Member in the Spotlight: Alex Normanton

Alex Normanton is an independent Creative Director and graphic designer who recently became the Founder, Creator & Podcast Host of DOPA (The Department of Pro-Activeness) – fuelling conversations around creative wellness and turning negative barriers into positive tools for mental success. Alex has been working in the creative industry for over two decades – from humble beginnings at Saatchi & Saatchi, London through to roles at MassiveMusic, Design Bridge and running his own design company. He is a highly motivated, strategic and ideas-led Creative Director.

As the Club for Creativity, we’d like to ask you to get creative and create a self-portrait.

PERSONAL

Do you own a collection and if so, what is it?

Yes, I can get a bit carried away with things I love - so over the years I’ve “collected” designer chairs to vintage retro toys. Yet, the much loved collection that keeps on growing is my old Kodak instamatic cameras from various decades. I love (well before lockdown(!)) wandering around the markets in Amsterdam hoping on the off chance to spot another gem for the collection. But I probably need to stop, or move house. The production of images has always fascinated me. From my early days at design college, I remember developing film (the old way), in a darkroom with chemicals and the excitement and anticipation of what might eventually appear on the final sheet. Last summer I took a series of images on the Kodak 233 Instamatic, with the original black and white film from 1976! The results definitely gave a vintage timeless feel of a bygone era - which I love.

What is the most unforgettable place you have travelled to?

It probably has to be Koh Samui in Thailand, which now of course, has become an overly subscribed destination.

We went there for our honeymoon back in 2000 and so back then, it was unspoilt, not commercial and you had a truly authentic experience. What struck me was the generosity of the people, their attitude to visitors and a sense of genuine hospitality that was never ending. Plus the food: incredible! Some of the best Thai food I have ever eaten was served from a pop-up shack on the corner of a street with a make-shift table and two broken chairs. A visit to ‘Grandpa and Grandma’ rock also made an unforgettable memory!

What music could we find on your favourite playlist?

That’s a good one. My music taste is the definition of eclectic! From Eva Cassidy and John Mayer through to Iggy Pop and everything in-between. But where I come alive is something with groove, a beat and something that makes you want to get up and dance. Funk, soul and disco is where I get my kicks! However, more recently, and especially in lockdown, I’ve been listening to more podcasts around various subjects. In fact, only last week I launched a new podcast called DOPA (The Department of Pro-Activeness) to talk about “creative wellness” - a topic so often overlooked in the creative industry.

Image below: Illustration by Petra Eriksson

What is the last thing you bought and loved?

Tricky to choose the “last” thing; because I, along with everyone else, have probably bought way too many articles online recently. However, it would have to be my Cube Attain road bike. I had never done ‘proper’ road cycling before as my experience was always with mountain bikes. But as I live in Amsterdam Oost, I had seen a lot of riders heading out towards Ouderkerk and beyond, on crisp sunlit mornings. So at the tail end of the summer season last year, I made the costly commitment to invest in a road bike and all the sexy lycra gear! I like the freedom and simplicity of getting on a bike and its ability to transport you to anywhere you’d like to go (with a bit of effort required)! It can be hard work, even without many hills, especially when you’re starting out. But it’s like anything else: a discipline of training and technique opens up into time and space to think, the chance to see different parts of the region and to land back home feeling energised, refreshed and glad to be back in one piece. (Needless to say, with my track record - that last bit cannot be taken for granted!)

*Please note: the aforementioned bike has now been sold to actually buy the correct frame size! Bike rookie error.

If you didn't live in the Netherlands, where would you live?

Sydney, Australia. I worked there in 2005 with Saatchi Design in the infamous area called ‘The Rocks’. I was working for Saatchi & Saatchi, London at the time. They introduced a new scheme called ‘Saatchi Switch’ which you had to apply for/twist the arm of the most senior person in the company, to get a place. I was one of the first people who got to swap jobs, countries, lives, houses and partners (joke) with Christopher Doyle.

The studio boardroom at Saatchi Design overlooked the Sydney Harbour bridge. I experienced an incredible work/life balance, working with super fun people (Julian Melhuish, Kevin Finn and Narelle Vine) and appreciated the outdoor lifestyle in which companies embraced employees heading down to the beach at lunchtime (or after work). Everything about it was an absolute delight. The whole place and the pervading attitude left a lasting impression on me. I took some extra time out to travel with my wife afterwards - travelling up to the Barrier Reef. It was very, very difficult to get on the plane to come home.

