John Norman was born in Texas and raised as an only child by his grandmother. Already from an early age he loved design.  He got a degree in Fine Arts from East Texas University and started out as a graphic designer – he worked for Nike, among other brands. In 1996 he moved to Amsterdam to work for Wieden+Kennedy. After that he worked in Italy as design director for Benetton and as creative director for Goodby, Silverstein & Partners in San Francisco. In 2005 John returned to Amsterdam to become ECD at Wieden. His advertising portfolio is impressive with art directional eye candy for global clients. At Goodby he was responsible for HP’s ‘Picture Book’ and at Wieden for Coca’s Cola’s Happiness Factory – to name only a few projects. John lives in Amsterdam with his wife Dee and their four children.

As a kid, what were your most creative moments?
Well, I always loved to draw.  I was raised by my grandmother, and as an only child you have to find ways to entertain yourself.  But my creativity was most channeled into playing army.  My friends and I dug trenches, made weapons, crafted strategies and attacks, gave each other nicknames, it goes on an on.  I have to admit we used real BB guns, however never really killed anyone in combat. This was Texas in the 70s, and we made our own non-digital version of Battlefield.  When left on my own, I created really elaborate cityscapes out of dominos and playing cards.  Now I feel really old.

Which creative effort has given you the most satisfaction?
On a professional level, I am the most satisfied by what we have created here in Amsterdam at Wieden + Kennedy in the last 4.5 years.  We have moved the office, changed the atmosphere, changed much of the personnel and in the process done a lot of fine work for some very great clients.  This has been a great year and I am proud of the people here in Amsterdam who made that happen.

On a personal level, my four kids give me untold satisfaction.  Watching them change and become real people is like a live-in art installation, only with a lot more snack food and shoes.

What fascinates you?
I love nanoscience and I never get tired of learning about it.  My wife falls asleep when I start talking about it, but I don’t care.  It’s amazing what is going on in the world of science, and of course it impacts what we do as well.  The innovations in technology change how we communicate for and with our clients almost monthly.  But really, I love the tiny world, and how the very small things will ultimately lead us to the very big answers.

Who is your favourite creator?
From the past, I have to offer somewhat of a cliché, but Michelangelo and his passion for the human form and his ability to create in so many areas – paint, stone, architecture — inspired me quite a bit when I was an Art major in college.  I admire his stubbornness for his own beliefs.  Michelangelo owned the old Nike expression “irreverence justified”.

As for modern artists, I am most amazed by the film work of Terrence Malick.  His movies are masterpieces of visual story-telling and the dialogue is secondary.  Working as we do for global clients, we don’t get to use a lot of words because of the obvious translation issues.  I admire the way Malick  creates so much emotion in a single visual image, and the sparseness of his dialog.  Badlands and Days of Heaven and The Thin Red Line are very different in story, and yet there is an artistry to them that is undeniably Malick.

When did you decide, I want to work in advertising?
I worked at Nike in the early 90s in design, and though I worked together with some Wieden people on projects, I considered myself a pure graphic designer…completely unrelated to advertising. I actually did not think much of advertising.  Then, I judged a show in Atlanta and I met Jelly Helm, who was also judging.  He said I should check out the Amsterdam office of WK and I started working there a few months later.  Since then, I’ve had my own agency with Todd Tilford and I have worked for Goodby Silverstein in San Francisco, and though I love the process of advertising, I always think of myself as a graphic designer first because that’s where I learned to communicate first.  Even as a child, I used to impress the girls with my horse drawings.  You have to go with what you have.

What’s your most important lesson in advertising?
Keep it simple, but not obvious and always unexpected.  Advertising is kind of like the short story genre in fiction.  You have a small amount of time to convey what you hope will be a memorable message.  Let’s try not to bore people to death and let’s try to use as much new thought as we can for every project.

My design professor at East Texas State, Rob Lawton, was an inspiration.  He used to take projects he didn’t like, pull out a box of matches,  and light them on fire in front of the entire class and let them burn in the trash can.  So painful if it was yours, but motivating.  No one wants see their work get torched in front of their peers.

What’s the most exciting ad project you ever worked on?
I have worked on a lot.  Some crazy shoots, some insane colleagues, some exhausting clients.  But once they’re over, I don’t look back.  I once got to do an ad about nanotechnology that I really enjoyed.  But I am always most excited about what I am doing at the moment, and what is about to appear on the screen.  Right now we have a lot of projects on the horizon for Nike, Coke, Nokia, Honda,  Heineken, BASF and Tanqueray just to name a few.  I think some of the work will be stellar and can’t wait to see it emerge from the agency and be greeted by the real world.

What’s your favourite place in Amsterdam?
Since moving here I have become a bit of a racing bike rider.  My favorite place is on my racing bike on a route outside of Amsterdam through farmland that takes me around the perimeter of the city.  I love the contrast between this crowded, historic village we live in and the fairytale countryside that surrounds it.  Where else on Earth can you find little canals, windmills, black and white cows on green fields, lambs, swans, geese, ducks, pheasants, horses, and of course hundreds of bunnies all living together right outside a major European city? I must admit I am a sucker for a field full of bunnies.

What would you like to change in Amsterdam?
Truthfully, not much.  I have lived a lot of places, and this is a wonderful city.