Role: Graphic Designer
Company: MXB Shopper Marketing Agency
Track Record:
What does your job entail?
In short, working as a designer is all about being a visual-thinking problem solver, which entails bringing ideas to life and executing them to the best of my ability. The goal is to inspire, inform and captivate consumers. In order to do so we collaborate with other designers, marketers, account managers, copyrighters or developers – depending on the project and its deliverables. It can sometimes feel like you are reinventing the wheel everyday, so thinking outside the box helps to keep things fresh. We have the advantage of being able to use any visual medium we like to communicate our message in the best way. Shapes, colours, typography, photography, illustration – anything goes. Although a successful project is determined by the measurable outcome of what has been created, not just by how pretty it looks.
Is it 9-5?
It’s hard to adopt a 9-5 mentality when your work is your passion. There are times I will come in early or stay late because I’m personally invested in a project and want it to be the best it can truly be – not just the best it can be by 16.59pm. If I have a deadline looming it is my responsibility to see it over the line, whether that means doing overtime or not. Luckily, when you’re part of a great team, help is always on hand when the workload is particularly heavy to make sure no one has to stay until silly o’clock.
Did you go on to further / higher education, if so, what did you study and where? How did you get into your area of work?
After my A-levels I went against everyone’s advice and began a degree in Law and Criminology. At only 18 I had lost my way and didn’t believe I could make a real career or much money out of my love for the arts. It wasn’t long before I began to realise my mistake and so I enrolled onto a Foundation Art & Design course with the Belfast Met. We experimented in all areas of design – ceramics, photography, fine art, sculpture, and graphic design (to name a few). It was in this year that I learnt the most about myself and where my heart truly lay. From there, I went on to study Visual Communication at the Belfast School of Art to refine my chosen craft. To expand my skill set further and give myself an edge over the competition I embarked on a placement year in Cardiff at Yogi Creative Studios. This was invaluable in helping me on my way to a career in the design industry, as real life experiences will always trump hours in a lecture hall or seminar. I gained more from that one placement year than I did from my years at University.
What attracted you to work for a shopper marketing agency?
The opportunity for personal growth was the main attraction, and the best way to grow is throw your self into the deep end. To be able to learn from a talented team and work for some massive global clients has always been a dream – which MXB certainly delivers on. It feels great being kept on your toes and jumping from client to client and from project to project. One day you could be story boarding for a moving image project, the next day working on a slick brochure or crafting a logo from your initial doodles and brain storm session. Stepping into an ever-changing environment like this not long after graduating was a steep learning curve and certainly not for the faint-hearted, but it is one that rewards you tenfold when you put the graft in.
What qualities are required for your job, personal and professional?
It helps a lot if you don’t take yourself too seriously. It’s not the ideal job for someone who takes things to heart easily. You also need to be extremely resilient to cracking under pressure, as there are times like it feels the impossible needs to be done in tight timeframes. Working as part of a team is essential as it is always a group effort to turn the seed of an idea into a successful and multifaceted award-winning campaign. Good communication – both visually and verbally is massively important. Being adaptable and open to change is also pretty integral as it’s hard to be a specialist in design these days. To succeed and get ahead I have had to learn to become a sort of hybrid, turning my hand to design, illustration, photography, typography or animation depending on the brief. You can’t sit back and say, “oh, that’s not my forte”, you just have to push on and teach yourself how to do new things.
What are the biggest challenges and rewards of your work?
A huge challenge is working through the days where it feels like your creative juice is all dried up. Yet ideas are still needed, artwork needs completed and deadlines are always approaching. Taking a breather away from your desk can seem risky when there’s time constraints involved, but it can do wonders to just reset your brain for 5/10 minutes. There are many rewards in the job, ranging from receiving good feedback from clients, to your colleagues looking forward to working with you on a particular brief or project and of course – seeing your own work go live and put out into the world!
What advice would you give to someone looking to follow a similar career path?
Believe in yourself. Be prepared to do all-nighters and work outside your habits. Know when to speak up and when to sit back and listen. Don’t be afraid to collaborate or ask for help. Question everything. Find inspiration everywhere and keep learning. Learn how to take criticism and do not be afraid to fail. Put your heart and soul into a portfolio that you’re proud of. Knock on every door you can and don’t fret if you get no for an answer. Trust your gut instinct and never stop thinking about all the possibilities.
If you weren’t doing this, what would you like to do?
I am a massive music lover and have DJ’d as a hobby on the side for the past few years. If I wasn’t so settled in the design industry I would love to take this more seriously and pursue a career in music as a producer/DJ. There are some boundaries that blur between graphic design and DJing – like knowing how to read an audience and reacting accordingly. It is so uplifting seeing people jump up from a table to dance or to see their face light up when I play something they love. Although most importantly, music to me is another outlet for freedom and self expression. As long as I have the right to those two things, I am happy.
What is the best piece of advice you have ever received?
5+4 = 9 but so does 6+3. The way you do things is not always the only way to do them. Keep an open mind, respect other people’s way of thinking and always be prepared to solve the problem ahead of you from a different angle or perspective.
Who has inspired you most in your life?
My dad has been a massive inspiration for me. After coming from a disadvantaged background, he left school at a young age – but single handedly built his own business from the ground up. It grew into something extremely successful and he has changed a lot of lives in the process. His journey has outlined to me the difference between knowledge acquired and intelligence applied. His mantra – whatever you’re thinking, think bigger.