Where’s your hometown?

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I’m originally from the UK but I call Sydney, Australia home now as I’ve lived here almost a decade.

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In a few sentences, describe what you do currently?

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I’m responsible for the verbal design practice across R/GA Sydney and Melbourne. I work primarily with brand strategists, visual designers and other writers to craft, design and codify a brand’s language. Day to day that involves anything from working on a larger rebrand, of which language is just one aspect, to naming, scripting, messaging, narrative writing, and sometimes comms too. I see my role as being the bridge between strategy and creative, and providing a throughline for it all.

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Your career has been firmly rooted in writing since you left Cambridge. When did you know you wanted to be a writer and how has that shaped your identity over the years?

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It took ages before I felt comfortable calling myself a writer. I just wasn’t secure enough in my skill. Growing up, I thought I’d end up in science; that’s what I excelled at in school. But I always felt myself to be a creative person at my core. I loved fashion, movies, fiction, but those worlds seemed so distant, a career in those fields wasn’t even worth dreaming about. Then at uni, I did a science degree, took a module in History and Philosophy of Science, and realised I much preferred (and was way better at) writing essays, to being in the lab. Post graduation was when I decided to try and build a creative career. I ended up interning on mags and found that writing was my thing. I still thank 20-year old me for being self-aware yet naïve enough to pivot. More recently, I’ve begun to think of myself less as a writer, and more as a creative person who at this time happens to have language as their outlet.

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As a verbal creative leader at a premier agency, how do you keep the verbal practice fresh and evolving within the agency?
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I’ve been lucky enough to be on the jury for a few industry awards, and seeing great work from other studios is very inspiring, if envy inducing. So I’ll share with the team; it’s fun to inspire and stoke internal debate. Individually, I think there are two ways to stay fresh – read as widely as possible. And write for yourself. The first I’ve always done. I was that kid reading every word on the back of the cereal box for entertainment. And I’ve pretty much carried on in that vein – consuming newspapers and books of course. But also: ads, packaging, microcopy, social media, podcasts, tv. It’s all dialogue and language that feeds me. I try to take note of what I find intriguing even if there’s no specific use for that information yet.

The second – writing for myself – I’m not great at, but I’m getting better. I used to journal but found that without the motivating force of a brief and a deadline, I just didn’t make time. But this year I took a writing course completely unrelated to work, and I found it not only energising, but that it made my work stronger. So I’m going to do more of that.

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And do you think there are essential ingredients for building a brand voice that should always remain?

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I have a few tenets. One is that the writing comes first, the definitions come later. I can’t create a voice and principles that feel right, without having done any actual writing. I need to get under the skin of a brand and do the exploration first, and to me, definitions can only come once the voice feels firmly embedded and you’ve built a bit of a world for yourself.

The second is, realising every client is different. While we have a process at R/GA, there isn’t always a set formula for deliverables and client expectations vary wildly. Sometimes that’s frustrating, but you do have to trust the process; different clients need different things. So adjust the output to fit. Just make sure you’re building something that’s going to be of practical use, not simply following deliverables blindly.

My third is – please can we banish the word ‘human’ from voice principles? It’s so broad, it’s meaningless. I used to think it was annoying but ultimately harmless. But I don’t think it’s benign anymore, I think it’s quite detrimental, because voice is so nuance, and using human as a catchall word for friendly/conversational/warm etc removes that.

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What are some skills beyond good writing that make the biggest difference in your work?

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Having a voice for radio! I’m not sure if it’s really me, or if the English accent is doing all the work. But I reckon it helps, at least in Australia when I’m reading out a manifesto or a script. More seriously, being able to selling the idea and get buy in is essential. Often that’s more important than the writing. I think there’s a lesson for life right there. Another is being able to build and foster relationships within your team and with clients, because that’s how you build trust, and gaining trust is how you get to do great, brave, fun work.

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What is your favorite and least favorite brand right now? Why?‍

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Favorite: Swedish brand Acne Studios. I just really dig their brand of oddly wearable luxe and the immersive vision they’ve built around it – from the clothes to the retail experience, the magazine, the collaborations, it’s all a world I want to be part of.

Least favorite: no brand specifically, but I’m side-eyeing any brand –  especially the big ones – that can’t apologise properly. Like it’s 2024, how can you still be getting it so deeply wrong?

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If you could collaborate with anyone or any brand, who would it be?

