"I tried to be a human orchestra": a day in the life of creative director Augustinas Paukšte

As a creative director, most of my days are spent in meetings. But not just the kind where we sit around a table tossing around business jargon – though there’s a bit of that too. During these meetings, I often find myself balancing sales functions with creative direction. My favourite days, however, are when I can visit clients in their “natural habitat” – whether that’s a nuclear plant or a corporate office. These out-of-office experiences expose me to new industries and satisfy my endless curiosity.

Before relocating to the city centre, our office was nestled in a forest 15 kilometres outside Vilnius. Back then, I loved the daily ritual of transitioning from urban life to the tranquility of the forest. That habit has stuck with me till this day even though we have relocated to the city centre – I still wake up early to take a longer route to work, savoring the mental shift from home to the office.

Funnily enough, andstudio was my early career. I’ve never gone to a job interview or worked as an employee. Straight after university, together with Domas we founded andstudio. The idea had been brewing during my internship days. At the time, the market was saturated with advertising agencies, where designers were simply making something beautiful rather than actually creating something. This didn’t sit right with me. Meanwhile, specialized branding agencies abroad were popping up, and that became my inspiration.

Starting a business young comes with its share of naivety, boundless energy, and low expectations, which can be surprisingly liberating. We started with small gigs –designing flyers for local clubs. Payment often included free entry to the parties, where we’d scout for potential clients. One memorable moment was when we heard that a client for whom we were making a desk calendar, wasn’t satisfied with their rebrand that was carried out by some other branding agency. With a mix of audacity and confidence, we stepped in to offer our take, and that boldness shaped our early trajectory.

Andstudio thrives on interdisciplinarity. We bring together strategists, data analysts, scientists, and engineers to create – what we like to call – a collective mind that feels more integrated than traditional collaborations.

Location also plays a role. Lithuania is an intersection of – Nordic design meets Western commercialism, layered with a distinctly local sensibility. We call it “colorful Nordic style.”

When working with IKEA Global, we had to present the Life At Home magazine to their CEO ahead of schedule. The printing process for the accompanying magazine was delayed, and FedEx wasn’t fast enough. So, I activated my Eastern European mindset and offered to personally deliver the magazine flying all the way to Sweden. The marketing team appreciated the dedication, and in the end, we were granted some leeway on the delivery date.

Not coming from an art direction background, I faced the challenge of learning to delegate. Initially, I tried to be a “human orchestra,” handling everything myself. Over time, I realised the value of bringing in experts and stepping back from execution to focus on direction. Another challenge has been helping other creative directors grow. It’s not about micromanaging them but facilitating their development and trusting their vision. Now, I’m at a stage where I’m guiding team leaders, sharing the knowledge I’ve gained over the years, and helping them navigate their own growth.

The branding for Klaipėda University is the one that stands out in my memory. It was a strategic process involving the entire community. Their strength, maritime science, became the centrepiece. We collaborated with their research institute and discovered they had a buoy in the Baltic Sea collecting real-time data on wave height, wind speed, and temperature. We turned this data into a dynamic identity – a generator that visualizes the sea’s current status on its website. In a way, this was quite a poetic project: the sea, not a designer, created the identity for Klaipėda University.

We admired many studios and wanted to learn from them, but distance made it difficult. So, we emailed 100 studios with a proposal: let’s swap offices for a few weeks. Out of all those contacted, Studio Muttnik in Florence was the first to say yes. And so, for three weeks, andstudio enjoyed the Florence sun, while Muttnik escaped to our previous office outside of Vilnius. We didn’t exchange clients, but we immersed ourselves in local creative communities. The experience fueled our creativity and reinforced our commitment to studio culture.

Space is a crucial element here, and it reflects our mentality. We value personal space, space for advertisements, and space for both work and leisure. This appreciation extends to design, where the concept of white space plays a vital role. Just as we cherish breathing room in life, we see white space as a tool that allows ideas to stand out, ensures clarity, and brings balance to the visual narrative. It’s not just an aesthetic choice – it’s a reflection of how we think and live.

The industry often aims to keep everything under their own roof, but the best results come from collaboration. At andstudio, we operate like boutique agencies within a group, fostering co-creation and interdisciplinary. Sharing resources – like our freelancer list or open concept deck manual – has been transformative. We've noticed that many people have reached out to request these resources, and it’s clear that others appreciate this openness. There's a desire for more of this kind of mutual support within the industry, with people wishing there was more visible care for one another.

Miro, Notion, Figma, and Google Calendar – they’re lifesavers for keeping my chaotic brain organised.

We invite colleagues from the design world to enter our unique wooden sauna room, where you can sit back on the stairs, heat up the temperature and even experience the traditional ritual of slapping yourself with a sauna birch-rod. All of this takes place right in our office! Guests like Tomas Markevičius from Collins and Alex Center from Center have joined us to share insights and exchange ideas.

In the upcoming season, we’re expanding the range of topics and bringing in experts from various fields – movie directors, for example – and even engaging in conversations with our clients who come from diverse backgrounds. These informal discussions continue to push our industry forward, broaden perspectives, and deepen connections.

After working with Lithuania’s basketball team, Žalgiris, I became fascinated by the passion of sports communities. Despite receiving death threats for changing the team’s logo, I realized how deeply these symbols matter. That’s why I would like to work with more sports-related global brands like Nike, Adidas, or Puma, where creativity meets culture.

See the world. When I wanted to do something differently, I relied heavily on books and observed how things were done in places like London or New York. It wasn’t easy back then, as the internet was more limited, and learning from a distance isn’t the same as immersing yourself in the environment. There's no substitute for being in a design studio, feeling the energy, and seeing things firsthand. That’s why I’d tell my younger self to go there and experience it in person.

At the end of the day, AI will take over.

Just kidding! But seriously, brands are like marathons – they have many facets, not just the visual, but also the strategy. It’s essential to integrate various media, technology, performance, and more when working with them. Brand management and understanding will keep brand specialists relevant for longer. Anything that is too segmented will eventually fade, so the future belongs to the generalists.

Find out more about andstudio.