This week, we're shining our member spotlight on Georgia Rowe, Creative Director at Hot Creative, a leading boutique full service design studio offering creative solutions across marketing, advertising and design.
She has been working professionally in the creative industries for over 10 years and has worked for some of the UK’s leading fashion companies including, Oasis Fashion, Moss Bros, Nichole de Carle London & more.
After 10 years working in the industry she decided to strike out on her own and launch Hot Creative and she hasn't looked back.
How did you get into the industry?
I have always been creative since I was a child. I remember designing clothes for my Barbie dolls and designing little towns for my matchbox cars with roads and buildings so that I could play with them.
I've always had a creative imagination, I knew I wanted to be in the creative industry and school made me realise that as I think the school curriculum is not creative enough. I got into the industry after studying my design for a web degree.
Once qualified I went on to start an apprenticeship, which I think is the best way to get your foot in the door. It gives you more of an option on where you would like to start your creative career. It's very much about choosing where your passion is and what road you want to go down at the beginning but also about getting as much industry experience as you can starting out. This will all pay back later.
Where are you based now and who do you work for?
I am currently based in London working as a creative director at Hotcreativelondon.com An agency I set up by myself, specialising in creative solutions across marketing, advertising and design. Since starting up I have been lucky enough to work with many amazing brands such as NatWest, BAE Systems, Ministry of Sound, Amazon, Reach PlC, Dorothy Perkins and House of Fraser to name a few.
Working at Hotcreativelondon.com gives me the freedom to work with clients I choose to do projects I really enjoy. I am always on the lookout for working with new exciting clients big and small expanding my creative portfolio in the process.
If you weren’t in your current industry, what would you be doing?
Probably something like psychology, I am very interested in how the mind works, especially making it work the best for us.Id also really like to teach design in the future or even have my own design course.
Can you explain your creative process? What makes it unique?
I have a clean minimalistic approach to my designs. Less is always more, I think the right balance of elements,white space and colour are the main factors to get right when designing which in return will reflect the message the design is representing.
How would you describe your style?
Clean, minimalist and contemporary. I like the simplicity to radiate through my designs.
What tips would you give to aspiring creatives looking for work?
My advice would be to get as much experience as possible when starting out. The experience is needed to gain the jobs you want. I believe you get out what you put in. Enjoy the creative journey and always keep updating your skills. Internships are always a great way to get your first step into the Creative industry.
The great thing with design is what you see is what you get. So if you are creative and stick to it you will be successful. Make sure you always have an up to date online portfolio on the creative websites available out there.
Like creativepool, the dots, Behance etc. Having your own website is also a good idea and shows you are serious, it could potentially put you above others who haven’t got their own website when applying for jobs.
Last of all, believe in yourself as you and everyone are capable of big things with dedication and perseverance you can do anything you put your mind to!
What tips would you give to other professionals to get more clients?
My advice would be to keep creating and updating your portfolios and social media. There are also other sites where you can advertise your work for a price, I would recommend Upwork.com is something I have used and trust.
What kind of tools/kit/software could you not do without?
I could not do without Photoshop and Illustrator; those are my babies of the Adobe creative suite!
What’s your secret to staying inspired and motivated?
My secret to staying inspired would be always reading about other people's stories in the industry. Learning new skills and always on the lookout for creative inspiration through apps, websites and newsletters.
I love to also read books on design trends and inspiration. Staying motivated is down to being inspired and exercising your creativity freely.
What’s the work achievement you’re most proud of?
The project I am proudest of would have to be the Guide Dogs social media project I worked on last year.
I really enjoyed it from design to working with the fabulous team and of course the fact it’s a charity is really close to my heart. It was always such a pleasure going for meetings at GD HQ and hoping to see some of the doggies in their offices.
We worked closely with the Guide Dogs Charity on creatively directing their social media by redesigning and updating the brands presence and user experience online. We came up with a complete set of social media guidelines and designs for the charity to follow after carefully analysing all analytical data specifically from the Guide Dogs social media accounts.
Our main key focus includes in-depth best practices on how best to design for social media, different types of posting as well as how to post correctly whilst getting the best from organised and sponsored posts.
After finishing the main social media report we were tasked to re-design each individual in-house Guide Dogs campaign, such as Lucky Lottery Raffle and Sponsor a Puppy. We redesigned and provided 5 separate sets of brand guidelines and design assets for each individual campaign creating a memorable and recognisable brand for each.
What is the one thing that you would change about the industry?
I would love to change the way us creatives are briefed on projects forever. I can’t tell you how many different ways I have been briefed. Some clients are amazing at briefing and some could do with some help.
Being briefed properly is so important as it saves time in the long run. My advice would be to always ask the client how you would like to be briefed to save the confusion later on down the line.
Any websites, books or resources you would recommend?
behance.net - is a great online to showcase your portfolio.
the dots.com - is a great online to showcase your portfolio as well as news, events and education.
https://www.designweek.co.uk/ - is a great website with latest industry news
