Campaign’s Creative Faces to Watch 2025 – Rayan Khalil, Art Director, Dentsu Creative MENA

Campaign’s Creative Faces to Watch 2025 – Rayan Khalil, Art Director, Dentsu Creative MENA

Age: 22

Nominated by Patricia Charabati, Associate Creative Director:

“Having been in the industry for a while, it’s rare to find people who approach this chaotic space with true artistic creativity. Rayan has proven to be more than just an Art Director he’s a leader who understands what it takes to guide and help people evolve. Creativity has been a constant in his life, whether through DJing, poster design, or his work in the industry. He  brings artistry and ambition to everything he does, always eager to learn and grow. Beyond that, he takes on pitches with confidence and can be trusted to deliver flawlessly every time. Above all, he is a  kind human.”

Career highlights

I’m an Art Director based in Beirut, navigating my fifth year in the industry. I’ve worked with various agencies from Publicis Groupe, VMT, and now Dentsu MENA, where I try my best to keep bending the rules of advertising. My Pikasso D’Or win in 2022 at PIMO was for a guerrilla OOH stunt that turned heads in Beirut. From American Express to Honda to Saudi Vision 2030, I always aim to craft work that cuts through the noise. Traditional academia never prepared us for an industry this wild, but that’s the thrill — to embrace the chaos, hijack attention, and turn people’s ever-so-shrinking attention spans into hooks that create lasting relationships with brands.

Guiding principles

Advertising should shake things up, not just fit in. I believe in disruption with intent—injecting tension, intrigue, and a wink of rebellion into every campaign. In a world of scrolls and skips, my job is to stop thumbs and spark reactions. Safe is forgettable. Let’s aim for the unforgettable.

Side hustle

In my free time, I love to dig through music and discover different genres that I could use when DJing. Designing posters is also my passion, working with local and international music labels and collectives and trying to visualize each artist or event’s sound and spirit brings me satisfaction like nothing else.

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