Hello and welcome to my interactive C.V. This is my C.V. but with some visual case studies which will  hopefully make it far more engaging, entertaining and less painful for you to have to read through. I hope you enjoy reading it. Please feel free to go ahead and explore the blog at any point.

Professional profile

I am an advertising and branding professional with over four years of agency experience. My current position at boutique advertising agency Creative Orchestra has facilitated my transition from design graduate to advertising and branding professional. This has culminated in my recent promotion to Lead Creative Strategist.

My passion has always been to use my creative skills for social impact. I created my blog ‘Good Design’ as a vehicle both to research and learn about creativity for social impact and to inspire other like-minded design thinkers and creatives outside the workplace.

I am an extremely fast learner and I quickly acquired and implemented the company marketing philosophy of ‘Creative Intelligence’ (creativity built on insights & intelligence). I am now the highest performing creative strategist in the agency and all strategies have been executed in both above and below the line 360 integrated campaigns. To date my creative advertising strategies and ability to pitch successfully have won business from clients such as Metro, American Airlines, AOL, Total Greek Yoghurt, Fruyo, WWF, Fruitella, Clear Channel, Dunns River, Nurishment, Forum For the Future and NUS.

My skills and expertise lie at the intersection of design thinking and creative brand strategy. I am an ‘ideas’ person, able to think both laterally and strategically, with excellent trouble-shooting skills, who is able to provide educated insights and unique opinions. My particular areas of expertise and interest are branding for social impact, brand strategy and ethical/sustainable communications, although I realise the importance of being a well-versed all-rounder and can adapt easily to a variety of briefs.

I am motivated by the desire to understand people and the emotions that drive our different behaviours. Human behavoiur sits at the heart of my work and informs all of my creative decision making.

As the appointed digital specialist within the agency, it is my responsibility to be educated and informed on the latest digital techniques, campaigns and technologies. This responsibility extends to sharing my expertise with other members of my team through informal group seminars and training. I take great pride in my role as digital specialist and when consulting clients I always strive to implement this insight and intelligence into every brand strategy, ensuring an innovative solution every time.

Achievements outside work

My passion has always been to use my creative skills for social impact and this was compounded when studying Ken Garland’s First Things First Manifesto at university. My motivation comes from the excitement of the potential for positive behaviour change that can be generated when design thinking and brand strategy synchronise.

I created my blog ‘Good Design’ as a vehicle both to research and learn about design and creativity for social impact and to inspire other like-minded designers and creatives. Since founding the blog in 2011 it has grown from a small readership of a couple of hundred to over 20,000 unique visitors per month and is now placed in the top three Google results for the search ‘Good Design’. It has been featured on siteInspire, a showcase of the finest web and interactive design. It’s been a fascinating journey that has allowed me to meet a huge range of inspirational design legends and industry professionals.

My highlight so far without doubt was from TYPO London 2012 where I had the chance to meet and interview my idol, Ken Garland. Other interviewees from that conference included Erik Kessells, Anthony Burrill and Lucienne Roberts. I was also invited to attend The D&AD White Pencil Awards and Sustainable Brands London conference as press.

In 2012 I conducted Good Design’s first official interview series in which I approached some of the thought leaders in the worlds of design, advertising and branding for their insights on innovation for social impact. The response was overwhelming and to date I have interviews from CEOs and heads of department of agencies such as Wolf Ollins, Dragon Rouge, Pearlfisher, D&AD, Goodvertising and Ogilvy Earth.

In 2013 I was invited to deliver a talk to the students that focused on how design is being used as a force for good by brands to make sustainable lifestyles more desirable. In 2014 I was invited to chair a panel discussion on sustainable design for the LBB Pop-Up School. Speakers included were from The RSA Design Awards, Wolff Olins, Octopi Architects and London College of Fashion.

Writing my blog and sharing my passion is one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. It constantly feeds back into my professional work and helps me to inspire and motivate both myself and my colleagues when tackling new briefs.

Empolyment

Creative Orchestra

April 2011 – 0ngoing

Advertising and marketing creative strategist

- My job includes:

- Planning and implementing integrated ad campaigns, including print, TV, digital, marketing, strategy, P.R., events and design.

- Branding, brand strategy and brand positioning based on in-depth consumer insight.

- Co-facilitating workshops – e.g. a branding workshop with Forum for the Future to help develop an emotional narrative to sit at the heart of their brand communications.

- Worked on in-house brand development through website design and agency magazine.

- Writing creative briefs for pitches.

- Leading pitches for clients such as American Airlines, Clear Channel and Fruitella.

- Digital specialist – it is my responsibility to be educated and informed on the latest digital techniques, campaigns and technologies.

- Managing the work of two research interns.

Creative Orchrestra

Advertising and marketing intern

Feb 2011 – April 2011

The People’s Supermarket

Branding and marketing creative

- Working as a voluntary member of the marketing team, designing print work and implementing brand strategy.

Feb 2011 – May 2011

The Hub

In-house graphic designer and host

- Worked on a freelance basis in-house, developing internal branding and brand guidelines.

Jan 2011 – August 2011

Futerra Sustainability Communications

Graphic design intern

- Honed my Adobe Suite and Microsoft Office skills to a professional standard in a fast paced agency environment, working to tight deadlines. Duties of my internship included art-working annual reports and campaigns, creative brainstorming and conceptualizing, conducting in-depth research into sustainable design and branding.

October 2010 – Jan 2011

Twenty%extra

Design and advertising intern

- Worked with young people through co-creation workshops that led to the creative strategy for the ‘Louis Vuitton Young Arts Project’

August 2010 – September 2010

Lambeth Voluntary Centre

Freelance graphic designer

April 2010 – May 2010

Gallery 37 Arts Project

Leeds Metropolitan University

Support Artist/Designer

August 2008 – September 2008

Assistant Project Manager/Designer

March 2007 – September 2008

Interests

I love learning about my passion from industry experts and I am currently reading a couple of leading books in the field of sustainable branding and design thinking: ‘Brand Valued’ by Guy Champniss and ‘Change by Design’ by CEO of IDEO Tim Brown. For inspiration I also like to attend talks at the RSA and ICA, as well as blog for events such as The D&AD White Pencil Awards and Sustainable Brands with my blog Good Design. On weekends I also find great creative inspiration in visiting exhibitions and have recently visited the Museum of Brands.

In my leisure time I am keen on keeping fit and leading a healthy lifestyle. I enjoy attending the gym regularly, walking to work, cycling on the weekends as well as cooking and eating good food. I enjoy going to festivals, concerts, reading, going to the cinema and traveling. Each year I volunteer at Crisis for Christmas, a charity that puts on Christmas events for the homeless.