Design, photography and me

I have always been a creative person. As far back as I can remember I have always imagined, made, sketched or photographed. Creativity is in my DNA and without it have no purpose. It is what makes me ‘me’, it’s my USP and its my main purpose in life. Everything else is the joy that this brings. Love, happiness, family, friends, clients and connections.

This blog post is a very brief outline of my career to date, and as you might imagine, have curtailed it somewhat for the purposes of your interest and time.

Nottingham, Birmingham, London

Having studied Graphic Design (BA Hons) at Birmingham Art School I went on to have twenty year experience in the design industry for both client and agency side for names such as John Lewis, Waitrose, Asda, Wilkinsons, Sainsburys and Boots. Having professionally ‘cut my teeth’ with John Lewis I had brilliant training in how to do things properly, professionally and strategically. Dealing with all levels of the business, including CEO and Chairman, my ability to deal with all levels and on my area of expertise was the best I could have hoped for as a young graduate.

Packaging was my major discipline and Waitrose in particular was the retailer all packaging designers wanted to work on. Waitrose was unique, great quality and highly creative and I had the opportunity to work on large grocery and non-edible ranges. On the John Lewis side I worked on direct mail for menswear, household, toys and furniture. The variety and scope of projects was huge and we all had a great, creative time!

Leeds

Moving to Leeds (principally for family reasons) was a bit of a shock. Asda was the opposite of John Lewis and I had to massively adjust. I realised much later that Asda was ahead of everybody else in terms of business model. They were lean and nimble, very fast to market and driven completely by value. This was 1996 and the rest of retail would follow. Asda was hot on the heals of Sainsbury for the number two slot in supermarket ‘war’. Delivery massive ranges quickly had new challenges for me and had to deal with high volume at rapid pace. My largest and most challenging project was ‘value engineering’ all fresh produce.  Project ‘KIS’ spanned meat, fish, veg, poultry and dairy and the strategic agenda for all concerned was so varied and challenging. We delivered about 700 lines over a six month period and by the end of the project in August 2000 I moved to Watt International away from project management and back to design and presentation.

With 4 years at Watt (now Sun Branding), a couple of years for JUNC and 18 months at Storm Brand Design I had 7 years agency side of retail. Although I enjoyed working with Sainsbury’s, Burgess Pet Care, Halfords, Charles Worthingtons, Boots etc, I much preferred the client side.

Going it alone…

In late 2009 I went freelance. This was the turning point for me. Personally and creatively I felt free and although the move was difficult I decided that my own happiness was down to me and the direction I wanted to take. Also, as an Account Director, I had lost my ‘mojo’ and I had to get it back!

Photography had always played a large part in my design projects and have always worked with many professional photographers. I was approached by a couple of friends to get involved in projects with them and all went really well. Financially it was a real struggle but I was in control of the work I was doing. Design projects were falling away as the retail side generally deals with agencies and the economy dived. I continued to work on smaller design projects: Local business’s wanting identity: a salon requiring a leaflet: financial advisors needing stationery. I also continued to work in packaging for a couple of confectionery company. But the photography side was taking off for me and I followed that direction.

For the past 15 years I have worked extensively as a freelance photographer and designer and have built up a varied and well established client base including financial services, property developers, law firms, charity organisations and private individuals. Creative passion, attention to detail, great client services, technical expertise and flexibility has enabled me to strive forward in business.

Corporate identity and branding, packaging, print design, signage and photography are all part of my services offer. Project management skills combined with good ideas, commercial acumen and technical expertise puts me in the unique position of offering small business owners a ‘one stop shop’.

Now

I live in North Leeds with my wife of 30 years and two incredible daughters. I have a studio at home and hire in Leeds when necessary. Shooting a lot on location I am always happy to travel for projects, events and client meetings. I love meeting people and in my work like to capture them at their best. Leeds and the wider Yorkshire region is both beautiful and full of creative opportunity and am glad to be a small part of the technology boom here.

I deliver some third sector work covering events and individual projects. My client base is varied. However, I am drawn towards good causes, community responsible projects and organisations involved in such sectors as healthcare, wellbeing and environmental projects.

Current clients include Specsavers, Big Change, Puffin Packaging, Yorwaste and Lily Comms

If you have any questions regarding either my design or photography services please contact me do discuss your plans.