Graduated 2000
1st class honours

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Profile

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I knew nothing about Preston, the place or the course and in hindsight was incredibly lucky that I ended up by chance on one of the best courses in the country. I started in advertising, but although I enjoyed the ideas, I wasn’t keen on the marker pens and changed to design.

I lived on a really rough council estate, drunk a lot of strong white cider and was at Tokyo Joe’s most weeks. I loved it. Before I new it, I was half way through the second year, and Ron our tutor recommended that myself and John Paul Sykes had a years industry experience. I spent time at Interbrand Newell and Sorrell, Design House, Browns, and Metropolis. Great experience, but bloody hard work trying to live in London on work placement wages.

When I came back to Preston I met my wife and somehow managed to get a 1st.

I was straight back to Cricklewood London as soon as the course finished. I got a job reasonably quickly at a good agency called Salter Baxter, and worked on some great projects for Cable and Wireless, Yell.com, EMI, and the Discovery Channel but within few months I was made redundant. It took me a year to find my next job and I was getting pretty despondent with the industry in general but especially with the way graduates and juniors are often treated.

I was seriously considering moving abroad to find work when I got a junior position at Ranch. A small but well respected agency that was big on print. Obsessional about paper stocks, grids and production. The basics about layout and typography I learned there will stay with me forever. One of the biggest cleints was independant film maker Pathe, and we used to do all the promotional literature for Ken Loaches new films.

We shared a studio with Mark Farrow who has always been a big inspiration for me. Jonathan Jeffrey who later went on to co found Bibliotheque with Mason Wells and Tim Beard worked there at the time and were all good friends with the guys from North, Sea, MadeThought and Intro. There was alot of sexy, graphic, very trendy work going on around me, and it was exciting.

After once again being made redundant we moved up to Bolton, I joined Fudge, and after a few months was made Creative director. Over 5 years I helped build Fudge into the reputable branding and digital agency it is today winning quite a few awards along the way. Fudge started to specilaise in digital towards the end of my time there, and looking back, I am glad I have a bit of head start in what can be quite a tricky area to design for.

I have now moved on to do my own thing and am currently starting my own design agency called Barôn.

Please watch this space!

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The Disciples of Design Q&A

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Q What / who inspires you?
Mark Farrow was my biggest inspiration earlier on in my career, so to end up by total chance in the same studio as him was quite mental. More recently my biggest digital inspiration has got to be the guys I used to work with at Fudge. I personally think they are the best around.

Q Do you think being a Preston student has benefited you in any way?
I met my best man there, and my wife so I suppose you could argue I benefited.

Q You have recently started your own design agency. What are the benefits of going it alone?
Its an amazing feeling of being in total control. It is still very early days but I am also earning a lot more.

Q What would you say has been the key to your success so far?
A massive magic pencil and a lot of hard work.

Q What’s the most unusual thing you’ve ever done in your career?
Art directing a naked photoshoot with several beautiful models for cosmetic surgery specialists SurgiCare.

Q Any advice for students entering the industry during the recession?
Be prepared for the long haul. In the past it has taken me a year to find a job.

Make the most of the fact that you have total control of what goes into your portfolio. Unlike most formal qualifications like exams and degrees, we are in quite a privileged position that we can be constantly improving, updating, replacing our ticket to getting a job, our portfolio.

If your portfolio is lacking in a certain area, then set yourself a brief. I personally don’t care if work was an actual paid job or a self initiated brief for a friend. If it looks good it looks good.

Keep up to date with what your favorite design agencies are up to, and use them as inspiration for your own projects.

Remember design – and in fact life in general – is all about love, joy and a sprinkling of intrigue.

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Portfolio

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Ark Design and Architecture.
A firm of architects offering full architecture services including feasibility studies, scheme design and detailed design. Work appears courtesy of fudge.

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OneE Tax
Bespoke tax solutions for businesses and entrepreneurs. Work appears courtesy of fudge.

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PT Energy
A multi-disciplinary property and construction consultant. Planning, design, procurement and statutory approval of building projects to new and existing buildings. Work appears courtesy of fudge.

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Rags to Bitches
Vintage clothing boutique. Work appears courtesy of fudge.

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Manchester Digital
The independent trade association for the ICT and new media industries in the North West of England.Work appears courtesy of fudge.

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Thanks Robin (and fudge).