Sean van der Westhuizen

Sean van der Westhuizen

Art Director at Workbench
Johannesburg, South Africa

About me

I grew up in an interesting little town in the east of Joburg called Benoni. I was a strange kid growing up, with my strangeness slowly gaining relevance over the years. I remember creating images on my father’s early personal computer with a two-colour orange and black monitor, using only a keyboard and a primitive form of MS Paint.
When I was twelve my parents immigrated to the USA where I lived and went to school in California for a few months. Things didn’t go as planned so we returned to South Africa, and although it was only a short stay I attribute my preoccupation with brands to this experience. This preoccupation plus the enjoyment I found in creating things steered me through high school and to the University of Pretoria, where I enrolled in their Information Design course. While completing my fourth and final year, I was taken on as an intern at Ogilvy Brand Activation Johannesburg. Once I completed the internship I joined full-time, working there for the next 4 years or so. In 2010, I joined the Red Lounge, set up by Coca-Cola, to work on their campaign for the 2010 Fifa World Cup. After the games I went to OwenKessel for two years, moving to a small design company called One Kingdom for a short stint as a creative director before joining Workbench. When I’m not working, or spending time with my wife Claire, I'm at the gym, reading, watching movies or playing piano. 

Positions

Art Director
Workbench Communications
March 2014 - Present (10 years 2 months)
Creative Director / Art Director
One Kingdom
July 2012 - February 2014 (1 year 7 months)
Art Director
OwenKessel
September 2010 - September 2012 (2 years)
Art Director
The Royal Metropole (Red Lounge)
September 2009 - August 2010 (11 months)
Art Director
ICA Communication
Paris, France
November 2004 - August 2009 (4 years 9 months)

Education

BA Information Design

January 2002 - January 2005 (3 years)

January 1997 - January 2001 (4 years)

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