Han & Becks' experience of Big Book Crit

We’re Han and Becks – a junior creative team currently working at Ogilvy. We met together on Single Creatives and have had placements at VCCP, JWT and Leo Burnett together, prior to getting hired as juniors. We also did too many book crits to count at agencies all over London as well as at events like the Big Book Crit.

Our advertising journey with the Big Book Crit started in October 2016, 2 years ago to writing this piece. Becks attended her first Big Book Crit with one (of a few) previous creative partners.

It was a great, but challenging evening. You’re in a room full of other creative hopefuls and creative directors from some of the top agencies in London – you’re bound to get a little bit nervous. The way the evening is set out means you’ll meet around 6 creatives and receive around 3 book crits, as well as getting a chance to see what other aspiring creatives are up to.

Going to book crits and receiving feedback on your portfolio is so important. You will understand more about what makes a unique and cohesive book which will grab agencies attention and land you that much desired placement. Always remember to take a notebook and pen to write down feedback – you won’t remember it all!

After working on her portfolio, Becks attended her second Big Book Crit. The feedback this time was a lot more positive as well as some of the creatives recognising Becks from last time. Listening to the creatives feedback from the last event really helped her out at the next event as her book showed improvement.

The third and final Big Book Crit event, we attended together. At the time our book was in a really good place (due to all the book crits!), and we were on placement at Leo Burnett. It was great to see previous critters see how far our work had come and for them to see how hard we were working to get ourselves hired in the industry.

We’ve put together a list to help you make the most of your evening:

• Networking: get everyone’s emails or business card, even if you didn’t have a crit with them.
• Getting to know your competition: this event allows you to see other people’s work and portfolios. It’s great to see what others are doing as well as how they present.
• Listen to feedback: engage with your critter and take notes so you can remember feedback for later.
• Work on the feedback: after the evening, corelate all the feedback (normal there’s a lot but that’s okay!) and decided what you want to work on.
• Perseverance: This might be your first but it shouldn’t be your last crit. Use the emails to get another crit from the creatives. Also, don’t forget to come back to another Big Crit event. It took 3 of these events and numerous other crits to get our book into excellent shape.

Overall, the Big Book Crit is an amazing opportunity to get really great advice without having to hunt down emails online. There’s also free drinks and some tasty snacks, so it’s worth coming just for that!

Find out more about Han & Becks at www.hanandbecks.com and follow them on Instagram @Hanandbecks

If you'd like to get involved in the next Big Book Crit taking place from 5 - 9th November, head here.