What is the best gift you’ve ever received and why?

Ever received? That’s a big question.

Well it probably has to be a surprise trip (from my wife - did I mention she’s awesome?) for my 30th birthday.

We flew out to NYC for a very long weekend. She had arranged with my studio manager and work colleagues that I’d have some time off. So, they all knew, but I did not. I spent most of the time there thinking I was dreaming. It was an incredible trip, which ended in style when we arrived back at the airport for the night flight home. At the time, a mutual friend was a pilot for British Airways so we flew back from New York, JFK to London Heathrow in First Class: bliss, and the only time I have ever slept on a plane. But in fact - the only time I have ever had a ‘bed’ on a plane!

Who is the one artist whose work you'd collect if you could?

Roy Lichtenstein - The American pop-art artist.

I love everything about his work: the boldness, simplicity, colourways, dot-screens and the place these take as a foundational knowledge in art and design history. Seeing them hung on the wall of The Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam takes my breath away every time I see them. I wish I had the space (and money) to own a set of three original canvases.

PROFESSIONAL

Which phase of the creative process excites you the most and why?

The fear of the unknown.

It’s usually at the start of a project or in the initial stages of getting to grips with the brief, the client and immersing yourself around the brand/problem. It’s the fear of the unknown but also the opportunity and excitement of: this can go anywhere, it could be so many things. Assessing the opportunity, the ambition and the appetite of the client - ie: how brave do they want to be? So, turn fear into opportunities, it’s a good thing.

If you weren't working in the creative industry, what else would you be doing?

I’d like to think that I’d be playing jazz piano somewhere in a small brown bar or on tour. But in reality, my jazz piano skills are not that good. I do play piano - but the discipline of studying jazz piano is another ball game and a life-long pursuit. I used to walk through the arches of the old Jacob Kramer college buildings in Leeds, England just to listen to free jazz “concerts” as the musicians practised.

What top tips do you have to help people get creatively inspired?

(This is very topical for me right now due to the launch of DOPA!) Read a lot of useful and useless information: be a sponge! Design knowledge is great — but be interested in wider things as inspiration can come from anywhere. Finally, learn to play and have fun. Play and experimenting as you work can often lead to unexpected brilliant ideas. We sometimes take our day to day roles far too seriously. We aren’t brain surgeons or rocket scientists.

How do you deal with failure?

Failure enables us to step back and look at things with a fresh perspective and ultimately to enable us to get back up again. It challenges us to learn from it, to use it as a catalyst and provide the fuel to spark a new idea, venture, passion project or a complete change in direction. Some of the greatest leaders have failed - often. The failures are as important as the successes and so I’d encourage anyone (inc. agencies) to embrace failure and use it as a tool to enable feedback, development and different perspectives.

Over the last year, have you developed new ways of working?

Yes. Opening up more, sharing more often and not being so protective of things. There are rewards in being candid with people and putting good things out into the world. Ironically, as the remote technology tools have increased, I’ve returned to the humble pen and paper in order to think more and design better. It’s amazing how many ideas flow through the nib of a pen rather than letting a machine stand in the way of creative thinking. The mouse and computer are tools after all - it can’t think for you - well, not yet anyway.

What is the biggest challenge you’ve overcome and how?

Getting back on the horse.

Throughout my career there have been some incredible highlights and a few undeniably low moments too. That’s life! But I admit, the last three years in Amsterdam have been tough mentally. Having a near death experience and having to put down things that you were incredibly passionate about, is never easy. Whenever life throws you a curve ball you can start to doubt yourself, and think you aren’t good at what you do. You often look backwards - question yourself, the things people said, what you should have articulated better, what you perhaps should have left unsaid. It’s one hell of a head spinner, incredibly tough, and the pandemic, lock-down, distance from friends and family, can only amplify those thoughts.

However, sometimes our minds need time to recover, as the narrative we tell ourselves is not always the complete picture. All the thoughts, reflections and challenges of the past three years have been turned into the fuel to start DOPA (apologies for plugging this heavily).

I don’t believe I could speak authentically and passionately into the topic of “creative wellness” if I had not been through and worked through these issues. So like a phoenix from the flames, we rise to see another day: cue the emotional piano music :)

Through our Members in the Spotlight feature, we aim to get to know both professionally and personally the unique qualities of our ADCN Members. If you would like to join ADCN, the Club for Creativity, you can find out more here.