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For me, where this job becomes truly fascinating is when working alongside industries so new, we’re having to invent fresh language to help people understand the concepts. So one startup here in Australia in this vein is Vow Foods – they’re a biotech food company creating biocultured meat products for their own in-house brands. And while I eat meat now, I’ve been pescetarian in the past, and my husband is veggie. I think there’s a real sea change coming in how the world produces and consume meat. So I’m interested in how Vow and companies like it build out language that toes the line between commercial appeal, sustainability messaging, and the innovation behind it all.

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‍What’s a piece of feedback that still haunts you?

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I’ve been lucky; no one’s been too toxic. But I’ll never forget the feedback I got from a writing test I did as part of a job interview – I was down to the final round out of hundreds of applicants, and it was a job I reaaalllly wanted. I sweated the assignment so hard, writing and rewriting and editing it to hone and polish it. But I made the mistake of leaving a couple of clichés in there. I thought they were so minor, but the editor who fed back told me (in the nicest way possible) they were reason I didn’t get through. Gutted! Looking back, there were probably additional reasons. But it was a tough lesson to learn.

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Do you have rituals for finding inspiration, or do you let it come naturally? And what’s your favorite offline source of inspiration?

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Let it come naturally. When I try to force it, I’m less likely to get anywhere. Whereas if I just let myself be open and curious to the world around me, ideas start coming through. That might be just having conversations and riffing with colleagues; collaborating and bouncing off others’ energy definitely inspires me. It could be traveling; immersing myself in another culture and a new routine wakes my brain up in different ways. Another way is music. It’s more subconscious, but I feel like the language and rhythm inherent in music has always been fundamental to how I write. The last source I’ll mention is exercise; I play netball and have always found it an amazing way to clear my head and stop thinking. Having that time is essential to stopping burnout and staying creative.

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What’s your favorite way to procrastinate when you’re supposed to be writing?

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I currently spend far too much time on social media consuming way more interior design, renovation and DIY content than is healthy. You honestly can’t beat a good before and after.

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What is your biggest piece of advice for building positive relationships with clients?

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Remember they’re people first, so get to know them as people first. The best relationships I’ve had are when you have things outside of the work that you can connect on, so you’ve built a mutual respect for each other, and a real understanding of what their needs are as individuals, as well as the needs of their business.

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What about the industry do you wish you knew starting out in your career?

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See my point about selling in the work. There’s no use having a great idea, writing a wonderful piece, or building a fantastic brand, if you can’t communicate why it’s so wonderful.

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If you could change something about the industry, what would you change?

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I have so many, but ultimately I’d like to see more love, if that’s not too strong a word, for language and a better understanding of how much that can drive and shift the perception of your brand. To me there’s nothing sadder than a shiny new rebrand that’s full of lorum ipsum; that’s a missed open goal right there. Another thing I’d change (can I have two?) is if you are going to invest in voice, then don’t stop at guidelines. Implementation, training, embedding the voice – whatever you call it – is the best way to ensure that your voice work continues to have an impact.

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Where can The Subtext readers keep up with you?

LinkedIn.

Bonus Round

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What do you listen to while working?

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If I’m writing, then nothing! I get too distracted, I start singing along to the music, or properly listening to the podcast. If I’m just researching or thinking, then I’ll potentially have a podcast or tv on just for a bit of background noise.

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What’s your most creatively inspired time of day?

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Evenings. That’s probably when I’m at my most creative and all the day’s thoughts have had time to percolate.

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What’s one writing rule you love to break, and one you never do?

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Rule I break: “Write what you know.” That one might be more relevant for fiction, but when your clients can range from a law firm to a beauty retailer, not knowing can be an advantage. You can have greater clarity when you’re not bogged down by unnecessary detail. The other rule I’m always breaking is starting sentences with ‘because’. Because, well, it usually works.

Rule I never break: “Kill your darlings.” It’s tough when you’re in love with a phrase, or a larger piece of writing. But if it’s not working, there’s a reason. Get rid.

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Favorite personal mantra?

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Don’t ask, don’t get.

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If you weren’t in this industry, what would you be doing?

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If I’d stayed with chemistry, I think I still would’ve gravitated to an area with more creative licence, perhaps in beauty, fragrance and product formulation as I find those verticals fascinating.

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Describe your creative process in three words.

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Collaborative, intuitive, cross-disciplinary

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Jane Duru, Associate Creative Director at R/GA Australia, believes ‘verbal design’ — the act of intentionally shaping, defining and building how brands use language — is one of the most powerful tools in a brand’s kit. Whether it’s newly minted start-ups or larger organisations, Jane’s passion for bringing brand language to life has seen her work recognised and awarded by D&AD & AGDA awards, among others. She’s worked with global companies such as Nike and Google, and helped shape brands across APAC, including We are Warriors, Museum of Chinese in Australia, MECCA and A-Leagues.