Honey Hartley

Head Designer: Qualifications & Creative Foundation

The Designer & Visionary A rare intersection of specialised pedagogy and avant-garde artistry, utilising an advanced intellectual framework to transform original concepts into powerful structural narratives.

• Academic Foundation: M.Ed. (Gifted Education), Grad. Cert. (Gifted Ed.), B.Ed., and Dip.Ed.

• Creative Pedigree: Adv. Dip. of Fashion Design (Foundational Studies), Dip. of Visual Arts (School of Visual Art), and Graduate of AWARD School.

A Conceptual Foundation in Advertising

Long before conquering the runway, Honey mastered visual storytelling as an AWARD School graduate, directing highly conceptual national campaigns for multinational agencies.

• The Waterwise Campaign (1994): Created alongside co-art director Gary under Lintas Head of Creative Allen Crew during the Sydney bushfires. Featured on the back page of The Sydney Morning Herald with the memorable copy line, "Turning off your hose kept this one flowing," the cultural sensation led to Honey being headhunted twice over.

• Global Brand Portfolio: Primetime television, print, and radio campaigns for Diet Coke, NEC, Lindt, Rexona, Commonwealth Bank, and the Sydney Olympics.

• Lintas & Creative Collaborations: Worked under CD Guy Winston, partnering with Jeremy Andrew and Senior Art Director Mario Sanasi to bring the iconic Minties catchphrase—"It's moments like these..."—to life. Also developed TV scripts with comedy icon Jennifer Saunders (Absolutely Fabulous, BBC) and was mentored at The Campaign Palace.

• International Acclaim (2001): Collaborated with Nicholas Riddett and Clara McClarin at the Nicholas Riddett Agency on a powerful Schizophrenia Fellowship advocacy campaign. The international success earned a profile feature in the September 2001 issue of Creative Review, London.

Architectural Form & High-Fashion Sensibilities

At Foote, Cone & Belding (FCB), under Creative Director Michael Symonds, Honey fused fashion and commercial art, crafting the breathtaking "Smooth Surrender" national print campaign with co-art director Liz. Inspired by Steven Meisel’s 1999 Vogue Italia editorial, they shot at the architecturally renowned Harry Seidler House (Rose Seidler House), seamlessly blending modernist Australian architecture with avant-garde fashion sensibilities.

Structural Wit & Experiential Branding:

• Kellogg’s Special K (1987): Designed innovative cereal box mock-ups physically shaped like the letter 'K'—a concept the client loved.

• Sydney Nightlife Icons: Ran advertising for the legendary Peppermint Lounge, created the Goldfingers bar ads, and masterminded the entire conceptual launch of Kings Cross icon Candy’s Apartment alongside her partner Ian. As principal clients, they conceived the name, designed the signature badge, and styled opening night using her grandmother's furniture to create an intimate, New York-style loft.

Education & The Next Chapter

For over twenty years, Honey has been a dedicated specialist educator with Sydney Catholic Schools, currently utilising her advanced postgraduate expertise as a Diverse Learning Teacher & Literacy Intervention Specialist.

Working dynamically both inside and outside the classroom, she bridges elite industry creativity with diagnostic pedagogy to support diverse needs and nurture creatively gifted minds:

• Targeted In-Class Interventions: Collaborating directly within the classroom environment to deliver immediate, high-impact literacy interventions and tailored support strategies that empower students in real-time.

• Specialised Outside-Classroom Strategy: Designing targeted educational pathways, diagnostic planning, and specialised support frameworks beyond the traditional classroom setting.

Only during school holidays does she channel her relentless storytelling energy into two major independent passion projects, bringing fresh, real-world creative inspiration back to her educational community:

• The Debut Novel: A heartwarming and witty full-length fiction manuscript currently sitting at over 83,000 words, tracking a protagonist's profound internal transformation and spiritual journey.

• The Animated Film: An independent animation project brought to life through her own signature fashion paper-doll illustrations, designed to visually spotlight the vital importance of building a growth mindset and emotional resilience.