As a graphic designer at Toast, day-to-day you’ll find me rolling up my sleeves and getting stuck into design for brochures, promos, graphics, magazines…
… but it has to be said that I appreciate working on longer-form layouts and text-heavy documents. Think catalogues, reports and books. Assign me one of those and I’m happy as a pig in the proverbial.
As an agency, we’re looking into the applications and opportunities of generative AI (short version – don’t believe the hype, but it can do more than you think).
I took my Foundation Art qualification here in Banbury, before heading off to the wilds of Cornwall to study Advertising Design.
My first couple of jobs revolved around PR for computer games and artworking in an advertising agency, but the absolute bedrock to my career began when I ran the studio of a local print works. Getting to grips with the ins and outs of the technical requirements for litho print was a real eye-opener, and formed the basis of how I approach my work to this day.
I moved on to work in-house as a designer at Thames Valley Police (no, it wasn’t designing ‘wanted’ posters) and then progressed to heading up the graphic design team at Oxford Brookes University.
In 2006, I made the leap to being a self-employed freelance designer and cultivated a small but loyal pool of great clients. Having done things my own way for 12 years caused me to wonder if I would be unemployable thereafter, but I needn’t have worried. I joined Toast in 2018 and found it to be an agency that leans into individual team members’ unique creativity and experience rather than insisting on a one-size-fits-all approach.
And we truly are a team here. We pull together and have a formidable range of design know-how between us. We’re upbeat, approachable and professional.
Outside of work, I’m a keen cinema goer and lover of live music. Summer festival season is the highlight of my year. I’m a fan of fantasy and science fiction – watching, reading and also writing… my massively popular and awesomely bestselling SF novel is currently a work in progress.
HND in Design (Advertising) from Falmouth School of Art and Design.
By providing structure, it allows creative work to develop more effectively. For businesses, this means better results with less waste. Time is used more efficiently. Costs are controlled. Outcomes are stronger. Design is not just about what is created.
Creative work in business exists for a purpose. It must communicate clearly, influence behaviour and ultimately support commercial outcomes. If it fails to do those things, its aesthetic value becomes secondary.
The future of printed marketing materials is not about nostalgia. It is about precision. Fewer pieces. Better targeted. Better designed. Fully integrated with digital.
If you want a magazine designed, here are some tips on the planning and initial stages of the project.
We’re a helpful bunch at Toast, so here’s our handy guide on how to mark up a PDF.
I work in the print side of Toast with Mark and the rest of the team and do a bit of everything. I do a lot of work as an annual reports designer, handling complex documents, facts, and figures.
We’re a busy agency, and I love a tight deadline, so having many projects to work on is great. With so many different clients in all kinds of businesses, the variety of work and the different creative problems we solve keep us busy!
