Saks Afridi is an art-based Creative Director with 20 years of US and global experience. He's the proud recipient of 2 Gold Cannes Lions, 3 D&AD, 2 One Show pencils and a UN Award for Peace and Understanding.
He is an Executive Creative Director at Merkley + Partners where he oversees the creative work for Mercedes-Benz in North America and global. In the recent past, he has overseen work on White Castle, Smart car and Tic Tac to name a few. During his time at Merkley, he has helped pitch and win multiple clients. He and his partner, Eddie Van Bloem, currently oversee all creative on White Castle, Vanda Pharmaceuticals and Florida’s Natural.
Prior to Merkley, Saks was a Creative Director at TBWA\RAAD in Dubai. He headed the regional creative work for Nissan Motors, Mars Foods (Galaxy, Twix and Pedigree dog food), Axiom Telecom and MTV.
Prior to TBWA, Saks co-founded and ran GreenSoap Design, a digital design firm in San Francisco.
Beyond the ad and art world, Saks is the author of Why the Porsche 911 Is the Answer to Most of Your Problems - a funny, soul-searching book that uses car culture as a lens for life advice. A lifelong gearhead, he brings the same curiosity and obsession to his vintage car collection as he does to every creative project.
Saks is a global nomad by way of Dubai, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, San Francisco, and now New York. He speaks five languages (English, Urdu, Hindi, Pashto, and conversational Arabic), and his creative worldview is as layered and eclectic as his journey.
He’s currently exploring the intersection of AI, creativity, and culture—both in the boardroom and the studio. And when he's not making ads or art, he’s likely wrenching on one of his vintage cars.
Advertising/Design Recognitions:
United Nations Award for Peace & Understanding
D&AD
Cannes Lions
The One Show
Art Directors Club
Communication Arts Typography Annual
Communication Arts Advertising Annual
Communication Arts Design Annual
Clio Awards
New York Festivals
Dubai Lynx Awards
OBIES
