‘Paid in Full’, ‘The Silver Spoon’, and ‘Guinness Surfer’: The Work That Made Raul Serrat

Raul Serrat is a seasoned creative leader with nearly 30 years of experience in the advertising and design industry. He is currently chief creative officer and partner at Serviceplan Suisse, where he leads the creative direction and development of brands, concepts, and communication strategies for major national and international clients. His work is driven by clear leadership, a strong creative vision, and a commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration.

Raul is also a board member of ADC Switzerland and actively supports the next generation of creative talent through mentoring and training, including as a trainer for graphic design apprentices. Alongside his professional role, he pursues personal creative projects across various disciplines.

Raul began his career as a typographer at Genossenschaftsdruckerei Zurich before taking on design and art direction roles at Euro RSCG, Publicis Zurich, and Spillmann/Felser/Leo Burnett, where he worked on major global brands. He later served as creative director at Wirz Werbung Zurich, overseeing creative work for Swiss and international clients.

Raul sat down with LBB to discuss the moment hip hop moved into his life for good, using new technology to bring crazy ideas to life, and the joys of fatherhood.

The ad/music video from my childhood that stays with me…

Raul> For almost 40 years, one music video has been burned onto my retina and rooted deep in my ears: Eric B and Rakim’s 'Paid in Full'. The imagery was simple and bold, the cuts were perfectly timed, the samples landed with real weight, and the rhymes were sharp, clear and confident.

That video was the moment hip hop moved into my life for good. Not just the music, but the whole culture around it. It pushed me from graffiti to graphic design, and eventually into the job I am still doing today.

The ad, music video, game or platform that made me want to get into the industry…

Raul> In Switzerland there is a famous cow called Lovely. Those milk commercials were playful, surprising and technically ahead of their time. They showed how far you could push animation and visual tricks inside a simple story, and that fascinated me. I wanted to make work like that, work that feels light, fun and full of possibilities.

Today we are in the age of AI, and suddenly almost anything seems possible again. New tools, new challenges, and for me still the same drive as back then: using technology to bring crazy ideas to life.

The creative work I keep revisiting…

Raul> I keep coming back to ‘The Silver Spoon’, the Italian cooking Bible. It reminds me how simple and honest great cooking can be. I heard it is sometimes given as a wedding gift in Italy, which always felt a bit strange, but maybe that is why so many Italian mothers cook unbelievably well.

Cooking is my way to reset. It is creativity, calm, focus and finally pure pleasure all in one. It is the counterpoint to my life in an agency. When everyone at the table is happy and relaxed, it opens my heart and it sparks new ideas that later become useful in my work as a creative.

My first professional project…

Raul> This one is hard to answer, because at the start of my career I worked as an assistant for many different art directors. But the first project I fully created and executed on my own was for a snowboard contest in the middle of Zurich. It was a pretty radical event, both in terms of the riders, including the first Olympic halfpipe champion, and the way the contest was set up. I wanted to capture the raw energy of the event in the visual concept and make people stop, look and feel the intensity of what was coming. A small side note: no one got hurt, and of course the Olympic champion ended up winning the whole thing.

The piece of work that made me so angry that I vowed to never make anything like that…

Raul> I try not to say never, but there are a few areas I stay away from: politics, religion and the weapons or defence industry.

I am fine with encouraging people to enjoy things, to try something new or to buy something they like. That is part of our world. But politics and religion shape people in very personal ways, and I do not want to influence that. And when it comes to weapons, I simply do not want to help normalise them. It is not a statement against the industry, just the line I choose for myself.

The piece of work that still makes me jealous…

Raul> I first saw the film in June 1999, during my very first time at the Cannes Festival. Days spent watching work, slightly hungover, waiting for the shortlist and finally the big gala on Saturday. It all felt magical. And then came ‘Surfer’ for Guinness.

For me, ‘Good things come to those who wait’ is one of the best brand lines ever written. Surfer took that thought and turned it into something powerful, emotional and unforgettable. The craft was unreal: the dreamlike images, the sound, the words, the rhythm, the pause at the end. Simply everything.

A quarter of a century later, it still feels like pure cinema. And yes, I hope to create something that strong one day.

The creative project that changed my career…

Raul> I had the chance to work for MAMMUT, the Swiss outdoor brand known around the world. YouTube and Facebook were only about two years old, and viral ideas were still rare.

Our idea was to create an elderly English lady who claimed she wanted to climb Mount Everest with her cute dog, Daisy. Through short clips, a strange little website and a few odd updates, she slowly made her way into the climbing community and caused a mix of confusion and curiosity.

In the end MAMMUT revealed the truth with the line: ‘Warning. Equipment this good can cause loss of common sense.’ The whole project was fun for everyone involved and it opened many doors for me. It showed me how far an unconventional idea can go when you fully embrace it.

The work that I am proudest of…

Raul> Some ideas grow slowly. Others arrive in an instant and change everything. Knowing I wanted children was one of those ideas, and it became the most meaningful decision of my life. I am proudest of my four kids. They keep me young, they help me understand a world that moves faster every day and they bring endless joy. Yes, it is a challenging job, but it is the best one I will ever have.

I was involved in this and it makes me cringe…

Raul> After thirty years in this industry, of course there have been a few cringe moments. Anyone who says otherwise is lying. But there is no single piece of work I feel bad about. Every decision made sense at the time, with what I knew and who I was. Looking back, it is all part of the journey. And honestly, I am fine with that.

The recent project I was involved in that excited me the most

Raul> Right now, we’re working on a project focused on women’s football. This year, Switzerland hosted the Women’s European Championship, and the atmosphere was incredible – huge crowds, great energy, and a level of attention and respect the sport truly deserves.

However, sponsorship in women’s football remains a major issue. As a result, many players still have to work regular jobs alongside their football careers just to make a living. That’s a massive double workload, especially when we talk about professional athletes.

The Women’s European Championship proved that the interest is clearly there. But financial independence is still far from reality, and true equality should be a given.

That’s where we want to make a difference. We’re planning something big for spring, can’t share more just yet!