Whether he's designing CD packaging for local bands or advertising campaigns that will be judged on the international stage, for Art Institute of Pittsburgh alumnus Frank Laudo (Visual Communications, Class of '81), it's all about simplicity.

"A successful campaign starts with a simple idea," says Laudo. "How that simple idea resonates with your target deems it to be successful or not. As for the details, if your groundwork and idea are solid, the execution should serve that idea. God, as they say, is in the details."

Laudo should know. It's the simplicity of one recent commercial campaign for Texas-based Direct Energy that garnered his company, Rapp Collins Worldwide/Dallas, the coveted Bronze Lion at this year's Cannes International Advertising Festival. Comparing rate hikes in the energy industry to price gauging at the ballpark or the tollbooth, the campaign fused humor with practicality in a way that stuck in viewers' minds -- and led to an influx of business for his client.

"No one is going to remember a pretty ad that that was bereft of an idea," says Laudo. "Anyone can do pretty ads, but does that serve the client well? Regardless of the medium, if you don't get results through sales for your client, they won't be one for long."

You might wonder what a creative director who's just earned his field's highest honors would do for an encore, but for Laudo, it's his commitment to meeting his clients' needs that keeps him on the lookout for the next big challenge.

"Art Institute of Pittsburgh taught me to be resourceful and look at limitations as opportunities.

Challenges present themselves everyday; it's how you attack them that makes the difference. Your next award winning project might be that challenging little two-color job that nobody wants."