James O’brien

Head of Design, Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP)

How long have you been in creative/visual journalism, and how did you get your start?

My first role in media was 14 years ago with a UK B2B digital publisher, starting as a junior designer and working my way up to the head of creative.

I worked with multiple publications with a combined reach of over a million people a month, allowing me to work in different mediums, demographics and with a huge range of clients.

This job gave me a great springboard into media and a good overview of the different paths that I could take. I got involved in as much as possible, even things I

had little or no experience with, but this helped me learn the creative craft. It also taught me how to deal with many different people, personalities and situations — including handling feedback!

During this time, I also took any freelance job that came my way — from web design to UX and print to video. This work led me to my next role as the head of creative for a technology start-up, where I did everything from web design to 3D animation and videos to photography… even pitching to members of the British royal family and meeting Jeff Bezos!

What gets (and keeps) your creative juices flowing?

I’m most motivated and inspired when working on projects that can have a lasting positive effect on the world. In my previous role, I traveled around the world and saw the impact of our work and how the company’s technology affected low-income people living in rural areas.

And at OCCRP, I’ve worked on global, multi-publication, collaborative investigations exposing organized crime and grand corruption — projects that have had tangible worldwide results. Knowing that the work I’m doing is creating positive change keeps me energized and passionate.

What advice do you have for young professionals starting out in the creative field?

There’s no single path but being multidisciplinary is a huge asset, especially in organizations that have smaller design teams. Being an “all-arounder” is incredibly useful, allowing you to take on really varied jobs and explore what you enjoy. Try and dabble in different mediums and use various tools.

If you can’t do this in your current role, do things for fun — work on passion projects, create fun videos, build pointless websites, design silly posters for friends… learn as you play!

What do you see as the most important trend or facet of visual journalism/media creative today?

Collaborating with people with different backgrounds and skill sets often leads to innovative, groundbreaking work. Design shouldn’t be the final step in a project but instead included, considered and explored from the start. You’re seeing this a lot more at large publications — design isn’t just being tacked on at the end but mainstreamed from the beginning, and it shows.

The outcomes are amazing. Intertwining design creatives (and, of course, great web and dev teams) with journalists can create exceptional visual journalism and increase the reach and accessibility of the work.

View James O’brien’s work online:

• “The Banality of Brutality: 33 days under siege in Block 17, Bucha, Ukraine”

• “Russian Asset Tracker”

• “Suisse Secrets”