“I wish I have more than 24 hours each day, or for there to be multiple me’s to help me do everything,” Furqan often jokes. Some element of truth is in it, for sure, “There are just so many things to do, yet so little time, but I love it.”
To walk in Furqan Saini’s shoes is a high call to most, if not all. Being both the founder and creative director of his own creative agency, Major Minor, it is up to him to conceptualise ideas for his clients and then bring said concepts to life, all while finding the sweet spot between communicating the key messages in each campaign and expressing his artistic flairs. “I come up with a big overarching picture, ensuring that it can be delivered across multiple platforms, engageful to the audience and providing value, both to the client and audience alike.”
It is not an easy task to juggle; the reality is, being creative in a creative industry is not enough. It is only the bare minimum. “This might sound cut and dry, but creativity must be tempered by costs. I am very much cognisant that creativity cannot run unbridled. In my practice, I come up with the vision first, dream big, and then whittle it down to what is attainable. For the most part, my job is 30% creativity, 40% management (of teams, vendors, and clients) and 30% numbers. It might seem incongruous to equate a hardcore creative to numbers, but I enjoy these differing aspects of my job.”
The grind never seems to stop for Furqan, and to do something that exhausts one’s creativity constantly may quickly narrow the tunnel down to one ending: burning out. Hence why having motivation is key. A purpose, a reason to continue forward despite the tough work and tougher environment. “Seeing the work I envisioned coming to life propels me forward. It gives me irreplicable gratification. A recent campaign video for our regular client, Raffles City for Spring/Summer 24 began with a closeup shot of a vinyl record being played. I’m a huge lover of vinyl, so being able to have it in the campaign and translated as a visual leitmotif across vitrines, design elements as an overall thematic was immensely satisfying.” Furqan has built an extensive portfolio for Major Minor, having worked with major brands — no pun intended — such as G2000 previously. “The concept for G2000’s Fall/Winter 2023 campaign began as an interpretation of the word ‘timeless’, which then became a deep dive into time. We built a big sundial in a huge studio in Bangkok and used drone lights to execute the video.” The result is nothing short of showstopping, as can be seen in the agency’s Instagram page. It is a testament to his creative prowess, but also his extensive team that helped realise a vision.
Furqan parts with an advice that may resonate deeply with many young creatives out there, who are ready to dive into the daunting realm of the industry, “I keep myself busy but I allow myself time to dream,” he started, “To be creative is to be able to dream, and it is in these moments that ideas connect, synapses fuse and concepts come about. I have a saying that all my clients know; this usually happens after a brief is taken. I will look my clients dead in the eyes, and say: ‘I gotta talk to the sky.’” He jests, but he does it anyway. Inspirations come in many forms. Sometimes, it is in different art mediums, such as Thai Pop, Max Ricther, 2000s techno, or Lewis Dartnell’s Origins: How the Earth Made Us. Sometimes, it is in self-improvement and endless learning. “I am a firm believer in the ability to change,” Furqan stated, with conviction, “This year is the year for Rio Furqan Saini 3.0. I go to the gym most days, learn Thai, take driving lessons, and look after my mental and spiritual well-being.”
“People keep me going,” Furqan smiles fondly, a gentle twinkle in his eyes. “I believe that we are all one brotherhood. We can only get better by looking after one another.” Truly, to be creative is to understand the human heart and its desire to express freely.
