Ideas, Ideas, Ideas: INDIE's Creative Director Joris Philippart

Joris Philippart
Creative Director INDIE Amsterdam
 

 

Describe your job to us, what’s your title & what do you do?

Creative director at INDIE. I help others make ideas that grow brands. If I am lucky, sometimes I get to make some ideas myself.

What are some of the perks and challenges you experience while working in a creative field?

By far the best thing is that you get to make things that come out of your head. To see an idea come to life is why I do this job. The challenge for any creative person doing a commercial job, is that you cannot just do what you want. There are many opinions that will come on your path. Part of the job is to navigate through them and find the things that are useful to you. At the start most creatives get very defensive if somebody comments on their idea. In the beginning I found this hard too. With time and experience you learn work can always improve if you dare to listen.

Tell us about your background and what led you to join the creative side?

I studied design but wanted to do something more conceptual. I decided advertising would be good for me so I made a portfolio I thought was right. I then got help from several very nice people who introduced me to agencies to present it to. Agencies seemed to like my work, so that then gave me the idea to book an around the world ticket and try to visit as many great ones as possible. I ended up at Mother in London.

How does the culture in your office influence the work you create?

I am very lucky I am surrounded by very talented people. I’ve just started; most days I get excited by all the great ideas and designs that the people show me.

If I’m entering the industry and I want to move into the creative side, what steps should I take?

Do some research. Look at what work is being made around the world. Then think about what you like. What you are good at. With that in mind make a portfolio. If you feel this is too hard I would recommend the SCA in London. They have a one year advertising crash course. I’ve hired multiple people that came from there and they are always great.

Do you have a dream account or brand you would like to work on? Which one?

For me it is all about the client. I believe that you can do great work on all brands in all categories. But in the end it comes down to the client buying the work. If they have vision, and are willing to take a risk once in a while then you are lucky. I guess we are very lucky at INDIE.

What piece of work are you most proud of?

I can’t tell. In each bit of work there things I like and dislike. For instance I like the Endangered Emoji project for how it was successful without any media support. It got a lot free celebrity endorsements so that was cool. In general after finishing a project it always takes me a while to forget about the things I dislike.

What is your favorite ad of all time?

Miller High Life from Errol Morris.