Depth is my whole practice. An idea gets considered fully before it’s ever made. The work should speak for
itself, not be oversold.
itself, not be oversold.
Everything else keeps changing: the hand gives way to the screen, the screen to the conversation; one movement gives way to the next, carried by whoever showed up for its beginning, then handed forward when it’s someone else’s turn.
None of that is worth holding onto. What’s worth carrying is the thinking underneath it, and who it was built with. What matters isn’t how short or how long something took, or what shape it took. It’s how deeply the idea was considered before it became real.
Bio
Hello, I’m John Caponi, a creative practitioner in the San Francisco Bay Area. A company, a studio, a classroom, and a band are rooms the practice has lived in.
I once rebranded Pro Tools; Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails shook my hand afterward and said, "You pimped my Pro Tools."
I taught graphic design at CCA from 2014 to 2016, pushing students toward rigor without losing their curiosity. Even though the school will close after the 26–27 school year, after a century in San Francisco, I still make time for a lecture, a workshop, a room full of students.
I am currently an independent creative director and designer, taking on identity, campaign, and experience work, hands-on or leading. Roles, projects, collaborations, talks. If it’s interesting, I’m interested.
Work
Adobe, Senior Creative Director, 2006-2026 / San Francisco, California
As a Senior Creative Director in Adobe Studio, part of Global Marketing, I led Adobe’s brand expression. Expression is how the brand is visualized and communicated to the world through partnerships, campaigns, product splash idents, and brand activations. I managed and mentored art directors, designers, writers,
and agencies, while conceptualizing and guiding creative to execution with innovative and sound strategy. Most recently an individual contributor, having previously managed a team of up to 8 full-time employees and contractors.
and agencies, while conceptualizing and guiding creative to execution with innovative and sound strategy. Most recently an individual contributor, having previously managed a team of up to 8 full-time employees and contractors.
Here are examples of my impact on a few high-profile projects I led, directed and got hands-on with:
• Adobe x NFL 2026. I spotted a missing narrative in a funded $18.5M NFL media placement, used AI-assisted strategy tools to build the fix, wrote the narrative, and designed the pitch in Figma, winning ECD, Brand Strategy, and Sports Marketing sign-off.
• The new Adobe logo. I recognized a shelved internal exploration as the right direction for Adobe's current wordmark, public since Q2 2023, and won over early leadership skepticism.
• Adobe Brand. Served as Senior Creative Director for the motion toolkit extending the new brand system into motion.
• Creative Suite 6 packaging system. I led Adobe's side of the Creative Suite 6 packaging program: directed the outside agency, convinced the Executive Creative Director to commit to the strongest direction, and set the typographic system, then sold the work through internal business units. Recognized in the 2012 Communication Arts Design Annual.
• Creative Cloud splash screens. I curated, commissioned, and led creative direction on Adobe's Creative Cloud splash screen program, shifting it from a systematic, app-by-app identity to a community-art-driven model built on artist partnerships, 2014 to 2023.
• Chase Center Art Collection presented by Adobe. I commissioned and directed two rounds of new artwork for the Chase Center Art Collection with the Golden State Warriors, giving Bay Area artists a public platform inside the arena, 2023 to 2024.
CCA, Adjunct Professor, Graphic Design, 2014-2016 / San Francisco, California
• Taught the Graphic Design Tools class
• Reimagined the curriculum to include more relevant exercises and modern practices
• Focused the students on repetition and technical best practices while maintaining a spirit of exploration
• Pioneered inclusion of new tools for graphic designers including mobile for creative expression
Design:Unknown, Principal, 1996-2026 / San Francisco, California
D:U was my personal design practice, where I consulted on and executed advertising, brand strategy, identity, full-funnel campaigns, experiences, illustration, and motion graphics.
Avid, Creative Marketing Manager, 2004-2006 / San Francisco, California
• Hired and managed a team of 3 full-time and 3 freelance designers
• Rebranded Pro Tools, establishing and maintaining a modern brand aesthetic for the Digidesign company in print, in-product, online, and at trade shows
• Worked with managers and writers to conceptualize new marketing strategies
• Maintained worldwide integrity of the brand by overseeing international teams
Adobe, Art Director, 1991-1996 / Mountain View, California
Progressed from Jr. Designer in Technical Documentation to Art Director in Marketing Communications, with responsibilities spanning book design and educational materials to full-scale product packaging and marketing campaigns, including product identity, illustration, layout, production, advertising, and experiential marketing. Maintained print quality standards through press checks, directed photography, and advanced the brand's visual identity across all deliverables.
Winterland, Graphic Designer, 1989-1991 / San Francisco, California
Winterland, founded by Bill Graham, specialized in merchandising the top acts in the music industry and was responsible for some of the most recognizable concert and retail t-shirt designs of the 20th century. As a graphic designer, I created t-shirts, posters, and tour books from concept to final print-ready art utilizing digital and practical techniques including colored pencil, paint, airbrush, photography, and photocopy.
Education
Savannah College of Art and Design
BFA Graphic Design, minor in Art History, 1988
GPA 3.75
1985 Outstanding Freshman · 1988 Outstanding Student in Graphic Design
Proficiency
Acrobat, After Effects, AI-assisted Design & Strategy, Figma, Firefly, Firefly Boards, Illustrator, InDesign, Keynote, Logic Pro, Office, Photoshop, Premiere Pro, Pro Tools, Slack