The Walker Art Center in Minneapolis has a weak spot for British culture, namely its creative advertising and video. The famed arts center has launched its 2025 British Arrows Awards campaign, designed by the Walker’s senior designer Nazli Ercan. The campaign puts a unique twist on the traditional British identity of the program, incorporating a local Minnesota flavor to highlight the event’s nearly 40-year history at the Walker.
Ercan, who has worked with various cultural and arts organizations, including the Carnegie Museum of Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art, drew inspiration from her love of British humor and her conversations with her witty UK friends. She chose to feature British icons carved in butter, a nod to Minnesota’s famous butter sculptures at the State Fair. In one intro video for the BAA, she featured the phrase: “The bread and butter to your Minnesota winter.” If you thought British weather was bad, go to Minnesota – the U.S. state is known for its brutal winters, short days, huge snowfalls and winter that goes well into March.
While the campaign can be seen all over the Walker, it is also found at several high-traffic bus stops around Minnesota and in ads published in local publications, like The Hmong Times, Mpls.St.Paul Magazine, North News, Spokesman Recorder, and Star Tribune, reaching a combined viewership of over a half a million Minnesotans.
So it had to be catchy and unexpected. Ercan started with an unconventional approach – her BAA campaign’s visuals were created in collaboration with food stylist and photographer Maria Erikson, who carved out the British-themed designs in, you guessed it, butter. Ercan opted for a handmade approach, eschewing AI-generated designs to capture the authentic texture and warmth of real butter. She talks to 1883 Magazine about her vision, approach and visuals for the campaign, from making a local connection, by featuring Minnesota Timberwolves player Anthony Edwards appearing in one of this year’s ads, promoting the BAA screenings, which run until January 3, 2026, at the Walker Cinema.
Have you ever been to the UK? If so, did part of that experience inform this campaign project, the British Arrows 2025?
Nazli Ercan: I’ve only been to Scotland, and that was quite a long time ago. I wouldn’t say that trip directly shaped the campaign, but many of my close friends are from the UK, and I’ve always loved their sense of humor especially the dry and the deadpan style. So, I would say, a lot of those influences and conversations with my friends shaped the mood of the project.
What was your approach to the branding campaign and visuals?
In our kickoff meeting, the marketing team explained that past promotions leaned heavily into the “British” identity of the program. But since the British Arrows have been shown at the Walker for almost 40 years, they wanted to highlight it as a Minnesota tradition, too. The timing worked out because Minnesota Timberwolves player Anthony Edwards appears in one of this year’s winning ads, so the local connection felt even stronger. Since the meeting was during the Minnesota State Fair, which is famous for its butter sculptures, I immediately thought butter would be the perfect Minnesota twist. That led us to the idea of creating British icons carved in butter, which became the core of the visuals.
You worked with a food stylist and butter carver to make British-themed butter. Why did you decide to create these maquettes to be photographed, versus just getting Artificial Intelligence to design them?
We did consider using AI early on, especially because our timeline was tight and it was tricky to find a butter carver who fit both our schedule and budget. I tested a few AI options, but they didn’t have the handmade texture or warmth I wanted. The charm of the idea relied on the physical qualities of real butter (its texture and its imperfections) and also the fact that butter carving is a craft on its own done by a real person. To get that authentic, tactile look, it needed to be carved and photographed for real.
How did the marketing team at the Walker want to give it a local edge?
They wanted to balance the British identity with a stronger Minnesota presence since the event has been part of the Walker’s programming for nearly four decades. It has often been promoted as a strictly British event, but it has become a long-running Minnesota tradition too. Featuring Anthony Edwards in one of the ads this year made the local connection even more relevant. And hence the idea to make British Arrows a Minnesotan tradition. As for how, they left the decision (and the solution) to me.
What went into the direction of the photos?
I collaborated with Maria Erikson, who works as both a stylist and photographer. She luckily also had experience with carving butter! Before the shoot, I sent her the list of British icons I wanted to feature along with the specific food pairings I had in mind, some of which were a Union Jack butter carving on toast and a royal guard butter carving paired with waffles. I also shared color palette ideas and prop references. Maria sourced similar props, and during the shoot, we worked closely to refine the compositions. The goal was to keep everything clean, graphic, and playful while still feeling handmade.
The Walker has a long history with the British Arrows Awards, how did it all begin?
The Walker first got involved with the BAA in 1986. A curator saw a screening of the British Arrows winners at MoMA in New York and decided it needed to come to Minneapolis. And since then it has been a tradition here in Minneapolis and at the Walker that Arrows are screened every Holiday season.
The British Arrows Awards focuses on awards for advertising films, but they have their own artistic merit, as well. What are a few highlights from this year’s program?
What stood out to me this year is how varied the ads are. Some are genuinely funny, and some are moving while some feel like mini-films with beautiful storytelling and cinematography. The Anthony Edwards ad brought a great local surprise, and a couple of the public-service pieces were especially powerful.
The screenings run until January 3, 2026 in the Walker Cinema. How does your design work play into the experience of the screenings?
Since the screening is broken into categories (Bronze, Silver, Gold, and “Advert of the Year”)I created a pre-roll for when people walk in, and then a main opening sequence that leads into the title cards for each section. Those title cards use the stop-motion butter pieces we made, like the Union Jack carving that gets spread across toast and transitions into the “BRONZE” text. It was fun to see the still images we shot turn into moving pieces that guide the structure of the whole show. For the official opening night on December 5, The British Arrows team came in from the UK, as they do every year, and the event was really warm and festive, partly because it’s right around the holidays, and partly because people genuinely look forward to this program each year.
The 2025 British Arrow Awards is screening at The Walker Art Centre’s Walker Cinema, located at 725 Vineland Place Minneapolis, MN, until January 3, 2026.
By Margaret Wright
Published December 15, 2026
