How did you get into the industry?
Creativity and image making pulls at me like a magnet. I’ve tried out other paths but it’s the only thing that I feel like I truly connect with.
When I was a kid I was obsessed with all the illustrated characters in the books I read and would spend endless hours in my room drawing animals dressed up in fancy clothing. It didn’t seem like art could be a real career path though so at 18 I went to college to get an English degree, near my parents’ home in Canada. I hated it.
I wanted to do more with my life. I wanted to see the world. I ended up taking a very long break to travel, financed by a series of office jobs. But eventually found a creative career path in Scotland at Napier University and graduated with a BA in Graphic Design in 2011.
Where are you based now and who do you work for?
I am based in Edinburgh, and I am currently working for myself. I went Freelance in June 2022 after 10 years working in design agencies and so far, it’s been better than I could have ever imagined.
I’ve been pretty much fully booked working with the loveliest of clients. I feel extremely lucky. And I’m hoping that it just keeps getting better. Being a freelancer has so far been the best job I’ve ever had.
If you weren’t in your current industry, what would you be doing?
I honestly can’t imagine myself deciding to live a ‘non creative’ life. If the creative industries didn’t exist, I think I would still choose to draw and create in some way. Don’t get me wrong though, I do have lots of other interests. I could see myself as a naturalist, an antiques dealer, a philosopher, or an archaeologist.
Something that involves research, critical thinking, the excitement of discovery and of taking complex ideas and distilling them down into something easier to understand. All the while making fun little sketches and colour palettes on the side.
Can you explain your creative process? What makes it unique?
I’m not sure if my process is unique but I like to begin by assuming I know nothing. I hate starting with an answer. I get to know and understand the subject matter and my client’s needs, as well as that of their audience.
To do that properly I research and gather information and test ideas. I also like to consider the emotions to be evoked. How should this brand or illustration make people feel? And how can that be conveyed with colour and form?
How would you describe your style?
I always want my work to match its intended purpose so my style does move around a bit, however, my aim is always for it to do its job as simply as it can.
Visually, I gravitate towards bold shapes and colour palettes. And I like to incorporate elements that are a little imperfect, like hand drawn lines and textures.
I’m inspired by design and illustration from the 50s to 70s, which were limited by the printing process and technology at the time. Things like matchboxes and children’s books that were printed in just three colours as separate plates.
Things with a screen-printed aesthetic. I am always impressed by how much can be done within strict limitations. I also love the charm of their imperfections. Their slight misalignments and lack of perfectly straight lines that act as reminders that these were made by human hands.
Which individuals do you gain inspiration from? Do you have any heroes in the industry?
Aliki Brandenberg, Edward Hopper, Owen Davis, Marianne Westmann, Louise Lockheart, Yukai Du plus many many more, but I won’t bore you with a long list.
What tips would you give to aspiring creatives looking for work?
It may sound simple but try to look for work that matches what you’re good at - and what you enjoy doing. And persevere and keep going, even when it gets hard.
What tips would you give to other professionals to get more clients?
Personally, I don’t think I’ve ever been great at self-promotion. I’m also not sure I agree that quantity is the answer either. I am more interested in working with great people, maintaining relationships, and doing the best work possible. I think if you focus on this then, hopefully, the work and opportunities will come!
What kind of tools/kit/software could you not do without?
I use a lot of different software like Illustrator, Indesign, Procreate and Figma, but I think I could still be creative without them. The most important tools I have are a sheet of paper and my mind.
I couldn’t begin a project without them. I always start by writing out ideas and making messy little sketches. If it’s an illustration project I like to spend a bit of time drawing my subject from life (or reference photos if that’s all I have) to get a better sense of it.
For the Golden Eagle Activity Zine for example, it was important that any Eagle characters that I drew were representative of real eagles. They needed to be anatomically accurate as the zine’s purpose was to educate. But they also needed to appeal to children.
So, drawing from real life allowed me to better create characters drawn much more simply on my tablet to become activities like making a flying eagle, or an eagle colouring-in mask.
What’s your secret to staying inspired and motivated?
It’s easier to be inspired and motivated when I’m working on something I’m interested in and with clients or projects that I care about. But if all else fails, getting away from the desk and taking a walk in nature, or looking at work in galleries, always helps.
What’s the work achievement you’re most proud of?
I am really proud of how well my shift away from agency life has been going so far. In particular I’m proud of two projects I’ve started since going freelance and am working on right now. One is bringing characters to life for Edgard & Cooper, a high-end dog and cat food brand.
I am working with the brilliant packaging designer and creative director Hannah Bloomfeild on a series of characters that will be used on their packaging as well as in their wider brand world including advertising and online.
Character movement and emotion has been meticulously thought through and rendered. And it’s been a real joy to work on. I finished the first set of poses for Roxie, the cat character at the end of last year and I am currently working on poses for their two dog characters Edgard and Cooper.
The other project is a brand refresh for Oxfordshire Council (OxLEP). I am in the process of updating their brand with something more approachable and consistent, though the use of colour and illustration. It’s not on Creativepool, as I can’t share it just yet, but will be up soon so watch this space.
What is the one thing that you would change about the industry?
The industry can feel very unregulated at times. I’d love it if there was a bit more transparency regarding fees and creatives had more protection. A lot of creatives, and especially freelancers are often very much on their own.
There’s no union, or industry wide fee structure, and there’s no sick pay. And there’s little to no recognition that what you do is a real job regardless of what you earn, marking it difficult for freelancers to secure normal things like mortgages. People in the creative industries work extremely hard, they do lots of overtime hours, and sometimes undercut each other for work meaning they’re often not charging enough.
They can also be faced with clients that don’t pay or don’t respect what they do. I just think It would be nice if it could all just be a little fairer.
Any websites, books or resources you would recommend?
Websites/resources: openlibrary.org, The Good Ship Illustration, Inkygoodness Collective, Association of Illustrators, Skillshare, Flickr’s open image collections.
Books: Drawing for Illustration by Martin Sailsbury, A Smile in the Mind by Beryl McAlhone.
