ADVERTISING PORTFOLIO

This portfolio contains examples of ads done both as a freelance Art Director and Copywriter, as well as while working for ad agencies of all shapes and sizes. The more well-known ones include Ogilvy, Hunt Lascaris, Saatchi & Saatchi, FCB and J Walter Thompson.

I started out as a renderer, or storyboard artist, at JWT Johannesburg, moving on to Partnership/FCB (now Publicis Johannesburg). There I became an Art Director, before moving to MPL/Ogilvy & Mather Mauritius to head up their Creative Department. I spent the next 5 years shuttling back and forth between South Africa and Mauritius. In between island contracts, I got my first taste of freelancing. My last position was as Creative Consultant for Saatchi's Mauritius. Then the Internet happened, and I decided I'd prefer working for myself through the Net, rather than sitting in an office.

There's quite a big difference between freelancing and working for an advertising agency. In ad agencies, the focus is very much
on winning awards, often at the expense of the clients' sales figures. Freelancing is more about working directly with clients, and doing stuff that actually sells products. I'm happier doing that, as the objectives are much more real, and I think it leads to a much higher standard of work. I must say though, that having started out in big agencies was an advantage, as I learned from some of the leading figures in the industry.

Advertising's about Art Direction, Copywriting and production skills. But the main focus is on coming up with creative ideas. It's sometimes a very difficult thing to do, and I've heard it described as the finest of all the arts. Not many fine artists would agree, but there is definitely an art to it - combining ideas, visuals and text to deliver commercial messages. One has to first get the attention of specific target markets and then tempt them to buy products and services. I hope you agree that I managed to do that. All the work in this portfolio was designed to appeal to you, so I hope you enjoy looking through it.