I’m occasionally asked if I know any amazing designers. Well, the answer is yes! Say hello to Jess, the amazing designer behind my website, portfolio and CV. Jess very kindly agreed to answer a ton of questions about what she does. Take it away, Jess!
Tell us a little about you.
My name is Jess and I’m a Graphic Designer. I live in a little town called Lower Darwen in Lancashire. I am the proud owner of one husband and two delightful children.
My loves:
- Tea with 2 sugars
- True Crime everything
- Seattle Grunge
- Gin & Bitter Lemon
- Anything historical (full on geek here)
- Pizza
- PC Gaming
My hates:
- Beetroot (just tastes like soil)
- Pretty much all sport
- People who drop litter (there’s just no need)
- Mathematical equations
How did you get started in design?
Back in the 90s, we used to go on ‘Work Experience’ in the final year of High School. My teachers saw how much I loved doing Art and Design and managed to nab me a two-week stint at a local screen-printing company. I really enjoyed the experience of working in a design studio and was delighted when the firm offered me an apprenticeship. I stayed with the company for a few years and studied one day a week at my local college to gain my qualifications.
Once I had developed my skills and grown in confidence, I made the decision to work for myself. I love being my own boss and I’ve had the opportunity to work with some fantastic clients from all around the world. I’ve also worked with more ‘challenging’ clients and this has taught me zen-like patience!
What does your typical day look like?
Although I enjoy the benefits of working from my home office, I have a pretty rigid routine. I’m at my desk at 8am til 6pm every weekday. I start my days by replying to emails and dealing with paperwork and other boring (but necessary) stuff.
Then, the earphones go in, my Adobe software is booted and the fun begins!
I might be working on anything from a logo for a new start-up to creating catalogues for cool products and services. Some days I work on digital newsletters, web banners or adverts. My work is varied and there’s always novelty to stimulate my brain and get my creative juices flowing.
I try to make sure I take regular breaks but I’m often so engrossed in my work that I miss taking a lunch hour! At the end of the day, I like to cook for my family – a task I find very relaxing. In the evenings, I love to read or to play games on my kick-ass gaming laptop. I also love to walk in our beautiful countryside, and you can usually find me pestering friends and family to let me borrow their dogs!
What are your favourite projects to work on?
My favourite thing to do is to create a brand from scratch. This usually begins with a logo and brand style guidelines. Once that’s established, I will create matching stationery including business cards, letter heads, brochures, assets for websites and anything else the business might need.
Having creative control from the off allows me to nail the branding. Experience has taught me what works and what doesn’t. If I get the opportunity to lay the aesthetic foundations for a new business, I know that I can make it shine. I keep up to date with the latest design trends, but I also like to breathe individuality into my creative work – giving my clients something truly unique.
What’s your most memorable experience/funny story?
My full name is Jessica and even though all my emails are signed off with my full name, an alarming portion of my clients call me Jennifer. I have no idea why this happens, but it’s become an ongoing joke in our household. I stopped correcting people a long time ago. I have a client in the USA who I have worked with for around 3 years. He still calls me Jennifer in all our correspondence, and I’ve never had the heart to tell him that’s not my name! If we ever had to meet in person, I might just bite the bullet and get my name changed by deed poll!
What do you wish people knew about design?
With anything design, I think it’s important to remember that often, less is more. Whatever the design is, overfilling it with too much text, images, logos, graphics and colours is easy to do and it can result in information overload. Graphic design is about good, clean communication and having too much going on doesn’t facilitate that. A good designer should be able to pick out the salient information and make it work in an impactful way.
Also, you can’t polish a turd! If you don’t have a good logo (that’s been designed with your target market in mind), professional photography, or high-quality written copy to boot – a designer can only do so much. I would say that getting these valuable assets in order before approaching a designer will give you the best chance of having designs that really work for you and help grow your business.
What inspires you? What do you do when inspiration doesn’t strike immediately?
Music for sure! I have a rich and varied Spotify Account with playlists for different ‘moods’ ranging from Classical through to Heavy Metal. Music really helps me to ‘feel’ what I want to communicate visually.
If I’m designing something for an organic brand, I will take inspiration directly from nature. I will look at leaves and flower petals and incorporate these elements into my designs. Colours too, are very important and subtle changes to certain colours can create dramatic differences.
If I’m working on something with a corporate feel, then I keep my design work modern and clean. That doesn’t mean it has to be boring, though. I love the art deco movement and regularly take inspiration from the geometrical patterns and monochromatic palettes of that period.
It’s a bit of a cliché, but inspiration is all around us if we choose to see it. I look at everything from my children’s story books to cans of food in the kitchen cupboard to spark that ‘ah-ha’ moment.
Can we go behind the scenes of your favourite project?
I was approached by a young lady called Sophie a few years back who worked as a Case Manager for people with acquired brain injuries. Sophie wanted to set up her own Case Management company and had nothing other than a company name. Together we created a brand that really stands out in the industry: Beacon Case Management.
From that first logo through to company reports, presentations, social media graphics and everything in between, Beacon Case Management has become a well-established and trusted company in the Northwest region and beyond. Sophie now has her own team of case managers and they make a real difference to so many people’s lives. I feel genuinely honoured to have contributed (even in a small way) to such a worthwhile service that really helps people who need it.
How can people get in touch with you?
You can check out my website to get a feel for what I do.
If you’d like to talk to me about an upcoming project you have, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch. My email address is [email protected].
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