ART DIRECTOR / CREATIVE DIRECTOR
"Give Deon the most challenging of briefs and he'll work his magic to give you something fresh and engaging. A consummate professional, he is articulate and approachable and very comfortable in front of clients."
Arthur Parshotam, Global Creative Director, Ogilvy
“Deon is not only talented, he's tenacious. He’s one of those people who can take a seemingly unpromising brief and turn it into gold. In terms of craft, he's a perfectionist who sets himself high standards which, come hell or high water, tiny budgets or daft timings, he will meet.”
Shaun McIlrath, Exec Creative Director, iris Worldwide
"Deon is a proper creative all-rounder: solid, insight driven ideas, brilliant art direction and he’s also an excellent writer. If this weren’t a smorgasbord of skills already, he’s also a musical talent. Above all, he’s just a lovely bloke to have around the place, friendly, enthusiastic and with a great line in banter.”
Ali Brushfield, Creative Director, Earnest
“In
next to no time, Deon was able to conceive and visualise a campaign idea in a
powerful and compelling way that clients found super engaging and easy to
understand. We've just briefed our internal team to develop artwork
based on his visuals and headlines, so we're full steam ahead. He was a pleasure to work with and we look forward
to working with him again.”
Mark Jenkins, Global Strategist, Publicis
“Deon has worked as a trusted freelancer with Catch A Fire on an ad hoc
basis since September 2020. He’s been our first port of call when we’ve needed
additional Creative support within the agency and as such he’s worked on a wide
variety of creative briefs, across a range of our clients. Deon has always been
reliable and demonstrated a good work ethic, delivering high quality work
whilst meeting deadlines, which have often been tight. He’s built strong
relationships with those he’s worked with and communicates well with the team.”
Ruth Murphy, Operations Manager, Catch A Fire
“Having never ridden a horse before, I was nervous when I was bequeathed Deon by an ill friend. But he proved himself a faithful steed indeed. I am thankful for the time we had together. Interestingly, Deon is not only a delightful geegee, but also a terribly talented creative. Award-winning ideas seem to spill out of him like rainbow-flavoured vomit. His prowess in art direction is matched only by his skill as a writer. All in all, he's a frustratingly good all-round creative bloke/horse.”
Johnny Watters, Copywriter, Claydon Heeley (now ECD, Ogilvy)
"Deon is a talented creative with a strong work ethic who takes pride in ensuring his product is of the highest quality. He has built strong relationships with other creatives, account teams and clients and has been at the heart of some of our most successful campaigns.”
Tom Crossley, Partner, iris Worldwide (now WCRS)
“It is easy to Produce work for someone like Deon who has a clear vision and is passionate about his craft. Deon is inspirational, always pushing the boundaries and making the work as good as it can be. To name his other qualities I would say he's great fun to be around and a generous spirited man."
Jane Rattle, Head of Broadcast, iris Worldwide
"I worked alongside Deon on several campaigns - including a high profile fully integrated launch campaign for a demanding client. He is a pleasure to work with and not only got on with the task quickly and efficiently, but continued to produce great work.”
Mike Kerry, Senior Producer, Ogilvy
Additional references available from:
Al Young, Creative Director, St.Luke's
Sacha Ward, Creative Director, BBH
Will Awdry, Creative Director, Ogilvy, Big Fish
Michael Quinn, Creative Director, VCCP
Shnoosee Bailey, Creative Director, Hey Human