Bal Bhatla
Multidisciplinary creative portfolio
Creative work
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My career highlights reflect a journey where innovation and creativity never lose their luster
Ikea • Be enlightened
Challenge
Bring to life Ikea’s entire lighting range to drive footfall instore, as online shopping did not exist at this moment in time on Ikea.co.uk.
Solution
Together with my copy writing partner we decided to make a standalone microsite which centred around four vignettes showcasing how essential the correct lighting set up can be in certain scenarios.
Role: Creative Direction・Set design・Web design・Concept
Microsite
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Screen Journey
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Microsite design
O2 • The Gift Cracker
Challenge
Design a microsite for O2’s digital Christmas activation to align with the ATL & Retail ‘Gift Cracker’ concept.
Solution
The Magical Gift Selector’. A useful online tool designed to help take the stress out of Christmas shopping by helping people find the perfect O2 present for their friends and family.
Role: Creative direction・Art Direction・Concept・Design
Campaign concept
⇢Centred around Pete Fowler’s ‘Gift Cracker’ character. I drew up my concept for ‘the Magical Gift selector’. An online hub designed to help you select the perfect O2 gift for Christmas.
The Magical Gift Selector concept sketch
The Magical Gift Selector final design
The Magical Gift Selector elements concept sketches
The Magical Gift Selector final design elements
Final Campaign elements
⇢Desktop website
Desktop Home page
Tablet Home page
Retail graphics
Samsung • Galaxy Ace
Solution
Create a street team to put the device directly into the hands of our target audience and film the responses. No better form of review than straight from the horses mouth. From this content we created a review microsite build up of video vox pops and sound bites about the Galaxy Ace handset.
Challenge
Samsung Galaxy Ace, the first reasonably priced, fully loaded smartphone for the youth, but how do we get them to listen?
Role: Creative direction・Art Direction・Concept・Design
Where the possible begins
⇢Campaign components
Microsite Homepage
Microsite product page
Microsite
Microsite
Microsite
MPU Banner
MPU Banner
MPU Banner
Samsung • Westfield store wrap
Challenge
Our brief was to create a store wrap for Samsung’s flagship London store in Westfields Stratford for a five week period, which would build anticipation and drive footfall on the grand opening.
Solution
With the prime location in mind. We designed and created an exclusive Android interactive smartphone zone. The wrap graphics incorporated a combination of AR to entice. The native Facebook ‘Check In' mechanic to drive footfall and we made an Android app – “the Galaxy strikes back” to entertain.
Role: Creative direction・Art Direction・Concept
The wrap in action
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Galaxy
⇠Strikes Back
For the front elevation of the store. I wanted to immediately grab peoples attention. The solution. place a 15 x 40 ft screen inviting Android users to play “Galaxy Strikes Back”. It was ‘Pong’ esq gaming experience available straight from your Android smartphone.
BlippAR
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daily give away
I was keen to implement some AR tech as the latest Samsung handsets were releasing with AR capabilties. The concept was simple with our good friends at BlippAR we were able to create an AR daily give away, the Prize was a Samsung compact camera.
This also proved to be further incentive for engagement and foot fall for the grand opening of the store.
Check In
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to win a smart life
Facebook Check In’s were all the rage. So we made this work to our benefit by using the Facebook Check In tool as an entry mechanic to the Samsung smart life grand prize draw. All easily accessed and set up via a QR code.
Samsung • Wave II
Challenge
To bring to life the Samsung Wave II highlighting its build in photo editing suite and super fast uploading ability.
Solution
Being a hardcore Instagram addict at the time, this really appealed to my inner photographer. Which in turn inspired the concept called the ‘Now project’. We invited the UK to upload their now to our Facebook page, via the Wave 2 photo editing app. The 25 photos with the most likes would be exhibited for one night only at the Design museum. Surely every photographers dream, no?
Role: Creative direction・Art Direction・Concept・Design
Campaign components
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Campaign Microsite
Homepage Key Visual
ECRM
Digital Screens
Digital OOH
Winners Design Museum Event and Brochure
Key Visual Concept
Final Ad (Wired)
Campaign video
⇢Introducing the ‘Now Project’
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Samsung • Wave nanosite
Solution
I created a new format on Samsung.com called the nanosite, which ultiamtely replaced large banner areas with fully working microsites. It was a moderated UGC based site. A first for Samsung and a format which was used to launch a series of handsets after the Wave.
Challenge
Create a product focused microsite for the Samsung Wave focusing specifically on its Super Amoled bright screen.
Role: Creative direction・Art Direction・Concept・Design
Screen recording
⇢Nanosite
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A little bit about me
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I’ve spent over 10 years in the advertising industry working my way up from a designer to creative director. Followed by another decade freelancing under my commercial photographer and creator pseudonym @mrwhisper. Both roles share a common palette of skills that blend the artistic and the strategic. They demand a keen eye for visual storytelling, an acute sense of composition, and the ability to convey emotions through imagery.
I'm a firm believer in the power change through bold ideas, exquisite execution, and leveraging the most effective channels to connect with target audiences. I thrive on strategic thinking, diving headfirst into briefs from their inception. I have an insatiable curiosity for what's cutting-edge and relevant in today's world of advertising and marketing.
Experienced in social, digital, branding, on and offline content strategy and 360 campaigns. I thrive on solving genuine problems and bringing ideas to life. I’m well versed in getting in front of clients and selling innovative and complex work.
Client list
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LVMH, BMW, Audi, Netflix, Google, Samsung, Disney, Sony, Lonely Planet, E4, Hypebeast, Lacoste, Timberland, Adidas, Hotel Indigo, Volkswagen, Shell, Esso, Abarth, Motorola, Tourist board France, Tourist board Mexico, Contiki Travel, Bombay Sapphire, Highland Park Whiskey, LG, Lynx, Ebay, Absolut Vodka, Fujifilm, InPost, Xiaomi, Huawei, Bombay Sapphire, Apple, Vertu, IKEA, Armani Hotels & Resorts, Sainsburys, HSBC, British Airways, Ebay, British Telecom, T-Mobile, Comic Relief, P&G, Christian Aid.
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My Instagram life
Please don’t hesitate if you have any questions or you have a project or role you would like to discuss.
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