Membership Spotlight: John S Howard

January 23, 2009 Filed Under: Member Spotlight 0 Comments

John S Howard, member since 2008
Graphic Designer, Freelancer
JohnSHoward.com

Where are you from?
I was born in the brilliant land of England; grew up in Holland and came over to America in my 20s to find the dream.

What attracted you to the design profession? Did you have particular mentors or experiences that opened the door to the profession for you?
As a kid I knew I wanted to be an artist and create. But it was when I was around 11 that my father told me that I would be a designer. That's probably because he was a Creative Director at an agency. He taught me all about design and the meaning of a good concept. I remember when I was a kid I'd walk into his agency and I just knew that I was in a different place. Feeling the energy, seeing the cool art and watching the men and women who just had a different air about them. I quickly realized that he was right and from then on it was my path.

Where do you get your inspiration from?
What fuels my fire? I'd usually say something cliche, like movies, books and taking long strolls. But in reality it's common day things like laughing with my wife, playing with my kids and talking with kindred spirits.

What is your favorite word?
In the English language it would have to be the word, Brilliant! There is no other quintessential English word that describes gleeful perfection as, "Brilliant". My other favorite word is a dutch word, "gezellig". There's no direct translation, it describes a feeling of calm happiness. It's a word that makes sense and feels right when said.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
My fathers favorite saying was always, "Keep it simple". So I've tried to abide by that. Whether it's designing, planning or just plain living, we all have a habit of complicating the matter. So the key is to always remember the big picture and not get over burdened by the junk. Keep it simple.

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