, Bank of Montreal, University of Windsor, Frontier Airlines, and about a bajillion more. Companies I’ve worked at have included Receiver, Fjord Interactive at Cossette, Critical Mass, Mobiam, and a couple more over the years.
I’ve focused recently on interactive advertising, trying to discover new and innovative ways to get the client’s message through the clutter and banner blindness, as well as bringing different mediums into the campaign to create a cohesive message. I’ve also begun working on my own thoughts regarding ethics in online advertising, from privacy concerns to hidden advertising, to warped messaging. I hope to become more and more skilled at speaking to consumers in a respectful way that can be proven successful while allowing designers to sleep at night.
I like being a senior art director in a team that can work together well, and stay together for awhile.
