JO BARTLAM
Year Graduation / Grade
2005 / 1st
I started my career at Ziggurat Brands in 2005 as a junior designer. I instantly loved the world of packaging design and worked on some great brands like Tropicana, Walkers, Britvic and Bottlegreen.
After 4 years at Ziggurat I moved to Blue Marlin and I’m still there 2 and a half years later as a senior designer.
How and where did you secure your first job?
I went travelling to Australia for 3 months after graduating and I was worried that when I came back all the decent jobs would of been taken. I sent my CV to a dozen London agencies and was offered a placement at Ziggurat as a trial run before being offered a full time position.
Do you think being a Preston student has benefited you in any way?
Definitely. For me, the sandwich placement was so worthwhile. It gave me a valuable insight into the industry and It provided me with knowledge and motivation for my final year.
How has the industry changed over the years in your experience?
Deadlines are much tighter now so we have to work much faster and smarter.
Were do you get your ideas from? Do you prefer collaboration or thinking alone?
The best inspiration is to get out and see things, in museums, supermarkets, book shops. I think collaboration is really important to be able to bounce ideas off people.
What would you have done differently at University knowing what you know now?
I would of considered the relevance of my final project more, it really shapes your final year and helps determine what you want to do in your career.
What’s the best thing about your job?
Seeing my work on the supermarket shelves, it still makes me get excited to say “I did that!”
What would you say has been the key to your success so far?
Working hard and absorbing knowledge from the people around me.
What is the most unusual thing you have done in your career?
We went on some fantastic photo shoots for the Lumi paper brochures. The most unusual was being chased into a corner by an angry pig whilst trying to make her pose for a photograph!
What do you look for in graduates and their portfolios?
Great ideas and a passion for what they have done.
Any advice for students entering the industry during the recession?
Do your best to impress and stand out from the crowd. There is so much competition out there and it’s so important to make yourself memorable.
Sainsburys Sweets
A range of own brand sweets for Sainsburys.
Purdeys
Packaging for a mysterious soft drink, making it the ‘modern apothecary’.
Lumi Paper
2 annual brochure designs for a paper company under the campaign ‘See the beauty in everything’.
Poison Diaries
An identity for a book concept by the Duchess of Northumberland.
