You’re co-founder of Think, how did it all start?

I worked in agencies across Manchester since 1997, through the dotcom bubble during the early 2000s and financial crisis in 2008. I was eventually made redundant in 2015 so I when freelance for 18 months until it became the natural choice to form an agency with Maz.

Did you ever think when you were younger that you’d own your own company?

I always wanted to work for myself so I could have control over my personal time. During the 90s and 2000s, working in the design industry meant long hours. Being able to work for myself meant the hours continued but I had control on when I worked.

How has the design industry changed since you first started?

Well, when I first started the internet was barely a thing. One computer in the office had dial up. Direct mail and traditional design and marketing channels were everything. Print was to film, then plate. You couldn’t make a mistake or it cost hundreds if not thousands of pounds. We did, however, have more time to craft the design, typography and artwork. As a result, it was rare mistakes happened.

Then came the internet and the rush to online everything. Social media took off. Budgets were stretched thinly over multiple channels. Email and PDFs then became the norm. Time got constrained. Projects became rushed and designers had to adapt to the this new way of working. 2020 obviously saw Covid and the flexible working many clients still have. This has reduced face to face meetings drastically, which isn’t always a good thing. Then came AI. The least said about that the better.

There have been many positives. Tech has got better. Macs are so powerful these days. Software allows us to create things quicker. Being able to design across different media is a highly underrated skill as well.

If you could work on any dream project, what would it be?

I love heritage projects. Being able to tell a story with assets from history to today make compelling design projects and are usually very educational as well.

Where’s your favourite spot in Manchester?

I still love Ancoats, having spent 5 years working on Jersey Street.

Tell us more about your photography?

I did photography as part of my degree at Manchester Metropolitan University between 94-97. Of course this was still during the film era and I was learning studio and location photography. It did give me a foundation and understanding when it came to art directing photographers as a senior designer.

I started taking it seriously again in the late 2000s and shortly after starting I was commissioned to do some commercial photography rather than art direct. This has led to me managing occasional commercial shoots for Think, and my love of landscape photography which has gained increasing recognition over the last few years, culminating in some awards and becoming an Associate of the British Institute of Professional Photography.