As the company name suggests, my name is Dan, I am a freelance designer/illustrator who has just turned 30 (ish…), but still loves playing videogames, noisy fast cars & pizza. Thanks for visiting my website, I hope you like what you see 🙂

For as long as I can remember I have drawn, made things from cardboard boxes & enjoyed art & design throughout education. I studied BA Hons Illustration at the University of Portsmouth and graduated with a 2:1 in 2005. Since then I have made the move into graphic design, advertising and web development. Both in an in-house capacity and an agency environment. I have also dabbled in studio management (I missed my creative outlet too much) and a bit of content writing for gaming websites in my time too.

I am a full-time freelancer, with multiple clients across the South of England (as you will have seen on my homepage), including The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, Reading Borough Council, Marvelous Games, numerous hair salons, a handful of marketing agencies, Monster-Shop.co.uk and more. I’m always interested in what new freelance/contract opportunities may be around the corner, be it branding, advertising, graphic design, web design or even writing, so please get in touch to discuss your projects with me.

I am savouring my role as Graphic Designer at Niche Communications, having the opportunity to use my skill set in both print & web design as well as helping out with some marketing solutions is a challenge I thoroughly enjoy.

I work on both in house projects - such as HTML email campaigns, marketing collateral and a new company website, along with client side projects - brand/identity creation, brochure design & advertising campaigns for clients such as KFH, QA Apprenticeships, Aston Villa & The Mayfair Office. I am responsible for all aspects of the process - from conceptual work right through to artworking and print proofing.

I have a close working relationship with the print room too which has helped me learn a great deal about the workings of a digital press and print finishing. I have dealings on a day to day basis with my clients, and account manage a few myself, an aspect of the role I enjoy very much. Getting positive feedback about the success of a mailer or advert that appeared in the press is great for a bit of job satisfaction.

Having always strived to work within an advertising agency environment, I finally got my chance at Cafécreate. I began as a digital designer. Designing, building and maintaining websites for clients, along with implementing SEO, setting up analytics and email accounts. Designing skins for social media websites, such as Facebook & Twitter. As well has helping out the graphic designers to create advertising campaigns, both for print and digital, such as press advertising, HTML emails and animated banners. Logo and brand conception, including brand guidelines, tone of voice and style guide creation. Designing brochures, leaflets, magazines and flyers.

After a short while my organisational and client engagement skills came to use for the vacant Creative Studio Manager role. I still held all my design duties but also took charge of the day to day running and scheduling of the studio, liaising direct with clients, the account management team and Creative Director to ensure not only is creative delivered to the highest possible standard but also on time for production/print deadlines. I briefed the designers and made sure the team had an understanding of what needed to be achieved. Oversaw all projects, from brainstorming/sketching stage to completion, including sourcing freelancers if needed and creating photography briefs. Creating pitch documents and meeting with clients face to face to take briefings.

I learnt a great deal during my time at Cafécreate, my creative skills, technical knowledge and ability to create campaigns that spread over time and media types grew exponentially. It has taught me not only how a company/brand should market and perceive itself, but how I should too.

After being made redundant by Yell - I wanted to learn/break into web design so that I could expand my knowledge and portfolio. My role at Search You gave me the perfect opportunity.

As Lead Graphic Designer I worked closely with the sales team and the client base to create website designs and graphics for both templated SEO web pages and bespoke high spend sites using internal design tools and Adobe Dreamweaver. This gave me the perfect platform to learn and develop my HTML and CSS knowledge (Theres no where better to learn, than on the job).

I also made amendments to and updated existing customers websites, implementing SEO and also tracking analytics. As well as creating customer branding/market materials, including logo design, business cards, print adverts. It gave me a brilliant insight into SEO, what can and can't be done and how Google works in general - all very valuable!

As time went on I helped Manage the design/amendment workflow and distributed the work accordingly between myself and the other designers, discovering my skills in management, delegation and setting client expectations, something that is always a challenge.

I was also lucky enough to be involved in creating the company’s brand guidelines, marketing campaigns, products, packaging, leaflets and sales tools, including forms, information sheets and presentations - a Brand Guardian if you will..

Working for what was then, ‘Good Old’ Yellow Pages, I designed, created & artworked advertising for the company's National Clients, such as Arnold Clarke, HSS Hire & Bath Store, who purchased advertising spcae across multiple directories.

Also, as part of the Studio’s SID team (Strategic Intelligent Design) I would complete re-brandings/re-direction of a business and it’s marketing. This could be anything form a single advert to a nationwide campaign or a 4 page brochure that got distributed alongside the directory - remember those?.

I always maintained a balance between speed and quality, due to a quick turnaround, I kept a 0% error rate and a much higher than average daily output. I was part of a select team who created artwork for Yell’s marketing department too, taking part in projects such as the redeisgn of the directory’s cover, and it’s internal design.

I was the only person in the Studio to win the prestigious Gold Award for an “outstanding performance” in 2009, happy days.

Obtained a 2:1